August 11, 2002

Tolkien and Christianity
Danny

I swore I was never going to post on this subject. I am Christian, but have found this debate rather uninteresting to me personally. Anyway, I was reading the note to Milton in the begining of Silmarillion, and came across something that kind of surprised me about Christianity in a mythology.

As Tolkien relates his frustration with the "poverty of my own beloved country," with regards to valid myth and legend, he explains why he feels that Arthurian Legend is not fitting the bill. He says, "For another and more important thing: it is involved in and explicitly contains the Christian religion. For reasons which I will not elaborate, that seems to me fatal."

I have always felt that Tolkien's Christian beliefs and ideals are reflected in LOTR, but that he never intentionally put allegories or paralells in there. Previously in this same note he makes it a point to say that he wanted to create myth not allegory.

After reading this letter, I personally feel more so than ever that Tolkien did not intend for there to be Christ parallels, or other dramatic Christian types or symbols. As he states but doesn't elaborate, "that seems to me fatal." I feel that the ideals he included are universal enough that as some people who have posted comment, people of all walks of life and faiths can find similar ideals in their beleifs. Perhaps that is why Tolkien felt that being blatantly Christian was fatal, because it would alienate those who are of other cultures and beliefs.