I wrote this blog on Theologyweb around 2 years ago. However, I thought I’d share it here:
In the Lord of the Rings, the book and movies, the Ents are marching toward Isengard, the fortress of the wizard, Saruman. They don’t look happy but why would they do this?
Perhaps a bit of background on the Ents would be good.
The Ents or Onodrim, are Tree-like Shepherds of the Forest. There are the Ents, who are NOT trees and the Huorns, who are tree-like ents or just trees. Not all trees can move, but Huorns are like sheep and thus the need for Ents. They are EXTREMELY slow at talking or wanting to do anything. The oldest Ent is named Fangorn or Treebeard.
Saruman is a wizard who has gone bad and from his tower of Isengard, he has made designs of his own evil and he is cutting down trees on the forests of Fangorn, the forest where the Ents live.
The Ents, largely unaware (and completely in the movie) of Saruman’s deeds, are met with a strange happening. Two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, arrive in the forest and awaken Treebeard. They tell him about what’s happening and Treebeard gathers various representives of the Ents kinds (Oak, Chestnut, Ash etc etc) to an Entmoot, which is a gathering of Ents to discuss Saruman.
In the books, the Ents take a couple of days but finally decide to march on Isengard. “It is likely we go to our doom, but if we stay here and do nothing doom would find us sooner or later. That is why we are marching NOW,” said Treebeard, with the hobbits on his shoulders. Meanwhile, The Huorns head to Helms Deep and some remain closeby. They shout with an anger and cry out against Isengard.
“To Isengard to Isengard with roll of drum we come we come. To isengard with doom we come with doom we come!” They all shout.
In the films, The Ents decide not to do anything, claiming they must weather the storm as always they have done. Merry shouts “BUT YOU’RE PART OF THIS WORLD! Aren’t you? You must help, please! You must do something…” Pippin comes up with a foolish plan: to take Treebeard by the edges of the forest, nearest to Isengard. Treebeard agrees and sees the devastation first hand. It’s only then that Treebeard becomes angry.
“There is no curse in Elvish, Entish or the Tongues of men, for this treachery. My business is with Isengard tonight, with rock and stone,” says Treebeard, as all the Ents march out of the woods and to the tower.
Now, I am reminded of how the modern Church is much like the Ents. We are slow to act, we do alot of talkign but not alot of action and we usually don’t do anything unless it affects us directly. How would it be if the church had an ‘entmoot’ and gathered the leaders of all the denominations and discussed something like abortion?
Abortion is one reason, after talking to Nick, that I wrote this. I told him about a story where this girl stabbed her newborn, litterally JUST born, baby more than 100 times and she’s convicted of first degree murder. If a doctor had crushed the skull of the same child one minute earlier, it would be ok and just be abortion. A womans right to choose? This woman chose to stab her child, but I guess that’s awful but killing them just as they come out is just fine.
I gave an example to Nick about a cook and a pizza. The cook receives a wonderful order for a wonderfully unique pizza. This pizza is unique, as is all his pizzas. Yet every one is wonderful. The pizza is put into the oven and it cooks. It dings! TIme to come out! Yummm. As the pizza is coming out of the oven, the women who took part in the ordering of the pizza runs over, grabs the pizza and steps on it and crushes it beyond reason (or perhaps she has someone else do it for her). The cook looks on in disbelief and says, “Why did you do that? What was wrong with the pizza?” “Nothing I guess,” says the woman, “I just didn’t want it.”
Now imagine how you would feel if you had just made a wonderful pizza or piece of art or something. How would you feel if someone, who had no right in the situation, to come and smash it down. Not very happy I guess. Now imagine God is the cook or the painter or whatever you would like to apply to it.
Yes, the church is like the Ents, slow to anger but when roused, we can be a formidable force.
“The coming of Merry and Pippin is like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains. A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days: The Ents are going to wake up and find that they are strong,” says Gandalf.
This world needs more churches and people in them to be Merry and Pippins. Rouse the Ents! Get an Entmoot! Get a righteous anger going. I’m not saying throw down the literal towers or smash “orcs” into pieces. But you can march, and you can shout with a loud voice.
Treebeard cared for the fallen trees that he once knew. “Many of these trees were my friends. Creatures I had known from nut and acorn. They had voices of their own!” Children have voices but they never got the chance to grow from their “acorns” and have any chance of being friends. Treebeard then cries out with a loud voice of sadness and anger all at once. Perhaps if more of us did that.
Sure, theres “March for Life” and things like that. But does marching alone do anything? No, not really. Voting, talking about it more than once a year or during Election season would do much more.
People cry out against 3,000 deaths in the War in Iraq of our troops. I once heard that 4,000 children are aborted every day. 4,000…a DAY! But do we hear one outcry for it? I haven’t. We have a day in January celebrating life. Then we seem to forget it till the next year. The church needs a “small stone” so the avalanche will start.
Gandalf said the Ents would “wake up and find they are strong.” The church fails to realize how powerful it can be if it just would wake up and look around. Imagine if all the churches came together on this one issue, constantly sent messages to their elected officials, and didn’t let up. Imagine if we did like the Ents did, and every church had a marching to Isengard. What would that mean? A march for life is a good idea, but imagine if all the churches did it and not just a few people. We’re the army of the Lord for a reason. Most of us act like the waterboys and don’t bother with weapons but staying quiet and asking if anyone needs anything.
Of course doing things for groups and people is great. We forget sometimes that babies are people but we don’t seem to do much for them. There must be a way but Fangorn is sleeping and the Ents are at rest. Who will rouse them and begin the Entmoot? Who? It could be you. It could be anyone. I hope someone does. It may take more than one person. It only took two tiny hobbits to do it.
Hope this wasn’t too much ranting. I’m tired now. Goodnight and Hroom Hoom Toom!
Note: I am NOT calling for violent demonstrations. Standing up for what you believe in just means not backing down when the time comes, regardless of what may happen to you. It also means being active and not just sitting by while evil happens.
