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Glimpses of Truth in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
CBN News ^ | December 20, 2002 | Charles Colson

Posted on 12/20/2002 10:20:51 AM PST by NYer

The good news is that the connection between Tolkien's faith and Lord of the Rings wasn't lost on director Peter Jackson and his co-writerPhilippa Boyens.

CBN.com Today, millions of people will go to see The Two Towers, the second installment in the trilogy based on J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. If they pay close attention, they'll see more than an epic adventure. They'll also get a glimpse of Christian truth.

It's well known that Tolkien rejected allegorical interpretations of Lord of the Rings-the notion, for example, that the ring represented the atom bomb. But Tolkien's Christian faith was a different matter. And it's no surprise that his faith found its way into the story.

Tolkien wrote to a friend that Lord of the Rings is a "fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." When, in both the book and the film, Gandalf calls himself a "servant of the Secret Fire," that fire, Tolkien told a friend, is the Holy Spirit.

The good news is that the connection between Tolkien's faith and Lord of the Rings wasn't lost on director Peter Jackson and his co-writerPhilippa Boyens. They told columnist Terry Mattingly that while they didn't set out to make a religious film, they understood the role that Tolkien's beliefs played in his life and work.

And knowing what he believed, they decided to honor the things "that were important to Tolkien." Thus, they said, "some of the messages and some of the themes" in the films "are based on his beliefs." Principal among these beliefs is the Christian idea that, as Solzhenitsyn once put it, "the line between good and evil runs through every human heart," and it oscillates back and forth.

The cinematic version of Lord of the Rings is more than a story about good versus evil. It's a story that, as Mattingly puts it, offers modern audiences "another chance to understand the timeless roots of sin." Characters wrestle with the evil within them. Even when they seek to do good they must guard against the possibility of doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way.

Director Peter Jackson told Mattingly that "Tolkien's themes really resonate today." That's right, and they're going to keep on resonating. As he put it, "I don't think humans are capable of actually pulling themselves out of these basic ruts."

Exactly-that's why two thousand years ago the Son of God, whom Tolkien worshipped, became one of us. He knew that only by living and dying as one of us could the problem of human evil, the "rut" Jackson spoke of, be overcome.

In some ways, Lord of the Rings, both the film and the book, is what the Church fathers called preparatio evangelica, preparation for the Gospel. It's a story where the characters, while not possessing the fullness of Christian revelation, can nonetheless glimpse this truth. Understanding their world and their thoughts prepares us to understand the fullness of Christian revelation.

So, three cheers to Boyens and Jackson for honoring what was important to Tolkien.

Go ahead and invite a friend to the movies and then out for coffee and conversation. Let's be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the interest in Tolkien's world, a world that helps us-and our neighbors-better understand why the Word became flesh.


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: lotr; tolkien; twotowers
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1 posted on 12/20/2002 10:20:51 AM PST by NYer
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To: .45MAN; AKA Elena; Angelus Errare; Aquinasfan; Aristophanes; ArrogantBustard; Askel5; Barnacle; ...
Raymond Arroyo did an excellent job interviewing Peter Jackson and many of the actors that star in LOTR. The interview appeared last Friday on EWTN.
2 posted on 12/20/2002 10:24:24 AM PST by NYer
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To: sourcery
LOTR Bump!! Pass it on.
3 posted on 12/20/2002 10:25:47 AM PST by NYer
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To: NYer
I posted similar comments on a LOTR thread yesterday, but in light of Colson's comments, I'll say it again...

This film seems most timely for our place in history. The understanding that there is evil in the world that threatens to overwhelm what is good...The recognition that good will not overcome evil simply by being good. The forces of good need to be marshalled for an all-out fight if victory is to be assured...The idea that the culture of freedom is superior to the culture of death and oppression -- there is no "moral equivalency" in this movie. While there is "diversity" in the sense that there are many different peoples and cultures (elves, dwarfs, men, hobbits), their strength is in what unites them, what they have in common -- a love of freedom, and a willingness to fight for it...The notion that devotion to values and principles higher than oneself can motivate people to lay everything on the line. This is simply affirmation that there are some things worth fighting for, and their is honor and glory in the fight, even if the outcome of the fight isn't sure, and defeat is most likely.

The most poignant scene was the desparate declaration by Frodo after they have been taken to Osgiliath by Faramir, when he says to Sam, "I cannot do this!" The feeling of desparation and resignation was palpable. This feeling of despair, inability, and defeat is a common human experience. Which one of us hasn't faced, at some point in our lives, a battle or a situation where we felt completely outmatched and overwhelmed, and the temptation to give in? Sam's response, that the fight and effort are worth it because they fight for what is good, was as inspiring a statement ever presented on film.

Finally, the character Gollum/Smeagol was tremendous. Gollum's debate with himself about whether to serve "the Master" or to "kills it" -- the battle within himself -- and the victory (momentary as it would turn out to be) when "Smeagol" wills "Gollum" to "go away and never come back," was heart-wrenching. He is a characterization of ruined humanity -- ruined by sin, selfishness, and uncontrolled desire. There is still a spark of goodness in Gollum, the hope of redemption, but it's all the more sad and tragic because (if you've read the books) you know that spark never overcomes the darkness.

Perhaps it's just me, but I saw this film, more than the first, as a story of spiritual warfare. Particularly, it was a presentation of the truth of how strength, honor, courage, hope, sacrifice, goodness, heroism, and ultimately victory can overcome our own frailties if we are committed to a goodness that transcends us. And from a Christian perspective, we draw upon the higher power that transcends us.

4 posted on 12/20/2002 10:27:51 AM PST by My2Cents
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To: NYer
I had never really been exposed to his work until I rented LOTR a couple of months ago. I did that only because I had heard that he and C.S. Lewis had been friends.

The movie blew me away and most definitely had a Christian message on the character of evil as played out in the hearts and minds of man.

I’m very much looking forward to seeing TT. I’ll be reading the books once I find the time.

I am now a fan.
5 posted on 12/20/2002 10:28:17 AM PST by RobRoy
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To: NYer
It's well known that Tolkien rejected allegorical interpretations of Lord of the Rings-the notion, for example, that the ring represented the atom bomb. But Tolkien's Christian faith was a different matter. And it's no surprise that his faith found its way into the story.

It's rings, not ring. There are nineteen subsidiary rings, just as in Islam, there are nineteen angels who oversee hell.

6 posted on 12/20/2002 10:28:42 AM PST by per loin
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To: NYer

7 posted on 12/20/2002 10:31:18 AM PST by My2Cents
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To: RobRoy
I am now a fan.

That is so wonderful to hear. Tolkien's works are timeless treasures.

8 posted on 12/20/2002 10:33:42 AM PST by Lil'freeper
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To: per loin
In the past year, I can recall several movies having a rightous theme attached to them...even Spiderman (realizing that with great power comes great responsibility). But with the Rings...one sees constant views of human beings thrown into situations from which they must chose right or wrong as their compass in life. The intention of the both the writer and director is obvious...ones life is a constant battle and we must see through the fog and select the right direction or face pains and suffering of an unbearable nature.
9 posted on 12/20/2002 10:37:48 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: NYer
When I was at Fordham in the late '60's I had an English prof who had been a Rhodes Scholar. As this was the time of the great popular release of the LOTR, and NYC subway grafitti included "Frodo Lives", the prof would often regale us with stories of sitting in the Commons and listening to Tolkien and C.S. Lewis discuss life, mythology, Faith and Man's purpose. To hear these recounted was marvelous. I can only imagine what it must have been like to have been there.
10 posted on 12/20/2002 10:38:33 AM PST by xkaydet65
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To: My2Cents
Greatness! And take a look at the 9-11 tribute art of the Bros. Hildebrandt - their work is truly stunning and uplifting. They have an entire page devoted to artwork donated to 9-11 charities.

Not only was Tolkien a friend of C.S. Lewis, but he also lead Lewis to Christ. Even if Tolkien had never written LOTR, he still would have my undying gratitude for that witness...

11 posted on 12/20/2002 11:01:28 AM PST by dandelion
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To: NYer
Saw it last night, loved it. Gimli the dwarf was really hilarious this time out, always being subjected to indignities a la C3PO in Star Wars. I'm at a loss to describe the special effects, so I'll just call them amazing. But I will pass on the post-screening proselytizing, esp as the movie wrapped up at 2AM.
12 posted on 12/20/2002 11:02:52 AM PST by redbaiter
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To: NYer
It's well known that Tolkien rejected allegorical interpretations of Lord of the Rings-the notion, for example, that the ring represented the atom bomb.

LOL! I had not heard that one. It's also well known that there's a sucker born every minute. The ring isn't likely to represent the Bomb, as the ring first appears in The Hobbit and that was written about 1917. I'm sure Tolkien was much too polite to heap scorn on these people as they deserve.

13 posted on 12/20/2002 11:10:16 AM PST by redbaiter
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To: dandelion
Humphrey Carpenter's biography of Tolkien and his group biography of the Inklings (Lewis, Tolkien, and Williams) are both very much worth reading. C. S. Lewis tells the story of his conversion in his classic autobiography, "Surprised by Joy."

But above all I would recommend anyone who enjoyed the movies to read Tolkien's books: The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and some of the shorter works as well. The Book of Lost Tales and Unfinished Tales are also worth reading if you like The Silmarillion--the work with which the whole thing began, and which Tolkien regretably never managed to finish.
14 posted on 12/20/2002 11:54:18 AM PST by Cicero
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To: RightWingMama; BibChr
LOTR ping!
15 posted on 12/20/2002 11:57:04 AM PST by BornOnTheFourth
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To: per loin
What on earth are you talking about. The reference is clearly to the one ring, i.e., the ring to rule the others. Tolkien was no Muslim so any thing in LOTR analogous to some concept in Islam is purely coincidental.
16 posted on 12/20/2002 12:07:36 PM PST by MoGalahad
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To: NYer
Have not seen either of the films. We try and stay away from hollywierd at all costs maybe we will go and see these, or rent the video......
17 posted on 12/20/2002 12:26:45 PM PST by .45MAN
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To: MoGalahad
Of course Tolkien was no Muslim. But his concept of the nineteen rings or powers that strove to bring all into submission before the one ring, resonates strongly with the nineteen angels of hell who preside over the Koran, which itself is constructed around the number nineteen. In that sense, the Koran could be seen as that ultimate ring, the one to rule them all, and in the darkness bind them. In short, Lord of the Rings can be seen as an analogy of our own struggle against the evil of Islam, an old struggle against an old enemy, who has regrouped and is coming at us again.

BTW, Mordor is often mentioned as where the shadow dwells. One of the legends about Mohammad is that he never cast a shadow. About the only thing we run across in our lives on earth, that does not cast a shadow, is a shadow, itself.

18 posted on 12/20/2002 12:29:02 PM PST by per loin
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To: per loin
Were you droped on your head as a child?
19 posted on 12/20/2002 12:40:11 PM PST by Karsus
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To: Karsus
Do you believe that Tolkien was as illiterate as yourself?
20 posted on 12/20/2002 12:42:32 PM PST by per loin
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