How did Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' help your faith journey?

Godlovesmetwo

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I have read The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Simiralian, and Unfinished Tales. I have enjoyed these books. My first impression though, is that they can be incredibly dark.
I've only watched an hour of two towers and the pervasiveness of evil dominates so far.
 
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rockytopva

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I vividly remember going to church with him in Bournemouth. He was a devout Roman Catholic and it was soon after the Church had changed the liturgy from Latin to English. My grandfather obviously didn't agree with this and made all the responses very loudly in Latin while the rest of the congregation answered in English. I found the whole experience quite excruciating, but my grandfather was oblivious. He simply had to do what he believed to be right. - Simon Tolkien, of JRR Tolkien
 
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Godlovesmetwo

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There is no such thing as Christian truth that is not also biblical.
Let me ponder that for a while...... :)
so what you're saying is the Bible is enough. We don't need to read anything else? As much as I like the Bible, I'd like to be free to read other Christian related books. This POV is just too claustrophobic for me. Bordering on narrow-minded but dare not say that, as it sounds like name-calling.
 
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aiki

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Let me ponder that for a while...... :)
so what you're saying is the Bible is enough. We don't need to read anything else?

No, I wouldn't say that. The Bible can't tell me how to fix my car, or paint a picture, or what the basic elements of chemistry are. But of things spiritual the Bible is entirely sufficient to speak.

As much as I like the Bible, I'd like to be free to read other Christian related books.

Go right ahead! I have read many such books. But always in the light of Scripture and not the other way 'round.

This POV is just too claustrophobic for me.

It's amazing to me how often people extrapolate to the very worst possible conclusions from what I write! Goodness! It would be wonderful if people didn't do this so frequently and so excessively.

Bordering on narrow-minded but dare not say that, as it sounds like name-calling.

We are all of us narrow-minded in one way and degree or another. It's the inevitable consequence of being a thinking person and having convictions about things.
 
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Kerensa

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Don't upset talking trees

Too right. :D I enjoyed the films, but I was rather sorry that The Two Towers film didn't spend nearly as much time on Treebeard and the Ents as the book does.
 
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gordonhooker

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Too right. :D I enjoyed the films, but I was rather sorry that The Two Towers film didn't spend nearly as much time on Treebeard and the Ents as the book does.

I thought the same thing.
 
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Kerensa

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As for a Narnia discussion thread, I'm just wondering if anyone could give some advice on where to start it. "Book Club" (under Fellowship & Games) is the obvious place, but I've just seen there's a "sticky" thread at the top from a moderator asking that theology be kept out of the book club threads and restricted to the theology forums.

Obviously, discussions on a series like Narnia could very easily go into theological issues — I for one would expect them to! — but it's clear that doesn't fit within the rules of the book club forum. I'm guessing that's why this present discussion is under Christian Philosophy & Ethics rather than Book Club as well. I would like to be able to have a Narnia discussion in a forum that wasn't "Christians only", if possible, as it would be very interesting to hear from people of other faiths or none and what they like/dislike about these books. But I'm not sure a book discussion really fits into any of the categories that all faiths can post in and discuss theology.

Does anyone have any ideas, if you'll pardon me for interrupting the Tolkien discussion? :)
 
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YHWH_will_uplift

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Either book or movie is fine.
I just started watching it for the first time. Fantasy is not my favourite genre but since I heard this story is Christian themed I plan to watch the lot. And maybe read the book too.
If one pays careful attention to all movies or media there is always some element of Christianity which can be found: some are more prevalent than others. And in many movie one can see the influence Satan has by using various mediums and genres to be the crowd to sympathize for him and usurp God. One comic I grew up reading called Spawn features a man who lost his life along with his wife and daughter for doing the right thing. He wakes up in hell and strikes a deal with Satan in order to see his family again: at the cost of leading the army of hell and giving up his soul. Later in the story Spawn ends up killing Satan and God and recreates a new world in His image. Now while no one can kill God this is absolutely fantasy on the part of Satan to cause the world and the elect of Christ to defect to him. Many similar themes can be read in Greek stories as well and Norse mythology.
 
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YHWH_will_uplift

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I've only watched an hour of two towers and the pervasiveness of evil dominates so far.
Our world as it stands is covered with evil as well and it looks like darkness will consume the light but, at the end all will be light and God will separate it from the darkness one last time for eternity: then the whole world will be Eden again.
 
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DeerGlow

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As for a Narnia discussion thread, I'm just wondering if anyone could give some advice on where to start it. "Book Club" (under Fellowship & Games) is the obvious place, but I've just seen there's a "sticky" thread at the top from a moderator asking that theology be kept out of the book club threads and restricted to the theology forums.

Obviously, discussions on a series like Narnia could very easily go into theological issues — I for one would expect them to! — but it's clear that doesn't fit within the rules of the book club forum. I'm guessing that's why this present discussion is under Christian Philosophy & Ethics rather than Book Club as well. I would like to be able to have a Narnia discussion in a forum that wasn't "Christians only", if possible, as it would be very interesting to hear from people of other faiths or none and what they like/dislike about these books. But I'm not sure a book discussion really fits into any of the categories that all faiths can post in and discuss theology.

Does anyone have any ideas, if you'll pardon me for interrupting the Tolkien discussion? :)
Have you made one yet? I'd like to watch it. :)
 
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Godlovesmetwo

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Our world as it stands is covered with evil as well
The part I dwell in every day isn't too bad. :)Much better than the horror landscape of nasties I've seen so far in two towers.
 
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Kerensa

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Have you made one yet? I'd like to watch it. :)

I'd love to right away, but still haven't quite decided where it should go! ;) As I said, the book club forum is strictly not for theological discussions — and for me, a big point of talking about the Narnia books is discussing the theological ideas that come through in them — but most of the other forums that are open to all faiths are specifically for non-Christians to engage in discussions/debates about theology, ethics etc. with Christians, which doesn't seem quite what we're looking for.

I just thought it would be nice to have a Narnia discussion that's open to non-Christians as well, since I'm sure many people of other faiths and backgrounds have read the books (or seen the films) and have their own comments and insights to share. But if it is something that would be better off in the Christians-only forums like this present discussion, I'm happy for it to be there.

Is there a moderator around who could help us out here? :) (Again, sorry for derailing the Tolkien discussion for a moment — please carry on, everyone.)
 
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DeerGlow

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I'd love to right away, but still haven't quite decided where it should go! ;) As I said, the book club forum is strictly not for theological discussions — and for me, a big point of talking about the Narnia books is discussing the theological ideas that come through in them — but most of the other forums that are open to all faiths are specifically for non-Christians to engage in discussions/debates about theology, ethics etc. with Christians, which doesn't seem quite what we're looking for.

I just thought it would be nice to have a Narnia discussion that's open to non-Christians as well, since I'm sure many people of other faiths and backgrounds have read the books (or seen the films) and have their own comments and insights to share. But if it is something that would be better off in the Christians-only forums like this present discussion, I'm happy for it to be there.

Is there a moderator around who could help us out here? :) (Again, sorry for derailing the Tolkien discussion for a moment — please carry on, everyone.)
Maybe we should ask in the support sub-forum?
 
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GandalfTheWise

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(These responses are in reference to this post: Post #36 in this thread)

A doctrine cop would say that it can't be God. But you know the promptings of the Lord. The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.

Over the past 5 to 10 years, I've been getting a deeper appreciation for the arts (including music, imagery, and fiction) as a means of communicating the message of the Gospel. For most of my life I appreciated them as expressions of faith. But more recently, I've been realizing that there is a deeper level of communication that can occur than by exchanging facts. I'll be starting up a thread to discuss that topic after I can focus my thoughts more.

This was very interesting and even a little...inspiring? Not quite the word.
I think I know what you are saying. When God first started me down this road, it was like I would start perking up inside and getting excited, and then reject it as being fleshly or my sin-nature and go back to the status quo. It took awhile before I realized that buried deep inside each one of us it that person God created us to be with all of our passions and interests. It is that unique person in each of us that God wants to use to reflect His glory and love to the world. For me, it wasn't until God started using imagery and stories to create an emotional and spiritual reaction inside of me that I started waking up and I realized that the person He meant me to be had been largely dormant for over 30 years as a Christian. As I started meditating on my life, I realized that the times when I had been most effective in ministry, and in general when I was at my best in life, was when that natural unique person inside me was awake and active. Since then, I've found my devotional times, my vocation, my hobbies, my ministry involvement have started to naturally flow with much less effort and yield much more fruit than they had. By no means does it mean everything is perfect now, but it was a deep profound spiritual change that affected all aspects of my life. My Christian walk has largely changed from being a big to-do list and meeting expectations into more of an adventure to be lived alongside God. In a large part, it was the language and imagery of stories that God used to start awakening my heart to who He meant me to be.
 
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