Why is Lord of the Rings a banned book?

The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most popular and well-known writers in the world. His books, true fantasy epics, cover themes like good conquering evil, the value of friendship, the strength of love, and the power of hope. They truly changed the genre forever.

Tolkien's works which include The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, would become successful film franchises and now a television series on Amazon Prime Video. I myself have always loved Tolkien's work, ever since I read The Hobbit in middle school years ago. The Hobbit is my third favorite book of all time, and although much was changed in the film adaptations, I still thoroughly enjoyed them. So why would such popular and groundbreaking works be banned?

Upon doing some research, the answer is not as clear as I hoped it would be. According to Better Reading from last year, "The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was originally banned in various US states because it was considered Satanic, but now that reaction would be rare."

Should J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings book series be banned?

Then I found another article from 2011 which read, "The book (The Lord of the Rings) has been banned as 'satanic' in some areas and was even burned by members of a church in New Mexico in 2001. The controversy is ironic, though, as Tolkien was a devout Christian and many scholars note Christian themes in his work."

As I mentioned earlier, the message of good conquering evil is profound and very present. However, the themes that could possibly fit the "satanic" mold are a far cry less present than in something like the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, which actually revolve around students learning witchcraft and wizardry.

Like Tolkien's works, Harry Potter follows a similar formula of good triumphing over evil, and has a focus on the importance of friendship, love, and hope. All of which are positive messages.

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