[Ancalime]

I recently finished reading LotR for the first time and I have not yet read the Silmarillion or any of the background works. Even before I read LotR, I had heard that some people think it is an allegory of the Bible. This was in the back of my mind as I read it, but I must say that I don't see it. Sure, parallels can be drawn, as many people have already pointed out, but I think the nature of the stories is such that anyone trying to make them out to be allegories would have to fudge a little on some things in order to make everything 'fit.' I too am a Christian, and I read the LotR without knowing about Tolkien's beliefs. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't have been able to guess that he was a Christian solely based on those books. As I stated above, and many others have said before me, parallels can be drawn to Biblical truths, but (this has also been said before) there are parallels to many ('non-Christian') literary works. The whole good vs. evil situation, for instance, is a theme that can be found in virtually all of literary traditions. So I think it is wrong to attribute meanings to Tolkien's books that he did not intend to be there. He stated himself that his work is not meant as an allegory, so why are people still trying to make it one? To make it something that it is not totally messes up the experience of reading it in the first place.
So, in short, similarities between Tolkien and the Bible can be found, but I don't think it is worth the effort.