Dear Catholic Exchange:
Upon reading Tolkien's Creation, by Eric J. Scheske, I was struck by his statement that J.R.R.Tolkien (in his tales of Middle Earth) evidently considered the breeding of the Orcs to be “the vilest deed of Melkor, and the most hateful to Illuvatar” (the Creator), more serious than all his other evil deeds.
He states, “The act of creation is the greatest power bestowed by God…. By corollary, if the creative power is our greatest gift, its abuse is our greatest sin.” Mr. Scheske goes on to remind artists of their responsibility to guard their creative gifts. But I think he falls short of the ultimate comparison—the creative power of human reproduction! This awesome gift of God to be co-creators of human life is misused and abused by so many. . .surely the sins of contraception, abortion, etc. are most hateful to the Creator because they pervert the incredible beauty of the gift.
Can you imagine what Tolkien would have thought of human cloning? Far worse than breeding Orcs; I daresay!
Sharon O'Connor
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Dear Friends at Catholic Exchange,
Reading Harry Potter: Agent of Conversion with HellCo's Corporate Propoganda was enlightening. As a former Evangelical with many Evangelical friends, I am very familiar with the view that everything alluding to the occult—Dungeons & Dragons was a big target when I was in high school—causes serious spiritual damage. Unfortunately, the Evangelical response rarely goes beyond “Just Say No” (imagine putting a Mr. Yuk sticker on all the Harry Potter books) and often doesn't give practical solutions for people who have been affected by occult influences. I thank both Shea and Collins for pointing out that while material things can be harmful to us, God can still use matter in the Sacraments to heal and strengthen us.
Sincerely,
Jared B.
Spokane, WA
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Dear Editors of Catholic Exchange:
Enjoyed your article on HellCo's Corporate Propoganda. Nicely said. So many Anti-Catholics say one thing, yet do another. It is the devil at work. As my sister used to say, “the devil is cunning and baffling.” A agree with you, though. God manifests Himself through His works of creation and He uses these also as a means of communication and means of giving grace. The moment any person says God doesn't, won't, or can't do something, it is an indication that he or she has been overcome by the influence of the devil. God can and will do anything He so desires, through any means He chooses. He is God.
God bless you.
A Faithful Catholic
Dear Friend in Faith:
I pretty much agree with you. It's funny; most people have the idea that Catholic doctrine exists to keep people from thinking this or that. In reality, 99% of the time Catholic doctrine exists to keep narrow-minded people from forbidding others from thinking this or that. The Church says “God can do what He likes.” It's zealots who want to forbid God from using matter, or honoring Mary, or allowing apparitions, or whatnot. It's zealots who want to insist that everybody be a pacifist, or pro-war, or speaking in tongues, or not speaking in tongues. The Church is usually saying, through her doctrines, that there's room for more people in the Church than zealots might think.
The only thing God can't do is sin. And that's not a weakness or failure on His part, but an aspect of His glory. We don't say steel is weak because it can't be broken.
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
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