Tolkien-founder of new religion?

[davem]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Therefore, it could not have existed in a more "primitive" time (primitive technology does not equal a primitive people), therefore it could not have started a religion.

Yet one of Tolkien's motivations was not simply to 'invent' a new mythology, but to 'recreate' what had been (see Shippey's essay in Tolkien Studies 1 for example). So, he was attempting to reconstruct what our ancestors had once believed. From that perspective he was recreating (as best he could) a once existing religion/belief system. Maybe he was more accurate than he could have hoped - who knows? And if people had once believed something more or less like his creation, why might they not do so again - in the 'right' circumstances? Certainly, the beliefs of many modern 'Pagans' is very like what we find in Tolkien's work, & while, in the west, Christianity is in decline (apart from fundamentalist versions of traditional religions) Paganism/the 'New Age movement is growing apace.

Maybe Tolkien's mythology won't be adopted by our descendants 'lock, stock & barrel', but its quite possible that something quite similar will be by a great many of them, As I say, its already happening....

Now, I'm not saying I approve of that, but I do think its interesting that its happening.