True Discernment or Bandwagon Mentality?

Perhaps someone can help me out here; I'm at a bit of a loss. I went to the movie. I liked it. I thought it was entertaining; although, some of the "fight scenes" seemed to go on long after I was tired of them. And, I thought that the movie itself was too long. But, other than that, I liked it. It was a good movie depicting good versus evil, but I have seen many shows that depicted the same basic theme, i.e., good triumphs over evil.

What I don't understand, however, is the way Christians have rallied behind this film. In talking with some Christians, I got the idea that the Savior of Mankind, Jesus Christ, had personally starred in the movie as the lead character.

This movie has been touted to such a degree by Christians, one might get the idea that it is the very gospel of Christ in movie form.

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

What movie am I talking about? Well, most of you know already which one I speak of, but for those who may not have figured it out yet, I am talking about Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

What's more, I am sure that I will be criticized for this CT. Some Christians have been so utterly loyal to and defensive of this film that they act as though if you criticize it, you are criticizing Christianity itself!

Not a Very Good Evangelism Tool

I hate to be the one to burst their bubble, but there are millions of Americans who watched this film and loved it, but they had no idea that it was written by a Christian. And, it did not "convict" them of their sins, nor make them decide to attend church the following Sunday and give their hearts to Christ.

In fact, I would bet that if we took 100 non-Christian people off the streets and put them in the theater and had them watch the two films Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, they would come out with the same basic statement about both films: It was a movie about good triumphing over evil.

Lord of the Rings was Written by a Christian

I said this same thing to a fellow Christian, and he responded with this: "Yes, but Lord of the Rings was written by a Christian!"

I was a bit taken aback. You see, logically this makes no difference. Oh, I know how it makes an emotional difference for many Christians and some people think that somehow this is some sort of germane point, but really it's not. Many things have been written (and preached) by Christians that are anything but good . . . some of it is actually heresy. We certainly cannot simply say, "Well it was written by a Christian so it must be good."

A Grand Revival?

As I said before, 100 non-Christian people watching these two films would have no idea that the Lord of the Rings was written by a Christian.

And, by the way, why do we just assume that J. K. Rowling is a non-Christian?
I don't know her, and I have not heard from any reliable source if she is a believer or not.
But that's a sidebar.

The fact is that the Lord of the Rings does not scream "CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW." But, as I said, some Christians are acting as though when the full trilogy finally comes out, all of America will have been exposed to the gospel of Christ, if not converted!

By now I'm sure that some out there are ready to chide me for my "sin" (or lack of discernment), or, worse, excommunicate me from the church universal.

But, before you do that, let me clarify a few points.

I thought that movie Lord of the Rings was good.
I enjoyed it.
I would recommend it.

However . . .
I thought it was good as entertainment.
I enjoyed it as entertainment.
I would recommend it as entertainment.

But let me clearly state: the Lord of the Rings is not the gospel of Christ.

Did too! Did not! Did too! Did not!

There is--what I consider to be--an amusing situation regarding the two movies mentioned above. Some Christians are saying that Harry Potter is the spawn of the devil and that Lord of the Rings is the offspring of the Gospels.

Based upon what? Well, as near as I can tell, this "discernment" is based upon the fact that Lord of the Rings was written by a Christian.

I wonder . . . if Lord of the Rings had been written by a non-Christian, would some of these people "discern" its evilness: after all, there is witchcraft and sorcery in this film too.

Again, let me be clear: I liked the film.
My problem rests not with the movie but with people simply accept one as good because someone of faith wrote it and reject one as bad because someone outside the faith (so they say) wrote it.

In my humble estimation, it doesn't take a keen sense of discernment or spirituality to simply jump on the latest fashionable bandwagon and go along with the crowd.

Ok, that's it for my soapbox . . . for now.

Some comments about this CT

I'm on a church planting chat list and there is a string of conversations where guys are asking for some home group study outlines based on the Lord of the Rings Movie. Somebody help us when we need to study a movie for divine truth to govern our lives. Use it as an illustration--yes, as the source--NOT!--Jerry

I have said similar things about "Touched by an Angel" and have also received negative comments. How dare I question something good! I didn't say it was bad; I just indicated that it did not portray the Gospel. Especially in the ones where people die; it is more of a "life after death light experience" than the Gospel contained in Scripture. Hold your ground brother. It is a slippery world that we live in.--Larry

Perfect CT. Don't change a thing.--Tyler

Nothing to fear. Your opinion will be heeded by friends, ignored by fans (of the "Rings"), and used against you by enemies whenever appropriate. I have not seen it or Harry so I will take your word for it. I probably will view it someday because I am interested.--Randy

I never thought of Lord of the rings like that, in fact I didn't have a clue what movie you were referring to until, you said it. Just another example of people getting carried away with nonsense. If they thought that movie compared to the life of Christ, maybe they need to read the Bible again. You know back in the 80's when ET came out. I never saw the movie because Christians said ET was a demon. Wow, was I stupid.Guess what? ET is actually made of rubber. --Janice

Good CT, Rick! I found one mistake in the first paragraph--> "but I have seen many shows that depicted the same basic them" (THEME).--Carmen

This coffee talk hit home because, in our house, the debate over Harry Potter vs Lord of the Rings has been a real concern. My daughter has read C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, which I think is a better story than either Harry Potter or L of TR. I took the time to discuss the Lewis books with her and showed her the hidden symbolism and how it reveals biblical truths and points to the character and nature of God as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I've also discussed with her that I don't approve of her reading the Harry Potter series because, though there may be truths in the story, it isn't as apparent as the Lewis books. Rowling is a self-professed non-believer and considers herself somewhat of a "witch," dabbling in the occult. I took very seriously the task of researching the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and C.S. Lewis books and could recommend some great resources that discuss the pros and cons of all three.

My point, if I have one, is that it is more about the involvement of the parents in teaching their children to be discerning. All three stories show good vs evil but I believe that the Harry Potter series includes other messages that are not so simple and harmless. As a parent, it is my responsibility to discuss these findings with my child and show her that not everything that appears entertaining is valuable. I wouldn't let her see the Lord of the Rings movie anyway ... I'd rather she read the book.

I agree with you that just because something is written by a professed Christian doesn't make it good. Pick any of the Benny Hinn books out there!

But the battle between these two movies should be used by Christian parents as an opportunity to talk with their children about being careful what they read and watch, to discern the messages and make appropriate choices about what they will and will not let into their mind and life. If we don't, we will just be raising another person like you mentioned who will go see both movies and never "get" the difference. I believe Satan would love it if our children never made the distinction between a self-sacrificing act of goodness to overcome evil and a self-serving act of goodness to overcome evil. Anyway, that's just my two cents.--Jennifer