In Frodo We Trust

Imagine if there was an organized group of people who sincerely believed that the people, places and stories described in the book, The Lord of the Rings, were literally true and actually happened as described in the the book.

These people believe that Middle Earth was a real place and that we are intimately connected to it. They believe that Tolkien, the author of the books, actually found a stone that connected his mind to Gandalf's mind, just as the book portrays happening a few times at remote locations. This is how he gained knowledge of the languages, the epic story and the vast war against darkness and evil. He just pretended to create the languages and make up the story so that it would be more accepted. They also believe that the dark lord was not completely destroyed and will rise again in our time if we don't adopt the same way of life described in The Lord of the Rings and fight the rise of the machines, which are the way of the evil one - where the Internet is the new One Ring that seems to give us power but really binds us all in the darkness. So they are awaiting a modern Frodo to destroy this One Ring and return us to a state of paradise.

Now, imagine that these believers, the Ringers, have become very mainstream and being a Ringer is no different culturally than being a Christian or a Jew or a Mormon. Imagine that they have major national campaigns to insist that public schools "teach the controversy" and push for the teaching of the history of Middle Earth in history classes and for the study of magic in physics class and the study of hobbits, elves and wizards in biology class.

Imagine that the Ringers launch a national campaign to have the phrase "In Frodo We Trust" printed on all currency. Imagine that the Ringers insist on having monuments erected on public property, such as outside courtrooms, that promote their beliefs as the basis for all law.

Imagine living in a community where you are shunned because you don't believe in Gandalf or Frodo, and family members become hostile towards you and won't speak to you because you believe that The Lord of the Rings is fictional.

Imagine if a person cannot bcome elected into public office, especially for the position of President, if they don't express a firm belief in The Lord of the Rings and in the reality of Frodo and Gandalf and the One Ring.

This whole scenario seems completely ridiculous - that a society would adopt a book of fiction as their guiding book. However, from an atheist perspective, this is exactly what has happened with the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon and other holy books. From the atheist perspective, it seems like complete madness that our society has been overrun by fanatics who actually believe a work of fiction to be a true book.

So for those who don't understand why atheists don't just shut up and let religious people do their thing and stop trying to burst people's beliefs in God, imagine how you would feel and what you would do if all around you people sincerely believed in The Lord of the Rings and made life decisions, for themselves and for the nation, based on their beliefs. Wouldn't you feel compelled to help them see that they are believing in a work of fiction? Or would you sit back and let this madness infect all of Humanity?