A Biblical View of the Lord of the Rings
“And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.” Lev. 20:6 & 7
In the last few years, the trilogy of the “Lord of the Rings” has been one of the biggest selling movies. Recently, I have heard Christian leaders across the country encouraging families to let their children read the books and watch the movies saying “This is a good Christian film” There is even a book out called “Finding Christ in the Lord of the Rings”. But is Lord of the Rings a book our youth should read? Is it a book that children need to read? Are the movies something our children need to see?
Like everything we need to evaluate them with the principals found in scripture, especially when it is being promoted as a Christian classic. I believe that our enemy, the Devil is working overtime to sift out the hearts of the next generation of Christians. The only way we can do this is to line this up to the word of God.
My first caution to this work by J.R.R. Tolkein is his use of sorcerers and magic throughout the Lord of the Rings series. God’s word mentions those that practice magic ten times and every time it is in a negative way.
In the story Gandalf is a wizard who uses magic for good. There also is the ring which is possessed by a Satan wannabe, who wants to control what is known as the Middle Earth.
After researching this story and watching the movies I have several warnings I think parents need to consider when allowing their children to read the books or watch the films. Remember that Lucifer wanted to be like the Most high (Isaiah 14) so it would be no surprise to find fictional characters imitating Christ, but be from the devil. Here are some examples:
· The story begins with Iluvatar, who is the almighty who made everything. He runs the universe through 15 subordinate lesser gods who run the world. These gods fit more to the Norse and Celtic mythology, which Tolkien loved, not the God of Christianity.
· Gandalf fights an ancient foe (the devil) in which he falls into a bottomless pit and defeats him, then he is resurrected.
“And he (God’s angel, possibly Christ) laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” Revelation 20:2 & 3
· Gandalf commands a demon to release a king who was being controlled. Gandalf did it in his magical powers not in the name of Jesus. In scripture there were men who tried to command a demon to come out of a person only to be beaten and naked (Acts 19:15 & 16). Only through the power and the name of Jesus can a possessed person be released.
· I am amazed at how this story has influenced more people from the occult and new age than it has the Christian. The creators of Dungeons and Dragons, a role playing game in the 1980’s that was demonic, were influenced by Lord of the Rings.
In the New Testament Paul dealt with a sorcerer, which are ones who practice magic (white or black), who was trying to withstand him when he was called to preach the Gospel.
“And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him. And said,
· full of all subtilty and all mischief,
· thou child of the devil,
· thou enemy of all righteousness,
· wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? Acts 13:6 – 10
No where in God’s word are these types of crafts approved, regardless if they are for good or evil. Therefore we should have the same conviction that God has.
Tolkien and Reincarnation
The manager of a Catholic bookstore asked Tolkien if he might have "over-stepped the mark in metaphysical matters." Tolkien wrote this response,
"Reincarnation' may be bad theology (that surely, rather than metaphysics) as applied to Humanity... But I do not see how even in the Primary world any theologian or philosopher, unless very much better informed about the relation of spirit and body than I believe anyone to be, could deny the possibility of re-incarnation as a mode of existence, prescribed for certain kinds of rational incarnate creatures.”
Since Tolkien has denied any allegorical link between his myth and Biblical truth, we can surely not hold his stories accountable to that truth. Nor is it wise to claim that they teach us God's truth. Those who do can easily be tempted to lower their guard, set aside discernment, to be drawn to the enemy, which is the opposite of God's warning in Romans 12:9: "Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good."
The movie version of The Lord of the Rings cheers the pagan practices used by "good" characters. It seduces its fans into an imaginary world that pits white magic against dark magic. Therefore both sides of this imagined "battle between good and evil" use occult practices that God forbids (Deut 18:9-12). Those who walk in Christ cannot delight in what He calls evil.
One of the main tools that our enemy uses and has used down the centuries to deceive is to make evil look good or to down play it.
Fifty years ago Harry Potter would never have made it to the screen much less to a book because during that time it would have been seen for what it was: Occultic. Maybe that is one of the reasons why Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings did not do so well in America in the 50’s because our society was mainly influenced by biblical principals that were still being taught in our country. Only until God was removed from the public schools and with His protection during the 1960’s did the series gain popularity.
Author Charles Colson reportedly said “Myth and fantasy, properly used as by Tolkien, Lewis and others, can help us all especially kids understand truth and aspire to ideals communicated by the story.”
Why can’t we teach the next generation the truths contained in the Scriptures without it being laced by fables?
God’s word has much to say concerning Fables (A tale, fiction or myth) “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” II Timothy 4:3-5
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” II Peter 1:16
“But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.” I Timothy 4:7
Conclusion
Since Lord of the Rings has more occult themes than Christian ones, it can only be used to desensitize God’s people, as well as, cause more compromise which proved very destructive in earlier times in church history. We need to allow God to use us as lighthouses across this land to show light where there is darkness. The lost do not need to see how much we are like them, but what we have that could save them from the strongholds that are in their life as well as their eternal destiny.
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:5