Colin Hart of the Christian Institute says the Lord of the Rings novels and fantasy games cause nightmares and, by implication, encourage witchcraft and demonology (“Children drawn by power of Ring”, TES, November 29). Is it me, or has he failed to read the books?
Tolkien was a hardline Catholic, whose book both represented his memories of the First World War, and also showed that good always triumphs over evil.
If this gives children nightmares, perhaps religion should also be banned from school.
CS Lewis’s Narnia chronicles - another fantasy series - are underpinned by Christian values with a clear Jesus figure in the most famous, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Like many people at the Christian Institute, Mr Hart misses the point of many fantasy novels. While Phillip Pullman may be anti-Christian, I doubt the same can be said of Tolkien. In fact, he should be supporting this Leeds-based learning project. We must not tar all fantasy with the same brush.
Owen Edwards 28 The Moors Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire
