Hamblin & Peterson: Author J.R.R. Tolkien's tales deeply rooted in Christianity

By William Hamblin and Daniel Peterson, For the Deseret News

Published: Sunday, Nov. 18 2012 5:00 a.m. MST

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Summary

The first installment of Peter Jackson's three-part film series of "The Hobbit" will debut on Dec. 14. A prequel to "The Lord of the Rings," it's based on J.R.R. Tolkien's young adult book "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again" (1937). (The much darker and more adult "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, itself originally conceived as a tale for children, was published in 1954-1955.)

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Coach Biff

Lehi, UT

I wonder why it seems so offensive to anti-Mormon, anti-christians when someone points out corollaries in JRR Tolkien's works? Could it be it doesn't fit their world view and the urge to vent on these boards is beyond their control? More..

1:25 p.m. Nov. 19, 2012
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SammyB

Provo, UT

There is no middle ground to this discussion. For those who believe that God created the world and shared religious truths with ancient prophets, then they see the pieces of truths found in the ancient pagan world as originally coming from the bigger More..

7:37 p.m. Nov. 19, 2012
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Mukkake

Salt Lake City, UT

Once again attempts to Christianize "The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit". The sorry examples given here could also be compared to the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Odyssey. Yes, there is a Catholic morality, but the bulk of the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit More..

12:13 p.m. Nov. 18, 2012
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About the Author

William Hamblin and Daniel Peterson

Daniel C. Peterson, professor of Islamic studies and Arabic at BYU, is editor-in-chief of the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative and a blogger for Patheos. William Hamblin is a professor of history at BYU and co-author of more ..

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