The Emblems of Religion don't belong ... or do they?

[The Saucepan Man]

I have, as with most threads these days, been observing this one in the background with interest.

Generally, I ascribe to the view that Tolkien did not include overt emblems of his (or any other) religion since that would have risked prejudicing the credibility of the fantasy world that he had created, by jolting the reader back into the real world. Additionally, given his interest in the motifs of mythology and legend, he could not include these alongside overt Catholic symbolism without compromising both.

But something that Bêthberry said got me thinking:

The basis for this statement, and the rest of the description of Mordor as a land of incarnate evil lies in the theological concept that evil can be incarnate in a person or being. This is a philosophical or theological position and one which not every reader will ascribe to. Those who don't will, I suggest, have difficulty with this chapter because it highlights the description.

The concept of both living beings and objects being capable of being imbued with good or evil is a concept present in both the myths and legends which Tolkien drew upon and in his religion. So he is able to work with the concept without compromising either influence.

But Bêthberry questions whether those who do not ascribe to this concept are able to accept its presence in a work of fantasy literature such as LotR without it destroying (or at least affecting) the fictional world's "reality" for them. Now, while I am by no means an atheist, I do not have strong religious beliefs and religion does not take a central role in my life. And I certainly do not ascribe to the view that, in "real life", people or objects can be inherently evil. Yet I have no difficulty in accepting this concept in LotR. To me, it is consistent with the world that Tolkien has created and made credible.

Yet I wonder whether I would have the same reaction if I was to read the book for the first time now, rather than when I was young (and impressionable ). And I wonder too how acceptable (in terms of credibility), Tolkien's works are to complete non-believers.

Certainly, had Tolkien's works included overt Christian symbolism and been evangelical in nature, this would have put me off them (certainly now, if not when I first read them).