The Christian LOTR thread became an HP/LOTR bashing thread. That, my friends, is nothing short of the magic of the internets.
The Bible teaches us to not let the enemy gain a foothold. And yes, the enemy is very cunning. He can create roots in our minds that we find hard to release because frankly, it is neither good nor bad. What we MUST ask is not whether it is good or bad. The outward appearance of morality is less important here than the inner warfare that it can create.
In God's purpose driven plan, does HP strengthen the Christian or weaken him? In God's great plan of salvation, does LOTR strengthen the believer or weaken him?
To understand this, first, we must remember the authors. Rowling is a mother, a parent, while Tolkien is a romantic, and rebel of realism, and veteran of a war. While Rowling's work show a degree of realism, from teenaged problems and so forth, Tolkien denies realism, and focuses on romantic, fantastic, and epic concepts that have long since faded from realist works. Rowling's work is a treatise on the teenage reality where few understand them, while Tolkien's purpose was to inject the beauty of fantastic realism on a world torn with war.
The result is clear: Tolkien is more biblical.
In HP, many fall to the weakness of their own humanity, and they have nothing to cling to but their own strength (and the strength of friendship and Love!) Many times we doubt if the good guys will even win or if they will fall to the temptations of darkness. Will they commit murder? Will they kill someone in deceit just to maintain a charade? This opposes many biblical principles in truth, love, and divisiveness. Is this the reality we believe in?
What is more biblical is the battles of LOTR where everything is black and white. The good are almost always saved by providence, in the form of Gandalf or other good creatures, for in Tolkien's world, Good is destined to prevail. People die, yes, but they are provided heroism that only a veteran of the war can write about. We as Christians believe in a God who is a provider, who rescues us when we cannot rescue ourselves. Who, in all appearances, seem to have written our stories with an epic scope in mind, and with a grand mission to burn the sin that so threatens our homes. Within the pages of LOTR is a Christian journey, a journey of faith, a journey of discovery, a journey of maturity, and a journey of release. They did not accomplish this from their own "magic" power, but through the simple belief and necessity that they MUST.
Look to the Fruits of the Spirit. Love, Joy, Peace, Forebearance, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. All these are present in LOTR.
Now look at the Sins of the Flesh. Sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties. Sounds familiar? So yeah. Point made.
This is because the writing tradition of realism is rooted in physicality - the world as we see it. But the writing tradition of the romantic is rooted in the ideal, the spiritual, the world we want to see. As for me and my Christian tradition, I want to see that which I do not see because that is the basis of my Faith. I do not want to see that which i see now because that is the basis of my Doubt. I cling to God who is perfect, not to man which is imperfect - for in God we see things praiseworthy, and in that I will dwell.
