Jonathon,

What confused me in your article is the "straw man" you refute in your title with a firm "No." Who exactly are you arguing against? Who is "The Religion"? Who are these "Christians" with "a long history of trying to claim JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings" as a "Christian text"?

Almost everyone you cite argues against this "straw man" ---yet we never seem to hear from this strawy character.

I have no argument with your opinion of LOTR (I think you are mostly correct). I just don't know who you are arguing against.