I am aware that LOTR is not meant to be read as a manifesto or guide to living. i am aware that the Inklings had their own theology of the imagination which drew on Romanticism. Tolkien saw himself as a sub-creator. He saw himself as an image-bearer creating something entirely novel. I get that LOTR is not allegory, it is something entirely new participating in the existing world. It is another divine creative act mediated through his imagination.
While this is indeed fascinating, LOTR is still a story about witches, warlocks and the occult. It sounds blinkered and short sighted, but the impressive intellectual arguments have this effect. Ultimately Tolkien has taken something wholly forbidden by God i.e. magic/withcraft and made it a central aspect of his mythos.
Yes, only the magical creatures use magic, but the humans and hobbits etc participate in their world, seek their counsel, use their artefacts and wonder at their power. The humanoids make ample use of magic - they might not tap into it directly , but the occult in the real world is a vast and multi-faceted thing. It encompasses everything from necromancy to divining and crystal healing. I'm afraid that the LOTR present a world steeped in magic recognisable as such.
The argument might be that in real terms, the occult involves some kind of demonic involvement. There are no demons in LOTR, thus no foul. This isn't the case. Nowhere in scripture is this stated. We don't know why the occult is spoken against. It just is. We are called to be obedient and avoid it. Investing our imagination and fantasy in a world steeped in it is probably inadvisable. How will this condition your response to the occult when you encounter it in real life?
The genesis and creation of LOTR is a little troubling truth be told. Tolkien is quite clear that this is not just idle fancy. It is a world that might one day come into being. There is also in us an act of secondary creation in which we recreate Tolkien's world. We are not passive spectators. We become active participants.
The most potent argument is something like 'Tolkien's magic isn't really magic at all. It has no real world analogue. It is a property of Middle Earth'.
The trappings are all there. The essence and motivations of witchcraft and the occult are there. It is just transposed into a new environment.The prohibition still stands.
Our sub-created worlds cannot violate the laws established by God. In as much as they do this, they cease to be participative acts and the whole system that the inklings established breaks down completely. Is this subcreation or usurpation?
Please discuss. I'm not 100% decided on this. I'm totally open to changing my mind on the subject so I'm happy to argue this one out to the bitter end!!
