: : : : I think you can find some references to this in his letters. Especially those to his friend Father Murphy. Tolkien did not want to introduce specific religious practices as such would either make the story too much of a Christian parable, or else drive a wedge between the boch and religion. Tolkien critices C.S.Lewis over his handling of religion in the Narnia books, where religious ceremonies and symbolism are much more present.

: : : I think that in one of his letters Tolkien did describe the Lord of the Rings as "a fundamentally religious and Catholic" book. Of course, there is no evidence of any form of Christian religious practice in the book as it is set several thousand years B.C. What I think he meant was that the Free Peoples were monotheists who lived by the same ethical standards as Jews and Christians. In one of his letters, he makes the point that the Free Peoples identified organised religion with the worship of Morgoth and Sauron; accordingly, organised religion had evil connotations for them.

: : : Sean

: :
: : But does it then not follow, that any book written by a catholic, could be portrayed as a catholic book?
: : Jan

: I'm not a Catholic, so I would I would find it hard to comment. I imagine that it would depend on whether a Catholic intended what he wrote to be consistent with his religious beliefs. Clearly Tolkien did intend LOTR to be consistent with his religious beliefs, but it would not follow that every Catholic writer would intend this.

: Sean

If I am not mistaken there are specifically religious ceremonies in the akallabeth [the king and peoples yearly worship of Eru Iluvatar and previously of the elves yeartly[?] pilgrimage to the city of valimar and I believe up the slopes of tanquietel [sp?]
in the book of lost tales
actually , as I recall it is one of the most beautifull and richly descibed scenes in the book.
and so even though this does not step forward into the last writings it is certainly there in the early and middle phases.
:lindil