Can atheists appreciate/understand Lord of the Ring?

[Lotrelf]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

Watch out lest what you say be interpreted as "You choose not to believe in a higher entity, therefore you're too stupid to understand this book." An attitude like that could well be returned with arrogance.

That post of mine was not about the books; but in general. I see people in general who are atheists are very rude and arrogant. I've had many debates with folks who don't believe in God. This is where the "arrogant" thought came to me from.

I'd be curious to hear what precisely you mean by "the depth of Frodo's actions" here. You spoke about that and Tom Bombadil's mystery in your first post but I'm not quite sure what you are referring to - there are a gazillion different aspects and ideas and theories to both.

By the actions of Frodo I meant that there's more divinity in the scene than any direct action. Frodo destroys the Ring not by himself but by mercy and pity: that's in the divine nature. So, how does an atheist see this? As a moral failure? Misadventure of Gollum? I'd like to know that.
I gave Tom Bombadil's example to say that there's a lot about the books and characters that most can not interprete on their own. Many say whatever the interpretation of his character is done is false. Some see him as Evil. Some see him as Eru. So, in simple words: It is not easy to get all the facts just like that. And be it theist of atheist, we all find it hard to get many things about the book. Even those who are reading the books for decades. If there's another theory, please let me know.

Because Tolkien's work is fiction. I don't see why enjoying, say, the Ainulindal�0Š5 should suddenly make one believe in something similar in real life.

I didn't say if one would start believing in God after reading The Silm. I meant that can they really understand the meaning of it? May be they can. I'm proved wrong. *shrugs*

I actually do see Eru as a character, but mainly for narrative purposes. He's sort of the personification of the Secret Fire, which, then, is the "energy" you speak about (and which for example the Ainur channel in their work). It's hard to explain a god, isn't it?

So do I. Eru is a fictional character but with lots of(or almost) real life values. We expect him to be perfect. Is he? He created both good and evil. Like in our world. Things in the fiction of Prof. Tolkien and in our real world are not too different. That's the reason I believed that atheists can't understand or appreciate the books.

[Mithalwen]

I have found many Christians rude and arrogant...even back in the day when I counted myself as a believer and was thus ashamed by the association. Nothing like an unshakeable bdlief in being right and righteous to make someone totally obnoxious in my experience.

It is knowledge that is the key to understanding not belief.

[Andsigil]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I have found many Christians rude and arrogant...even back in the day when I counted myself as a believer and was thus ashamed by the association. Nothing like an unshakeable bdlief in being right and righteous to make someone totally obnoxious in my experience.

It is knowledge that is the key to understanding not belief.

I've found the same thing about the current, strident crop of atheists lately. What a coincidence, yes?

[Inziladun]

This thread has an explosive potential, though the topic itself is quite interesting.

I'm merely going to say that I think Tolkien, though a Christian himself, deliberately wrote LOTR in a way that was thought-provoking and accessible to every reader. There are various truths and meanings that persons of different spiritual and intellectual bents can derive from these works. Hence, an internet forum over ten years old and still going strong, devoted to them.

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Andsigil

I've found the same thing about the current, strident crop of atheists lately. What a coincidence, yes?

Almost certainly not. Extremists tend to have more in common with the opposing extreme than The inbetweeners and no one group has a monopoly on arrogance. Or indeed goodness and morality.

[Formendacil]

My initial inclination was to ignore this topic and given its inflammability, perhaps that would have been the better choice, but I've been ruminating on it and have been driven from my tree-like state into movement.

As with some prior posters, my reaction to the bare question "can atheists appreciate/understand The Lord of the Rings?" was "well, obviously they can." A lack of belief doesn't not mean the inability to understand a belief or to appreciate the artistry of something created under a belief. If it did, there were would have been a sharp decline in the appreciation of Bach and Michelangelo (to name but two) in the past century--or, to name some non-Christian religious art that has seen *increased* interest from those not sharing the faith of the original artists, in ancient Egyptian art in the past two centuries.

My second thought was that asking the question seems to fly a bit in the face of Tolkien-as-anti-allegorist. Although Christian apologists have flocked to The Lord of the Rings as their standard, Tolkien was much more ambivalent about the specificity of his faith in the work than, say, C.S. Lewis--let alone most of these apologists. The whole point of applicability-vs-allegory seems, to me, to be that the work can be appreciated as a story-in-itself by anyone.

That said, speaking out of my own intensely subjective experience as a Catholic sharing Tolkien's faith, this question isn't completely pointless, even if (first language barrier being in play?) it has to be sifted a little to get there. As I said, there is no bar to the capacity of an atheist or non-Catholic generally to comprehend or appreciate what Tolkien is doing, nor is The Lord of the Rings itself designed to be exclusive to non-Catholic/non-religious readers--yet, perhaps, I would be willing to admit that there's a certain intuitiveness that comes to sharing the perspective of the original author.

Of course, born a century later in the New World and lacking Tolkien's strong classical education--to say nothing of linguistic virtuosity--I do not dare say anything that remotely suggests I can read his mind, but certain analogies or impressions come to me automatically that I think do not come to others. When Tolkien says that The Lord of the Rings was an unconsciously Catholic work in the writing and conscious in the revision, I feel like I have a sense of what he is saying, and when he compares the eucatastrophes of his work to The Eucatastrophe of the Resurrection, it's not as though "ah, that's what he's going for" clicks on in my head, because it's already natural to my sense of storytelling (derived from my metaphysics of reality) that is how stories work.

I would add, too, that this is not the sort of intuitivity that is limited to shared religious belief. As I noted before, I do not share all of Tolkien's formative elements. I am not a philogist at all (though, thanks to Tolkien, I have frequently wished I were), but it is apparent to me that when a philogist reads Tolkien they *get* that side of him--this is, at its heart I think, why Shippey is such a good and instructive commentator on Tolkien: because there is one major element of Tolkien that comes to him with such naturalness.

This is not to say that any intuitivity is *needed*--all the connections that a linguist or a Catholic or an Englishman would make intuitively can be made with study by a non-linguist, a non-Catholic, a foreigner. Can be made and have been made. And if this extra effort (however minor or major it may be in individual cases) is required, Tolkien's storytelling is such that he invites the effort and encourages the exploration. The mark of a good professor, I suppose, as well as a good storyteller.

[Lotrelf]

Ugh! I'm just wondering if I need to defend myself here! The question wasn't asked to hurt anyone's feelings, beliefs, ideas be it believers or non-believers, theists or atheists, spiritual or non-spiritual. It was a general query.
The question rose in my mind because LotR's characters are Spiritual and has lots of stuff that connects this book to real life beliefs too. Atheists tend to ignore this all. Recently I came across someone who reads the books and is non-believer and asked him to read LotR. He just denied saying it is "crap" (see? Arrogance!). There are many people who I met on Facebook and are non-believers and atheists. I personally haven't seen anyone who is as good as being mentioned here.
By understanding I meant to point out the religious (or spiritual) beliefs that are in the book. And if everyone understands and loves the book like that, it's a good thing, and very much proud too.
P.S.: Now PLEASE don't take anything in a wrong way. I meant no harm to anyone.

[Inziladun]

Don't worry, Lotrelf. It is a valid topic. It's just that, like some other issues, threads touching on religion tend to have a polarizing effect on people depending on one's personal beliefs.

I personally am a Christ-follower, so what I take from these books is highly unlikely to match that of an atheist. But I reiterate that I believe Tolkien's works have immense value for any who take the time to read them, while opening their minds to the experience.