.. the reader is probably wondering that if Tolkien did indeed fashion two of his heroic characters from Catholic prophecies, what about the evil protagonists? Were any of them inspired by these little-known revelations concerning future times? The answer is yes, but to discover the links between the myth and the prophecies, we must venture not only into the realm of unnerving revelations, but also into the murky world of secret sects, dark plots, occult signs, bloody revolutions and conspiracy theories ~ we must probe deep into the burning Eye of Sauron. E.a. Bucchianeri
About This Quote

This quote stems from a fantastic series of articles by the author of the Middle Earth Trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien, in Harper's magazine published between December 1944 and March 1945. The article was written as a response to a letter from a reader who had asked him about the possibility of a future Catholic takeover of England and of England becoming "a province of Rome." Tolkien's response was to claim that England would be ruled by an elite group called the Order of the Garter, who would be descended from King Edward III and Queen Philippa. In his letter to Tolkien, however, the reader had argued that this future vision of England was not necessarily all it appeared to be, because the members of the order – even though they would be part of an elite – were actually all non-Catholics: "You seem to me to say that the King and Queen belong to the Church and so does every member of your Order; but what about those who do not belong?" Tolkien responded by saying that even those members of his order were subject to severe penalties by those who might disagree with them: "Well, as for those who do not 'belong' (that is, as you put it, those who do not become Catholics), they are bound over to secrecy on pain of death; and all their children after them." And finally: "They pledge themselves on oath never to return again into England (never meaning I suppose our own country), and if anyone 'betrays' (that is, breaks their oath or fails to keep it) the whole family are excommunicated. They may emigrate beyond sea without being excommunicated though it is known how they died." This led Tolkien to conclude that his secret order's power would not only extend over Britain but over Europe as well. He put forward two possible uses for this power: one was for good, using it "for advancing knowledge", but he also suggested that "there are darker possibilities." He then went on to outline what might happen if his secret order succeeded in taking over Europe: all non-Catholics would have no right to live in countries where they were born; birth controls would have to be introduced; abortion would be illegal; all religions other than Catholicism would have to be banned; priests alone could read the Bible in churches; nuns could not teach in schools; nobody could speak against Catholicism.

Source: Lord Of The Rings: Apocalyptic Prophecies

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