--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...With a religious book it is less what…" description: "\"“...With a religious book it is less what we see in it than what we see through it that matters. J. R. R. Tolkien's fairy-tale epic the Lord of the Rin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/frederick-buechner-883_books_with-a-religious-book-it-is-less-what-we_1759254.png" --- # ...With a religious book it is less what we see in it than… ![“...With a religious book it is less what we see in it than what we see through it that matters. J. R. R. Tolkien's fairy-tale epic the Lord of the Rings helps draw the distinction perhaps. Some of its admirers have tried to make it into a religion book by claiming, among other things, that the…” quote by Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/frederick-buechner-883_books_with-a-religious-book-it-is-less-what-we_1759254.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/frederick-buechner-883_books_with-a-religious-book-it-is-less-what-we_1759254.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8b/frederick-buechner-883_books_with-a-religious-book-it-is-less-what-we_1759254.png) > ““...With a religious book it is less what we see in it than what we see through it that matters. J. R. R. Tolkien's fairy-tale epic the Lord of the Rings helps draw the distinction perhaps. Some of its admirers have tried to make it into a religion book by claiming, among other things, that the Ring of Power which must be destroyed is the hydrogen bomb. Tolkien, on the other hand, denied this unequivocally. But intended or otherwise, there can be little doubt that for many it has become a religious book. The "Frodo Lives" buttons are not entirely a joke, because something at least comes to life through those fifteen hundred pages, although inevitably it is hard to say just what. It seems to have something to do with the way Tolkien has of making us see the quididity of things like wood, bread, stone, milk, iron, as though we have never seen them before or not for a long time, which is probably the truth of the matter; his landscapes set deeper echoes going in us than any message could. He gives us back a sense that we have mostly lost of the things of the earth, and because we are ourselves of the earth, whatever else, we are given back too some sense of our own secret. Very possibly again he did not intend it. I may well be axiomatic that, religiously, a writer achieves most when he is least conscious of doing so. Certainly the attempt to be religious is as doomed as the attempt to be poetic is.”” [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature can act as a lens, shaping perception more than its literal content, often gaining unintended spiritual significance. **In simple terms:** Stories change how we see the world. Key Takeaway Read critically, recognize deeper impact. Themes literature perception spirituality Mood contemplative analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - reading - teaching - personal reflection - cultural analysis Key Concepts interpretation symbolism authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - What does this story reveal about you? - Can a work be both art and faith? A Different Perspective Readers may impose meanings not intended by the author. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book Frodo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-frodo-1677699/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Lord of the rings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord-of-the-rings/) [Matters Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters-tolkien-1677700/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religion Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-book-1236129/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-book-1138563/) [Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolkien/) [Tolkien Making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tolkien-making-1677701/) ## Related quotes > [“Religion is not a book, it is not an institution, and it is not even a person. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...With a religious book it is less what we see in it than what we see through it that matters. J. R. R. Tolkien's fairy-tale epic the Lord of the Rings helps draw the distinction perhaps. Some of its admirers have tried to make it into a religion book by claiming, among other things, that the Ring of Power which must be destroyed is the hydrogen bomb. Tolkien, on the other hand, denied this unequivocally. But intended or otherwise, there can be little doubt that for many it has become a religious book. The \"Frodo Lives\" buttons are not entirely a joke, because something at least comes to life through those fifteen hundred pages, although inevitably it is hard to say just what. It seems to have something to do with the way Tolkien has of making us see the quididity of things like wood, bread, stone, milk, iron, as though we have never seen them before or not for a long time, which is probably the truth of the matter; his landscapes set deeper echoes going in us than any message could. He gives us back a sense that we have mostly lost of the things of the earth, and because we are ourselves of the earth, whatever else, we are given back too some sense of our own secret. Very possibly again he did not intend it. I may well be axiomatic that, religiously, a writer achieves most when he is least conscious of doing so. 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