.... I'll just make an observation.
It's really quite comical how this is going once you boil down the arguments:
"There is nothing uniquely Christian in LotR."
"On the contrary, there are aspects of Christianity all over LotR."
"I could just as well argue that there are aspects of Norse myth all over LotR."
"If so, why can't we also say that there are aspects of Christianity in LotR?"
"I insist, though, that LotR is not a Christian book."
"And I insist, that you can't say there is nothing Christian in LotR."
"And I insist that there is nothing uniquely Christian in LotR."
"On the contrary, there are........"
We're arguing past ourselves. I don't think any Christian appreciator of LotR here at the Downs is saying that LotR is strictly Christian. That would be stupid.
Nor is any non-Christian saying that there is NO Christian element in LotR.
I think that we can all agree that there is no EXCLUSIVELY Christian aspect in LotR, just as there is no EXCLUSIVELY Norse mythic, Baghavad Gita'ish, etc., aspect to LotR.
My exhibits (properly numbered of course) will continue to show aspects; we will see what the text itself reveals. ... later....
