20 ways the films are both Christian
and Catholic
Stan Williams, Ph.D.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two
Towers, the second film based on J.R.R.
Tolkien's trilogy, opened in U.S. theaters December 18, 2002. Thanks to the
vision and persistence of Kiwi filmmaker Peter Jackson and the financial
backing of Warner Brothers' New Line Cinema, these great stories are now
becoming accessible to millions more around the world. Tolkien had hoped that
others would come after him and like other myths adapt the Middle-earth stories
to make them both applicable and accessible to new generations. Peter Jackson
is doing that, and by most accounts doing it well. The third and last film in
the series will be released December 2003.
Fundamentally
Religious
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, "The
Lord of the Rings is of course a
fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but
consciously in the revision." [1] By design The Lord of the Rings is not a Christian allegory but rather an invented myth
[2] about Christian and Catholic truths. But that presents a problem for
filmmakers. Because the ChristianÉ
Éstruggle is not against
enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Eph. 6:12)
Éand when it comes to movies,
audiences must SEE everything and anything that is important to the story. So,
the conflict cannot be something the protagonist engages on purely a spiritual
or emotional level -- such as guilt, forgiveness, justification, or redemption.
The source of the conflict has to be visible.
Luckily -- no, let's make that
Providentially -- Tolkien spent a life time sub-creating (as he called it) a
Middle-earth that contains physical entities representing all that is good and
bad in our Earthly journeys. There are Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Wizards, Hobbits,
Ents, Trolls, Wraiths, Uruk-hais and at least one Balrog -- all with their own
languages, cultures, history, and myths -- to mix it up with humans in a grand
and epic battle with evil.
But a battle against evil alone
does not make The Lord of the Rings
fundamentally Christian and Catholic; and yet there are many ways that it is.
Below are a few of these and one that is unique to Jackson's films. Can you
tell which one it is?
Here are some of the ways The
Lord of the Rings is a Christian myth.
1. Darkness pervades
Middle-earth where man, beast and nature are called to an adventure full of
peril and hope. Here is how Elijah Wood
explains the film's dominant theme: ÒNo matter how bad things are, no matter
how much evil there is in this world, there is always some good worth fighting
for, worth standing up for, and worth some effort in carrying on.Ó [3]
2. The One Ring illustrates how
evil can entice and enslave. Beautiful
gold rings are enticing to wear. But when we slip them on our fingers we
announce our devotion and loyalty to their owner.
3. Gandalf and Saruman, while
not analogous, have traits, goals, and experiences similar to those of Jesus
and Satan. Gandalf is even tempted in a
battle with Saruman not unlike Christ is tempted by Satan in the wilderness.
4. Evil is parasitic and can
only destroy that which was created. Everything
that Ilœvatar (God) created in Middle-earth (and in our world) is good. It is
the perversion and corruption of what was created that is evil. Good can exist
on its own. Evil can only live off what is good.
5. Like all Christians, Frodo
is called to risk his life through great peril to save others. Frodo, like us, does not appear to be up to the task. He
dos not have any obvious talent suited for war. But he is chosen, as we are. We
are all necessary for God's grand plan to be fulfilled; and even the most
unlikely and disgusting Gollum-like beast in our life is necessary. And when
Frodo asks, "What can a little hobbit do?" -- Isaiah answers, "A
little child will lead them" (11:6).
6. In the Shire, the Hobbits
come naturally to living a beatific life that Christ calls Christians to live
by. The Hobbits are the meek that inherit
the earth, the merciful who receive mercy, the pure in heart, and the
peacemakers. (Mt. 5:3-12)
7. Like all Christians,
Tolkien's characters are called to play roles in a story that is much greater
and more important than they are aware.
Just as we are not aware of all that has happened before us, [4] so Gandalf, at
the end of The Hobbit, says to Bilbo,
"You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes
were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? Éyou are only quite a
little fellow in a wide world after all!"
8. There is a longing for the
return of the king. As Christians
long for the return of Christ the King, so the free people of Middle-earth long
for their kingdoms to be once more united in peace and justice under the
rightful heir. Did I mention that Aragorn looks like Christ?
9. The Fellowship of the Ring
is constituted of different characters with different gifts suited for battling
evilÑthe diversity keeps them united. This
is not unlike the diversity of spiritual gifts and temporal talents given to
the different members of the Christian community for the unity of the bodyÑso
that we might be dependent on each other.
10. Upon leaving L—rien, each
of the Fellowship members are given custom fitted Elvish hooded cloaks not
unlike St. Paul's amour in Ephesians 6:10-17. Again, Tolkien disliked allegory; so the cloaks are not
exactly like St. Paul's amour of salvation. But they do have mystical traits of
great aid that keep them safe in their battle with evil.
The Lord of the Rings is also Catholic.
11. There are sacraments not
symbols. For their journey, Galadriel
graciously bestows upon the FellowshipÑa representation of the churchÑseven
mystical gifts; no mere symbols these, but glimmering reflections of the
Church's seven sacramentsÑthe conveying of spiritual grace through temporal
rites. And at her Mirror, Galadriel derides the Reformers' taunt of Eucharistic
magic in the Mass when she says:
"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 words for the
deceits of the enemy." (353)
12. As grace and creation is
experienced through a sacrament, so control and destruction is experienced
through an anti-sacramentÑthe One Ring. The
ring that Frodo bears is not symbolic, but rather operates as an
anti-sacrament. Dependent on a person's spiritual disposition, a sacrament
literally allows grace and life to flow into a person through the physical
realm. Likewise in Middle-earth, the characters' spiritual disposition makes
them more or less susceptible to the anti-sacrament power of the ring, which if
worn, literally brings evil and destruction upon the bearer.
13. The protagonists pursue
absolutes, rejecting any willingness to compromise or relativize. In Middle-earth there is an absoluteness of what is right
and wrong. There is no hint of moral relativism that separates the different
peoples, races, or creators of the freelands. Aragorn says to ƒomer: "Good
and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves
and Dwarves and another among men." (428)
14. The protagonists embrace
suffering as a requirement of working out their salvation. It isn't enough to simply believe or have faith. To be
free of the tyranny of evil each of our protagonists must sacrifice, and work
hard through great peril to secure their salvation and the right ordering of
their world.
15. The Shire, described as the
ideal community, reflects the social teachings of Catholicism. The Hobbits benefit from a community structure with little
formal organization and less conflict. They work only enough to survive and
otherwise enjoy each other's company.
There is no jealously, no greed, and rarely does anyone do anything
unexpected. There is a wholeness and graciousness about it that seems to come
naturally out of selflessness.
16. Gandalf, the steward of all
things good in the world, reflects the papacy. Gandalf is leader of the free and faithful. He is steward
of all things good in the world, but he claims rule over no land. As the Popes
of history did with kings and emperors of our world, so Gandalf crowns the king
and blesses him to rule with justice and peace.
17. Middle-earth ideology
reflects a corporate moral hierarchy and not individualism. There is no democracy or republic in Middle-earth. There
are spiritual leaders like Gandalf, and Kings like Theoden and Elessar with
lords and vassals. There is no defense of individualism, no claim of choice,
and no justification for an individual to follow his conscience.
18. There is a mystical Lady,
like The Blessed Mother, who responds miraculously to pleas for help. The Lady is named Varda (or in Elvish, Elbereth or star-queen) and although she is never seen, she's is described as
holy and queenly; and when her name is invokedÑ"O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!Ñas
Frodo and Sam do on occasion, miracles follow that protect the quest and defeat
the present enemy.
19. The sign of the cross. At the end of the first movie (and the beginning of the
second book) Aragorn kneels beside the mortally wounded Boromir -- and as he
dies, Aragorn makes a rudimentary sign of the cross touching first his forehead
and then his lips. It is a salute to Ilœvatar, the One who created all.
20. There is a last sharing of
cup and bread, not unlike O.T. manna and its fulfillment in The Eucharist. Before the Fellowship departs from L—rien, Galadriel bids
each to participate in a farewell ritual and drink from a common cup. More
significant is the mystical Elvish food
given to the fellowshipÑlembas or
waybread. A small amount of this supernatural nourishment will sustain a
traveler for many days.
All of this should make viewing or
reading The Lord of the Rings a more
interesting and insightful experience for both Christians and Catholics. A
fuller description of these themes can be found in the following books that
were used for this article.
J.R.R.R. Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth: Understanding Middle-earth. Bradley Birzer, 2003. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books.
Tolkien: A Celebration. Collected writings on a literary
legacy. Edited by Joseph Pearce, 1999. San
Francisco: Ignatius.
Finding God in The Lord of the Rings. Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware, 2001. Wheaton: Tyndale House.
Tolkien: Man and Myth. A literary life. Joseph Pearce, 1998. San Francisco: Ignatius.
[1] While
Tolkien has written that in sub-creating these stories his allegiance was to
Christ and the Church, Jackson's allegiance was to Tolkien. Jackson made this
comment to a group of Christian writers: "We wanted to honor Tolkien and
obviously he was a very spiritual person. We've taken an approach of never
trying to put in our own message or our own baggage into these films. We want
the films to respect him and what he was about." (Interview, New York
City, December 4, 2002)
[2] To
Tolkien, myths are true because they are part of our God created imagination,
and because they bring us "such joy [that] has the very taste of primary
truth." To Tolkien the story of Jesus Christ is a "true myth."
When Tolkien shared this concept with C.S. Lewis during an afternoon walk,
Lewis felt "a rush of wind that came so suddenly," and within days
proclaimed his belief in Christ, becoming one of Christianity's most effective
apologists. (See also Tolkien's essay, On Fairy-Stories.)
[3]
Interview, New York City, December 4, 2002.
[4] Read The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien and edited by his son Christopher, also
the Appendix that immediately follows the third part of the trilogy: The
Return of the King.
[Stan Williams, Ph.D., writes
occasionally about Judeo-Christian themes in motion pictures between his own
film projects at SWC Films. http://www.StanWilliams.com]