[Rider of Rohan]

I ran across this quote of Tolkien (I dont think it is direct but it could be close...it is from Humphrey Carpenter's J.R.R. Tolkien) I figured that it might be useful to here what Tolkien says about his mythology and every mythology (Anglo-Saxon, Norse, etc) for that matter.

We have come from God, and inevitably the myths woven by us, thought they contain error, will also reflect a splintered fragmentof the true light, the eternal truth that is with God. Indeed only in mythmaking, only in becoming a "sub-creator" and inventing stories, can Man aspire to the state of perfection that he knew before the fall. Our myths may be misguided, but they steer however shakily towards the true harbor

I think that he is saying here that all myths lead us to God on some way (the general revelation mentioned above). His myth is no different except that it is written by a devout Christian man and therefore one step closer to the true God...no wonder Christians like it. It is great literature written by "one of us." We have the two greatest selling books of the century the Bible and LOTR...that is cause for celebration in the Christian community.
All that to say, I know that he was not writing allegorically and he was not writing symbolically but inevitably his beliefs are going to come out in his writings and lead us to the true harbor.
And besides I hope it is an encouragement to the non-Christian community to see that we are not a bunch of cloistered prudes but people who love a good story and great characters just as much as anyone else.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:40 PM January 15, 2004: Message edited by: Rider of Rohan ]