Rings are not a source of evil

20th December 2002, 12:00am

Share

Rings are not a source of evil

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/rings-are-not-source-evil
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

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared