What does God think of fiction books/movies?

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Marcin_L

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I have been in love with the world created by JRR Tolkien in his books for years.

Around 6 years ago I converted to Catholic faith and with time I have become a very devoted man. I am co-operating with Opus Dei and living close to God in prayer and apostolate.

I have been thinking about my love to Tolkien’s fictional world and am not sure how it goes with my faith. I know this topic has been discussed here many times, but possibly in different respect. I do not doubt there are no anti-Christian elements in Tolkien’s books. But if I, an adult who should be doing all I can to attract others to Christ, am spending time on fiction books and movies? Is this what the Lord wants?
I don’t neglect my faith because of this hobby but I still have concerns.

Should I forget about my doubts and praise the Lord for the beautiful literature he gave us? Or should I take it as the voice of my conscience?
 
Probably the same He thinks of any other art form.
One can learn even from secular/atheist authors (Orwell, Huxley) or ones who really don’t touch on moral topics as such but stretch our imaginations.

There are good novels that are non- or anti-Christian so one must approach with caution (as with any genre).
 
Marcin_L said:
I have been in love with the world created by JRR Tolkien in his books for years.

Around 6 years ago I converted to Catholic faith and with time I have become a very devoted man. I am co-operating with Opus Dei and living close to God in prayer and apostolate.

I have been thinking about my love to Tolkien’s fictional world and am not sure how it goes with my faith. I know this topic has been discussed here many times, but possibly in different respect. I do not doubt there are no anti-Christian elements in Tolkien’s books. But if I, an adult who should be doing all I can to attract others to Christ, am spending time on fiction books and movies? Is this what the Lord wants?
I don’t neglect my faith because of this hobby but I still have concerns.

Should I forget about my doubts and praise the Lord for the beautiful literature he gave us? Or should I take it as the voice of my conscience?
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:doh2:

If you had picked certain other fantasy series (like a Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones), I could see where you’re coming from that fantasy could be dangerous to your spiritual health. But no, you picked Lord of the Rings.

First, a bit of back story for J.R.R. Tolkien. He and his family were Anglican growing up, but they converted to Catholicism after his father died and a priest helped raise them. Later on, he converted C.S. Lewis (who is more famous for apologetics) from atheism, but to Tolkien’s dismay, Lewis became Anglican instead 🤷 Also, Tolkien’s eldest son is actually a priest and gave his father’s funeral Mass.

As you could no doubt guess by now, Lord of the Rings actually has not just Christian, but CATHOLIC themes in it. One example is a quote from Galadriel that I actually use to describe the Sacraments. Some atheists might call them magic in mockery of our beliefs, but it’s the same as with Elf-magic: “For this is what your folk would call magic, I believe: though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem to use the same word of the deceits of the Enemy.”

Another example of the Catholic themes is lembas. Here’s a few hints as to what it resembles:
-Doesn’t fill you up physically, but it’s still a much more filling meal than any normal food
-Evil people (Gollum) choke on it
Any guesses? That’s right. There’s Eucharistic overtones.

There are also examples in some of the mythology on Middle-Earth. Melkor Morgoth, of whom Sauron is only the right hand man, was NOT always evil. He was created good, but fell, like Lucifer → Satan. Also, evil cannot create– only pervert and destroy. Melkor only created “life” (the orcs) by torturing and corrupting elves.

And last, but certainly not least, is the One Ring itself. It represents sin. I’m not so well-read on that analogy, but here’s an interesting part I do know. It was destroyed on March 25. If you’re having trouble recognizing the date, try adding 9 months. :rolleyes: That’s right. Tolkien chose to have the Ring be destroyed on the Feast of the Annunciation.

The point of this short rant (believe me. I could go on for a while about LotR) is to show that fiction is neither inherently evil or inherently good. As long as we don’t let it consume our lives and make us forget about the important things, it’s perfectly fine. I even get one of my favorite quotes to use about the Sacraments from a fiction book. :rolleyes:
 
I strongly recommend you read Tolkien’s essay entitled “On Fairy Stories”, which may be found separately or often published within the compilation “Tree and Leaf”. In it, he discusses fantasy from a philosophical standpoint. Tolkien was a devout Catholic, and many well-known Catholic priests and apologists are numbered among his fans!
 
Humans appreciate beauty and intellectual stimulation. Fiction can provide that. It does not even have to be Catholic fiction.
 
Razanir said:
:doh2:

If you had picked certain other fantasy series (like a Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones), I could see where you’re coming from that fantasy could be dangerous to your spiritual health. But no, you picked Lord of the Rings.

First, a bit of back story for J.R.R. Tolkien. He and his family were Anglican growing up, but they converted to Catholicism after his father died and a priest helped raise them. Later on, he converted C.S. Lewis (who is more famous for apologetics) from atheism, but to Tolkien’s dismay, Lewis became Anglican instead 🤷 Also, Tolkien’s eldest son is actually a priest and gave his father’s funeral Mass.

As you could no doubt guess by now, Lord of the Rings actually has not just Christian, but CATHOLIC themes in it. One example is a quote from Galadriel that I actually use to describe the Sacraments. Some atheists might call them magic in mockery of our beliefs, but it’s the same as with Elf-magic: “For this is what your folk would call magic, I believe: though I do not understand clearly what they mean; and they seem to use the same word of the deceits of the Enemy.”

Another example of the Catholic themes is lembas. Here’s a few hints as to what it resembles:
-Doesn’t fill you up physically, but it’s still a much more filling meal than any normal food
-Evil people (Gollum) choke on it
Any guesses? That’s right. There’s Eucharistic overtones.

There are also examples in some of the mythology on Middle-Earth. Melkor Morgoth, of whom Sauron is only the right hand man, was NOT always evil. He was created good, but fell, like Lucifer → Satan. Also, evil cannot create– only pervert and destroy. Melkor only created “life” (the orcs) by torturing and corrupting elves.

And last, but certainly not least, is the One Ring itself. It represents sin. I’m not so well-read on that analogy, but here’s an interesting part I do know. It was destroyed on March 25. If you’re having trouble recognizing the date, try adding 9 months. :rolleyes: That’s right. Tolkien chose to have the Ring be destroyed on the Feast of the Annunciation.

The point of this short rant (believe me. I could go on for a while about LotR) is to show that fiction is neither inherently evil or inherently good. As long as we don’t let it consume our lives and make us forget about the important things, it’s perfectly fine. I even get one of my favorite quotes to use about the Sacraments from a fiction book. :rolleyes:
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Razanir, thank you for your very interesting and in-depth answer. A few points you made were actually completely new to me, I’ve never thought about them in this way.
Sadly, JRR Tolkien’s son who was a priest however, has passed away some years ago. I happen to know this as he lived here in Oxford, UK. He was a parochial priest of one of the local parishes, I think it was Eynsham.
Again many thanks for you comment
 
I think Tolkien was highly inspired by God and his faith to write the Lord of the Rings. He never meant for it to be a Christian allegory, but there are many Catholic undertones to it.

The Elves believe in Eru Illuvatar, or One God.

There were representations of the Virgin Mary in the books. The obvious one is Galadriel. Another character is very reminiscent. She is Vadar, the queen of all the Valar. The elves often invoke her name, *Elbereth Gilthoniel. *They even have a hymn to her,

Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!
O Queen beyond the Western seas!
O light to us that wander here
Amid the world of woven trees!
O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees,
Thy Starlight on the Western seas.

Which is reminiscent of:

Hail, Queen of Heaven, the ocean star,
Guide of the wand’rer here below:
Thrown on life’s surge, we claim thy care–
Save us from peril and from woe.
Mother of Christ, star of the sea,
Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.
 
mcrts said:
I think Tolkien was highly inspired by God and his faith to write the Lord of the Rings. He never meant for it to be a Christian allegory, but there are many Catholic undertones to it.

The Elves believe in Eru Illuvatar, or One God.

There were representations of the Virgin Mary in the books. The obvious one is Galadriel. Another character is very reminiscent. She is Vadar, the queen of all the Valar. The elves often invoke her name, *Elbereth Gilthoniel. *They even have a hymn to her,
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One slight difference is that Eru Ilúvatar had help from the ainur to create the world. The important thing, though, is that the ainur are NOT deities. They’re more similar to angels. Also, just as a nit-picky thing, Elbereth and Gilthoniel are actually titles of Varda Elentári.

As a side note for anyone who’s wondering, all those names aren’t actually first name-last name. They’re commonly quoted as Quenya-Sindarin or Sindarin-Quenya, depending on which name is more common. Quenya being the high ceremonial language of the elves and Sindarin being what most elves would speak. The exception is Melkor Morgoth who’s… complicated.

Also, here’s a good quote by Tolkien since it seems this thread is quickly headed this way: “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work, unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion’, to cults or practices, in the Imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism”
 
Adding my two cents, unrelated to the specifics of Tolkien: as an artist myself, I at one time struggled with the entire institution of art as something that was worldly and not eternal, I interpreted that to mean that it must be against God and His Kingdom. This would be a very large obstacle for me. Lately I have been contemplating this from a different perspective, one of God’s glory. The natural world is full of so many remarkable and amazing things that inspire wonder for humans, and all of these things exist, as I understand it, to proclaim God’s glory. Our God is a god who loves to create, and the greatest of his creations that he loves is us. In a similar way, the world created by Man should exist to proclaim God’s glory, and all of the remarkable and brilliant inventions, discoveries, systems, arts, songs, books, and movies have the capacity to proclaim God’s glory. Since they are created by humans and not by God, there is the potential for these things to work against God’s glory. This is an extension of free will, and we have tons of examples of it from pornography to communism. However in the end, fiction exists, like journalism, to express truth and beauty, and I think when humans do that well, in the infinite ways God has gifted us to do it, God is pleased.
 
God does not expect all Christians* to forsake all their interests and hobbies. Certainly, it is good to prayerfully discern how you spend your time. If you are spending all your time reading Tolkien such as you have no other hobbies or friends, then that would be a problem. But that doesn’t mean you should spend no time doing these things. There is plenty of middle ground (or middle-earth :p) between the two extremes.

We need not live in fear of all things extra-biblical. Creation is good. There is plenty of room to enjoy things.

(* I am sure there are some that God calls to forsake even these types of things. But if anyone feels so called, I would encourage them to seek spiritual direction. Such rigid asceticism should not be undertaken independently without guidance from the Church. There’s far too much margin for error.)
 
Joe_5859 said:
God does not expect all Christians* to forsake all their interests and hobbies. Certainly, it is good to prayerfully discern how you spend your time. If you are spending all your time reading Tolkien such as you have no other hobbies or friends, then that would be a problem. But that doesn’t mean you should spend no time doing these things. There is plenty of middle ground (or middle-earth :p) between the two extremes.

We need not live in fear of all things extra-biblical. Creation is good. There is plenty of room to enjoy things.

(* I am sure there are some that God calls to forsake even these types of things. But if anyone feels so called, I would encourage them to seek spiritual direction. Such rigid asceticism should not be undertaken independently without guidance from the Church. There’s far too much margin for error.)
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I agree with you here. God does want us to enjoy the fruits of our labor with our wonderful creations such as using our minds to read good books whether they be Christian or not. Even we deserve to enjoy our hobbies. This planet we live on is for us and that is why God made it. We just have to use our free will and judgement in accordance with God’s plan and His will for our life.

Becca3
 
Sailor_Kenshin said:
Which, sad to say, makes unwarranted assumptions that end up driving people AWAY from the church.
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Oh no, let people read. We’ll have a bigger audience and more witnesses to the logical deconstructions of mathematoons’ Presbyterian mentor. 👍
 
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