Some misguided readers and pseudo-intellectuals hold the absurd belief that The Lord of the Rings is somehow not a Christian story.
To those people who argue that The Lord of the Rings is merely a work of fantasy devoid of religious significance, I say this: you have fundamentally misunderstood both Tolkien's intentions and the very essence of his created world. Your failure to recognize the Christian elements woven throughout the narrative speaks more to your own lack of perception than to any absence of religious content in the work itself.
Tolkien's own words
Let us begin by addressing the most outrageous oversight committed by those blind detractors who deny the Christian nature of The Lord of the Rings – their blatant disregard for Tolkien's own statements on the matter. In a letter to his friend Robert Murray, Tolkien unequivocally declared, "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision."
To those willfully ignorant individuals who would dismiss this clear statement of intent, I ask: do you presume to understand Tolkien's work better than Tolkien himself? Such arrogance is astounding. Tolkien, a devout Catholic and a brilliant scholar, was fully aware of the religious underpinnings of his creation. To suggest otherwise is to accuse him of either dishonesty or a lack of self-awareness.
The sacramental worldview
Those narrow-minded skeptics who fail to recognize the deeply sacramental nature of Middle-earth reveal their own ignorance of Catholic theology. The entire fabric of Tolkien's created world is filled with a sacramental quality that mirrors Catholic understanding of the interplay between the physical and the spiritual.
Consider the gifts bestowed by Galadriel upon the Fellowship. To the untrained eye of these literary philistines, these may appear as mere magical trinkets. But to those versed in Catholic thought, their true nature is clear – they are channels of grace, physical objects that convey spiritual aid, much like the sacraments of the Catholic Church.
The lembas bread that sustains the travelers is not simply a convenient plot device, but a clear allusion to the Eucharist. Those who fail to see this connection demonstrate a woeful lack of understanding of both Catholic sacramental theology and Tolkien's skillful integration of his faith into his fiction.
The One Ring
Perhaps the most outrageous failure of these secular simpletons is their inability to recognize the profound Christian theology embedded in the central symbol of the narrative – the One Ring. Far from being a mere plot device, the Ring serves as a powerful metaphor for sin and its corrupting influence, a concept central to Christian theology.
The Ring's ability to twist the desires of those who possess it mirrors the Christian understanding of concupiscence – the inclination towards sin that plagues humanity. Its promise of power, which ultimately leads to enslavement, beautifully illustrates the Christian concept of sin as a false promise of fulfillment that leads only to destruction.
Those short-sighted "interpreters" who dismiss these parallels as coincidental or irrelevant betray a shallow understanding of both Christian theology and literary analysis. Tolkien's portrayal of the Ring and its effects is a masterclass in exploring Christian concepts of sin, temptation, and redemption.
Marian Imagery: Hidden in plain sight from the spiritually blind
The failure of many self-proclaimed literary experts to recognize the clear Marian imagery in "The Lord of the Rings" is particularly baffling. The character Varda (Elbereth) is a clear parallel to the Virgin Mary, which should be obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of Catholic devotion to Mary.
Characters invoke Elbereth's name in times of dire need, much as Catholics call upon Mary for intercession. The light of Eärendil's star, captured in Galadriel's phial, mirrors Mary's title as "Star of the Sea" in Catholic tradition.
Catholic social teaching: The Shire as ideal society
Those "intellectuals" who claim TLOR lacks religious content conveniently overlook the clear embodiment of Catholic social teaching in Tolkien's depiction of the Shire. The Hobbits' emphasis on community, simple living, and mutual support isn't just quaint world-building – it's a direct reflection of Catholic ideals of social organization.
The Shire's decentralized governance aligns perfectly with the Catholic principle of subsidiarity. The Hobbits' connection to the land and appreciation for honest work mirror Catholic teachings on the dignity of labor. While this parallel may be subtler than some other religious themes in Tolkien's work, it remains a genuine representation of Catholic social values.
Willful blindness or genuine ignorance?
We are left to wonder: how can anyone seriously argue that "The Lord of the Rings" is not a fundamentally Christian work? Are these detractors who make such claims willfully blind to the religious elements so clearly present in the text? Or are they simply ignorant of the Christian symbolism and theology that Tolkien so skillfully wove into his narrative?