Rating: 
Summary: a simple and memorable read
Review: I am a young fan of the Lord of the Rings and took a great interest in both the books and the movies in the last two or three years. I found some comparisons between the characters and Christ, yet I couldn't fully grasp the Christianity in the story of Middle Earth. This book was incredibly enlightening and easy to read for a younger person like me. I didn't need scholarly and deep writing to understand the beauty of Tolkien's work. This book was thought provoking without becoming difficult to understand. I have now read it several times over, and each time I take a little piece of Tolkien with me to think about. Keep in mind that it deals with the story in the books, not the movies, and only touches on Christian values. The writers do not pair any certain character as Christ, but rather show how they all have Christ-like quality and that is why they triumph. If you are looking for something that is deep, this isn't for you. But if you just want to scratch the surface, it's a well written, easy to understand book, and a must have for Tolkien fans.
Rating:
Summary: A book for Questioning parents...
Review: I am an avid Middle-earth fan and a devout Christian. I happened to purchase this book on an impulse because I as curious what angle they would take in it (considering that Tolkien clearly stated he had no "allegory" in mind). I was happy to see that first off the authors made it clear that they are not saying that Tolkien was writing an allegory of Christianinty. In stead, they make the claim that Tolkien's strong Christian beliefs are clearly seen throughout the books (LOTR, the Silmarillion, etc.). With that point, I must strongly agree. As a Christian, I can see countless areas where his beliefs find their way into his books. Honestly, how could you expect anything else? A man's beliefs are going to come out in what he does in life whether he intends them to or not. This book does a good job of pointing out examples of some of those patterns and beliefs for those who may not notice them as easily.On the negative side, the book was a bit less than what I had hoped for. I was expecting a book set up with multiple deep essays on the various subjects, but it not quite as in-depth as I would have liked. It is a good surface analysis, but it fails to go into the depths that the more intense fan would prefer. This is an excellent informative book for parents who are concerened about exposing their children to something that they might be worried about. It is in this regard that the book could do its greatest good because many Christians could end up tossing something out in the name of "evil" that truly can be seen as a testimony of God's glory. Honestly, it a challenge for me to withhold the tears when I am reading Tolkien's work. When I read his words, I see the infinite beauty of God's creation coming forth through the hands of a man who truly realized who his God was.
Rating: 
Summary: Really reaching
Review: I find it rather silly that this book is making the suggestion that Tolkien was making some sort of religious commentary. Why? Because Tolkien himself, in a forward for one edition of the books, says there is no hidden meaning in these books. Christianity or any other modern religion has no place in the fantasy world of Middle Earth.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe for nervous parents?
Review: I rate this book with two stars only because, as an apologetic directed to Christian parents who may be nervous about content in LOTR that mentions "magic" and occult-like situations, I think "Finding God" succeeds in providing insight into the actual ethical and even godly applications of Tolkien's themes. David Zampino's review stated: "There were also the odd factual error (which only a Tolkien trivia buff like myself would notice) which should have been caught by the authors or the editors." I think Mr. Zampino underestimated other Tolkien fans. I was so disappointed in the number of factual errors that for me the authors' credibility was compromised. I often found myself doubting whether the authors had really read LOTR in-depth or just skimmed it to pick up enough background to set the scenes for their own material.
Rating:
Summary: Pathetic!
Review: I read this book. Everything in life can be construed as having to do with God or religion if you look hard enough. This one is simply another persons way of trying to saturate God into everything.
Rating:
Summary: Tolkien: "A Fundamentally Religious and *Catholic* Work"
Review: I received this book from a relative as a gift, and while the book was fairly good as far as it went, I could not believe the glaring omissions the author made. Considering that Tolkien called the Lord of the Rings, "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work," the word "Catholic" never being mentioned is unforgivable. The author is either clearly biased in his treatment of subject, or he is so ignorant of his subject matter, that he was not aware that Tolkien was a devout Catholic who wrote that "[The Lord of the Rings] is a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision." However, as I said earlier, as far as it goes, the book treats the subject matter fairly, if with an Evangelical Protestant bias. Tolkien did say that Middle-Earth is, "a monotheistic world of 'natural theology.'" To say that the "Lord of the Rings" is pagan story is to ignore the intentions of Tolkien. I do have to say however, that this book is horrible in picking up all but the most obvious of Tolkien's allusions to Christianity. The author ignores that the day Frodo destroys the Ring is the 25 of March, which traditionally is the date of the Crucifixion of Christ. His ignorance of the Catholic allusions is even worse: He ignores that the lembas are consciously a type of the Holy Eucharist and that Galadriel is a type of Mary, which should be obvious to anyone who is familiar with the Catholic Faith of Tolkien. This book took me about one evening to read and I learned nothing new from it that I had not found from on-line reviews of the original books and now the movies. This book seems to me like a poor job done quickly to capitalize on the success of the movie, without giving any kind of solid treatment of its subject matter. There are better books out there.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Literary Study, but a Devotional Book
Review: I was very disappointed with this tiny book. I had expected a literary study of Christian themes, the relation between myth and truth, Christ imagery, how prayer works in the books, etc. Instead, what I found was a series of brief chapters in which the authors spend a couple pages rehashing some aspect of the story, then a couple more offering a devotional application to our own lives. This might be suitable for family worship if everyone in the family has seen the movie, but it's of no use to me. To others interested in this Christian themes, I recommend "Tolkien: Author of the Century" and another little book on "Virtues" in "Lord of the Rings," the exact title of which escapes me.
Rating: 
Summary: Not all of us are in-depth kind of people ...
Review: I'm not shallow, but somtimes I need a little help to see what's in front of me. We've all looked at a painting that had hidden figures in it, and we can see most of them, yet know there are more there. This book is like the friend who comes along and gently points out what's right in front of us. I enjoyed it very much.
Rating:
Summary: The book is something that was inevitable
Review: Ideas, such as the ones expressed in this book, inevitably followed great works of art throughout the history of mankind. It is ridiculous to connect the tale, history, or any of the characters with religion. Numerous people who blindly believe in everything they are told always try to connect such things to their beliefs. It is stupid, shortsighted and narrow-minded to express such thought. J.R.R. Tolkien said himself in foreword of the book: "As for any inner meaning or 'message', it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical. ... I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence."
The least people can do is respect authors wishes.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding the man
Review: If one reads other works about Tolkien, the man, not just as the inventor of Middle-Earth, one does take into account the uncontested fact that his faith did permeate his life. Although he didn't write LOTR primarily for any 'religious' purpose, it's simplistic to dismiss the fact that his faith, precisely as the life-blood that ran through his veins, does surface at various, unmistakeable points throughout LOTR. (The prior review, albeit with numerous spelling errors, tries to criticize the book for its allegorical approach. Perhaps we should give the authors the freedom to conduct whatever literary study they choose. Re: Tolkien's "hate" of allegory--I would like to see the source of that comment. That sounds more like C.S. Lewis' comment relating to his Chronicles of Narnia rather than Tolkien.)
| 
