Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

Oh, I concur with your questions and concerns about some of the underlying assumptions of the LOTR cosmology, but since my only knowledge of Middle Earth comes from the films (never having read the books) and since it's not a mythology that PARTICULARLY resonates with me or screams "sacred!" when I see it, I'm hesitant to criticize it too much -- first, because my observations may not be consistent with Tolkien's original work, and second, because I generally prefer to criticize from the INSIDE of a fandom, rather than the outside. That is, I have this sneaking feeling that I shouldn't criticize too harshly unless I also LOVE (just as I would prefer that only people who know and love me take it upon themselves to criticize ME -- fat chance of THAT happening!).

Just from what I've seen on the screen, Middle Earth is (unsurprisingly, considering the author and the culture in which he lived) pretty much focused on the male perspective, which may be why I find it hard to get too emotionally involved. Oh, well . . .