[ElentariGreenleaf]

To be quite honest, to compare the books and films to religion is to ruin them. They just don't go. There is a lot about the ancient viking ways, but I think Tolkien stayed off religion. Big deal, Gandalf was a wizard, there was Valar, the equivalent to heaven. It really makes no difference to me, as a christian, when I know it's made up. Tolkien, as a Catholic, wouldn't have writen anything which was very bad.