Basically all I was saying is that whether or not we realize it or expect it, our beliefs are in a sense automatically fueled into the things we do, in big and small ways. It so happens that Tolkien professed to believe the message of Christianity and he expressed that to him, the Gospels are a culmination of everything we love about fairy-stories. However, he stated that they far surpass all other fairy-stories in that they have passed over from their own "realm" into the world we know because of Christ's sacrifice for mankind. "True" fantasy is that that is in and of itself. It has no physical connection to the real world. This is partially why we love it so much. It's something that deep down we wish were true, but it isn't, so all we can do is appreciate it for what it is based on the mental images it gives us thanks to the author. In the case of the the Gospels, as Tolkien put it, they are great stories as well, but they DO have connection to our world! As I've said before, one should appreciate LOTR for what it was meant to be: a story. But that doesn't mean that we can't recognize that Tolkien's strong personal beliefs of faith and salvation were "intertwined" in his writing of the story without his direct choice. It was a sublimial thing. Our beliefs are the foundation of our decisions and actions whether or not it's easy for us to recognize it at the time. A person with a belief against gambling will most likely be very wise and cautious in how he spends his money as well, whether or not he realizes that these decisions may somewhat stem from his belief concerning gambling. I definitely love LOTR mainly for its beauty as a grand story, but at the same time, I respect Tolkien's beliefs as a person and just how important they were to him.
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