Undertones

The Lord of the Rings came on today. It was kind of ironic since we were just learning about the Hobbit. My friends and I were talking about the movies and commenting on how they were and were not like the book and what they should and should not have done. Then we started getting into the Christian undertones of the story and, finally, whether or not it is appropriate for children. We were talking about that story The Golden Compass and whether or not children should be allowed to read it since it has strong atheist undertones. Many people say that they would not have even realized that it was a story written by an atheist if the media hadn't blown it in everyone's faces. Of course, in my opinion, even if something isn't obvious, it can still have a subconscious effect on a child's mind. But I am definitely not like those people who won't let their children read Harry Potter because it has magic in it. Harry Potter teaches a lot of people about the struggle between good and evil, and it certainly doesn't force witchcraft on children as if it is real and true, and a religion to be practiced. I won't deny that there is a certain age that children should be allowed to read the books, but they shouldn't be banned forever. When you say something like that, you are putting very little faith in your child's faith, will, and moral code. We can't be afraid to expose ourselves to everything that is just a little different than what we believe. If we did, we wouldn't be able to read much at all. It is in looking at those things that our faith becomes stronger and we are able to better ascertain the truths that we already know.