Christian mythology does actually directly state that animals were placed on Earth for the use and consumption of humanity. It could be seen as frivolously ignoring the purpose of animals as dictated by God. It's one of the least crazy things on this list honestly. If you sincerely believe God put animals on earth for the purpose of man, not wanting to hurt animals is pretty silly (most vegetarianism being seen as ethically motivated to some extent at least for the purposes of understanding the perspective of the person making this list).

The way I read the passage, it appears that the demons are spirits. The other creatures that Morgoth bred were simply called monsters. If all demons are spirits, and all demons followed Morgoth (at least until his banishment), then a lesser Maia who followed Morgoth would be a demon, rog, but not a Demon of Might, Balrog.

The first installment of the epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy was first published in 1954. Since that time, the world of Middle-Earth has fascinated readers and transformed lives.

Today, I desire to delve into this incredible story, and share with you how Tolkien’s enduring faith is expressed in his novels. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic and believed firmly in the truths of Christianity. Now before I begin, I want to state that The Lord of the Rings can be enjoyed without reading through Christ-colored glasses and I will never accept the idea that The Lord of the Rings is a Christian allegory. On the contrary, Tolkien detested allegory and stated himself that his novels were never written with the intent of preaching religion; however, Tolkien was always quick to admit that all of his works were written in the Christian tradition and therefore were full of Christian symbols. In the entire canon of Tolkien’s primary work, three characters emerge in the story as symbols of Christ: Gandalf, Aragorn, and Samwise Gamgee.

Unlike Aslan, in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, no one character fully embodies the Christ figure of the story; rather, each of these three characters clearly symbolize a different aspect of Jesus Christ. The dominant symbol of Christ in The Lord of the Rings is Gandalf; evidence of this can be found by first looking at how Gandalf came to Middle-Earth and then considering his actions throughout the story.

Gandalf was sent by the Valar from the land of Valinor to rescue the people of Middle-Earth from evil and to protect them from Sauron. For those who have not read The Silmarillion, the Valar are basically the gods and goddesses of Middle-Earth and Valinor is the land of bliss in which they dwell. In The Silmarillion, Gandalf is introduced as a spirit named Olorin, and he only took on the flesh of men so that the people of Middle-Earth would trust him and have faith in his mission. In a similar way, Christ left heaven to come to Earth and took on bodily form to rescue humanity from sin and Satan. When we first meet Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring, we encounter an old wizened man, with a long gray beard, bushy eyebrows, a flowing cloak, and a wooden staff worn from travel. Brute Force Password Cracker Osx. Like Jesus, everywhere Gandalf goes he seeks to help others, restore hope, and fight evil. He travels so extensively that the elves and men of Gondor call him Mithrandir which means: the gray pilgrim.

Also like Jesus, Gandalf possesses several different names that each have a unique meaning: Incanus, Lathspell, Mithrandir, Olorin, Tharkun, ect. The symbolism of Christ becomes most evident in Gandalf’s actions as leader of the Fellowship that was appointed by the Council of Elrond in Rivendell. When things become tough on the road, Gandalf and the entire Fellowship are forced into the Mines of Moria in an attempt to pass under the Misty Mountains. The slow journey through the mountains comes to a hand-wringing climax when the Fellowship is chased by a fiery demon of the ancient world called a Balrog. In this heart pounding moment, surrounded by fire, darkness, whizzing arrows, and terrified screams, Gandalf realizes that no one will escape the Moria alive unless he puts his life at stake for his friends. As Jesus once said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend (John 15:13).” As the Fellowship begins to cross the treacherous Bridge of Khazad-dum, the Balrog closes in from behind, but Gandalf takes the rear guard and turns to face the monstrous beast alone. Standing on the bridge surrounded by darkness, Gandalf faces his enemy of flame and shadow, and willingly sacrifices his life to save his friends.