[Formendacil]

I can believe that there is an influencing factor in that criminals have a greater tendency towards having an extra X chromosome (in men). However, I cannot believe that this necessarily makes them criminal. An extra chromosome means a different physical makeup, which make them uncomfortable in society. Is the fact that more of them tend to go into crime a sign that such men are inherently criminal, or that such men tend to feel unaccepted in normal society, and thus tend to leave it? Either way, I'm not sold.

And then with regards to brainwaves, I will admit to know next to nil on the subject, but I wonder. Are the brainwaves present AFTER the evil sets in (and thus as an effect of it), or are they there BEFORE (and thus the cause)?

If you apply the same reasoning to the orks, one wonders: the orks seem inherently evil. Is this a result of their "culture", which forces them into evil, which modifies their brain so that they are "conditioned" to be evil? Or is it something that they are born with, making them automatically evil?

I also find it interesting that Hell is being read into Minas Morgul...

SpM and Lalwende have both admitted to being not-exactly-active religious-wise, and some others, such as alatar, are self-confessed as not coming from the same religious stock as the good professor.

Now I am a Catholic. Anyone looking at my current signature should be able to read this and say "duh! you're Catholic". What's more, I am a well-educated in the Catholic faith, and actually believe everything taught in it. So I believe that single priests are good, male-only priests are fine, that Hell actually exists, and no, contraception is wrong. In other words, exactly the same religion that Tolkien himself professed, quite strongly, throughout his entire life.

Now, I am not trying to inflame anybody with my firm Catholicism. I am simply setting up for my point, which is this: I find it rather amazing that I, whose religious background is the same as the author's, did not read this religious application into Minas Morgul.

Yes, it was more than a decade from Tolkien's death until my birth. Yes, it was a lot longer from his childhood until mine. Yes, I have not got the EXTENSIVE training that he had in pagan mythology. All the same, Catholic beliefs have not changed in 50 years. Some of the Disciplines have, some of the emphasis has, but none of the basic doctrines. So how is it that Tolkien, who consciously revised The Lord of the Rings as a Catholic work, didn't raise any flags in my mind in this chapter? Ever.

It's something to think about, don't you agree?