The Lord of the Ring in the Bible

a series of Bible Studies by David Brollier

Introduction:

There are hundreds of ways to approach The Lord of the Ring and show the Christian concepts this wonderful epic displays for us. In fact I started this series five times before I decided it would be more to the point, as well as easier on me, to study the characters in this epic. What do they teach us about ourselves, and have we heard it before in the Bible? The answer to the latter part of that question is "Yes" and as you read on you will see some examples. Not all the examples mind you, but enough to start some discussion. The former part of the question is something each of us must ask ourself.

I want you to understand from the outset that these are my observations, not Tolkien's. As such they are limited, but that is intentional. To study the Bible you must get your "feet wet" as they say. You, the student, must do some of the work. I have set some things here to get your thoughts motivated. Perhaps you will think of something I have not even touched upon. That is fine. In fact, that is quite welcome. When we are done here I want you to be able to have your own compilation of observations on how the Bible is taught to us through The Lord of the Ring.

Because I have opted to do a character study does not mean you must limit yourself to that. For instance, do you see a correlation between the Fellowship of the Ring and the Lord's Disciples? And how many parallels do you see to the death and resurrection of Christ? What were the social interactions between different groups of people, say the elves and dwarves, for example? Keep your mind steadied upon the Word of God and let these other teachings rise up naturally out of the story.

One last comment. I began writing these studies because I sensed a need to reach out to the Gothic community. Frequently I see a guy or gal come along, usually wearing dark clothing, sometimes with deep purple or black nail polish and lipstick, sometimes with dark eyeliner, sometimes with leather wristbands sporting metal spikes. I'll see the occasional pentagram. Yet the thing I see most is the urgency in their eyes to be accepted for who they are, not conform to who we want them to be. So they are frequently outcasts, not only in society, but from our churches. This should not be. These are the very people Jesus came to minister to. We were all outcasts at one point. Only God gave us the power to become His Children, and He did not ask us to change in order to do that.

Now I know some of you are thinking I'm preaching heresy. I'm not. Neither am I suggesting that changes should not be made. What I am saying is that we, as sinful people ourselves, have no right to tell others how they should worship God. Even here I am nearing a sensitive spot so let me get on with it. God does NOT approve of ANY kind of sexually deviant behavior, and that includes homosexuality. He abhors the practice of communing with the dead or worship of angels (or demons). Yes, there are certain things that God does not want in His house, but that does not give us the right to push people away. Romans 5:8 says, "For God commendeth His love towards us in this, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Understand, the girl who has an abortion has killed a human life, but she is loved by God, just as her unborn child was. To attack her is to attack God, for God will fight for her, not for her right to have an abortion, but for her right to seek and find Him. The same is true of homosexuality. We are not to attack homosexuals, but we are not to permit or condone its practice. At the same time we should minister to them in love. In short, let them in. Love them as Jesus loves you. Then let the Holy Spirit draw them into the Family of God and let HIM do the changing in their hearts and minds. It's not our job. We have to stop playing God and start acting as brothers and sisters. "For by this shall all men know you are My disciples, that you love one another."