Reviews (20)

Antane · 8 November 2017 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Wonderful story! I can see so Faramir, being the loving and gentle man he is, standing up for life. Thanks for writing! Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

NenyaUndomiel · 4 October 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Thank you for this story, I agree with you completely. I am a fellow Christian and I wanted to thank you for standing up for what we believe in.Good job! Keep on with the good work and don't worry about the negitive reviews, christianity is ever under fire. ( I love all your other storys too!) :)

nonchristian · 30 April 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Actually, I don't have issues with god, I have issues with dogmatic snot nosed psuedo-christians who never faced reality. The bible is an old book, outdated and written by men long turned to dust. How do you know your life has any more meaning than mine does? And it is not for you to decide... keep your god... your crutch, I prefer the real world.

J · 21 April 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

A year ago I was a pro-lifer, harassing women outside clinics, egging abortionists and doctors. I even slashed their tires, I did it all. Now, I’m facing a life sentence for rape. Not because I did it, but because I was a victim. Now I’m the one being spat on, pushed to the ground, and not because I killed my rapist, nope. I didn’t do that either. I found out I was pregnant at thirteen. My parents went mad and threw me out, didn’t matter that I was underage, or that I was raped. I was pregnant, an that was bad enough. Their little girl messed up, that all they cared about. I’m in a hostel now, staring out the window of my one room place, and wondering what they’ll say in court. I had pictures taken of me, what the man did to me. Bruised and cut as I was, the police wanted pictures to show in court. I felt even more dirty after that. They offered me the morning after pill. I was naive. It wouldn’t happen to me. I was a good Christian girl. God looks after me . . .at least he did until I came home from school and that man was waiting for me. Then I found out I had a baby on the way that I don’t want by a man I didn‘t know. The doctors gave me blood tests and found out the man had infected me with something, they wouldn’t tell me, said I was underage and my parents would be told instead. My mom came, and I heard them whispering. Something about HIV and some other stuff. My mom signed me over to the courts, and now I have no one. I was the victim, but I‘m unclean, a bad girl. I went for an appointment at the hospital so they could scan it. It’s heart had stopped beating and they made me an appointment at the clinic I had slashed tires at a few months ago, still got to go to court for that. When I got to the clinic I was beat up, didn’t even get to the door, didn’t even get to tell them my baby was already dead, so why get on my ass for killing it? That was two weeks ago, I didn’t go back. Think they would kill me if I did. They don’t care about what people feel, not even me, and I was one of them a year ago. Court appearance is today for the rape. Tomorrow I have to go to the hospital to have me womb taken out, cos it’s rotted from the dead baby, and giving me pain. There won’t be no more babies for me. My care worker says I have to take these pills now, to keep my immune system up. I asked her why, and she looked at me. Did they tell you, she said. I said tell me what? She says, you have aids, girl. Now take your pills and do as your told. I was a victim, but I’m unclean, a bad girl. I learned a lesson, I hope you don't have to learn to grow up like I did, the hard way. Slashing tires and egging people and treating others like dirt isn’t the answer. Reality is a wake-up call.

Pasha ToH · 7 April 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

I realize this whole mess about writing a story and stating a moral preference has gotten you hackled a bit, and maybe God is trying to teach you something through all of this. I have watched it flame up here and in FFN, do not be bitter with those who do not believe as you do... it is as much their right to state their feelings as you do. Though I am not a christian... I do know God, and he would not want such derision... on either side. But you have made others think, and that in itself is a good thing. I do hope you continue with this, perhaps in that way you could soften the harshness of your ideals and help others be more receptive to your view... and perhaps win a few souls in the bargain. There is no one perfect answer in the world, even God and Jesus know that, that is why the words justice and mercy are often found together in the bible... only God is perfect, the rest of us fall sadly... severely short of it. God says by your words and actions is your faith revealed to others... ask yourself, have you spoken to others as Jesus would have? Yes, being christian may be the 'in thing' but to be truly one of God's children one must be more judgmental of your own actions and more forgiving of others. I have preached enough... may you learn easily the lesson God has planned. Pasha ToH

Berzerker_prime · 6 April 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

The premise is interesting, though I don't think it fits well into Tolkien canon. Abortion is a wholly modern concept that would never have occurred to the denizens of Middle-earth. Adrienne probably would have killed herself first. The concept reads like it's been forced to fit and it ruins the entire story. As distracting as that was, in and of itself, you've got a whole lot of other Middle-earth mechanics exceptionally wrong... The name Adrienne, for example, would never belong to a Gondorian woman. Nor would Sara (and BTW, any mildly observant reader of the Bible will note that the name is spelled with an H at the end... good grief...) or Corienne. To the Gondorians, it would be like naming their kid Snarfblathershiznib. Westron is not English, for one, and Gondorians have very strong Elvish roots besides. They would have Sindarin names, with the exceptionally rare name in Quenya tossed in every now and then among overbearing and self-absorbed nobles. Second, Minas Tirith is a big city. Everyone doesn't know everyone else and they certainly don't all just hang out together. You've just thrown Faramir together in the same room with Adrienne with no explanation why he's sitting there (and, indeed, no indication he's even there before you need him to get up and talk! Wow! He's ninja-like!) with her. Not only that, but Adrienne, unless she's the most unobservant person in Gondor, will recognize the son of the Steward on sight. He's kind of an important guy. Lastly, about orphan houses. For one thing, orphan houses would be well known in Minas Tirith seeing as how Gondor was in a time of war. Lots of kids would have been losing their parents and some recourse would have to be made to provide for them. Adrienne would know that there was that option. At the same time, an orphan house that took in only unwanted babies would be a waste of resources as there would still be parentless kids floating around who also needed to be provided for. Your concept only serves to accentuate the forced nature of your story concept; Adrienne needed an option, so you invented one just for her situation and it doesn't fit in with your setting; it's not practical enough for their circumstances. Your message is heavy-handed for my tastes, but there's nothing wrong with that per se. The really distracting thing is that your Middle-earth research isn't up to snuff. Your message, I'm sad to say, got lost because of it. Some more description would help, too. The dialogue takes over and in the end it all begins to sound like an odd parody of Galilleo's Dialigo. Place the characters in a vivid setting and describe their actions more fluently. Your piece shouldn't be a stage play in narrative form. Anyway, just some tips from an old fanfiction hand who's been down this road before. One always has to remember that not every message, though worth the saying, fits with the setting you're working with.

San Antonio Rose · 21 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

I have to take issue with the reviewers misquoting Deuteronomy. The only mention of illegitimate children in Deuteronomy is in 23:2, which states that illegitimate children and all of their descendents were to be excluded from the congregation of the faithful. I think these reviewers are getting confused with Exodus 22:18 ("Thou shalt not suffer a *witch* to live"). Moreover, the Didache (one of the earliest documents of Christian teaching we have outside the New Testament, most likely written for a congregation of Jewish Christians) expressly forbids abortion and states clearly that those who murder children are engaged in the way of death. Thank you, LOTRFaith, for having the courage to speak out on this topic. May God bless you for standing up for His precious little ones.

Eruviluieth · 21 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

This is beautiful, and so true. I'm glad Faramir was able to convince her to at least let the baby live. I've heard it said that when it comes to unwanted children, the devil wants to remove the "children" but God wants to remove the "unwanted." This is an excellent plea for the lives of those with no voices of their own. Thanks for letting us all hear their voices.

Mariam, mother of Ishael · 21 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Not a bad story, my dear, but the premise and your position needs revision. First of all, in Deuteronomy, it clearly states 'do not suffer the bastard to live', therefore what is the sin you are preaching about? Not only that, you gloss over a very difficult choice made by women from all walks of life with different circumstances as being under one umbrella, with no regard for the agony they go through, as being murderers. If you had been in this situation, perhaps you would be more open-minded and understanding, for what they have been through and what many still go through. Let us be clear here, we are not talking about teenagers having 'accidents', that makes up for only a tiny proportion on the issue. I, also, believe in the sanctity of life, but 16 years ago I was raped and left pregnant, and treated like dirt by those I once called friends and family. I can still feel that pain of rejection in every condemning and crucifying word you wrote. Am I the one in the wrong? My first thought was, how dare you judge me. Then, I thought, I pity you. You are so ignorant of reality that it is quite sad. I was forced to keep my son, who was born with a debilitating inherited disorder from his father, a man I did not know. Abortion was denied me because they wanted me to forever live with the shame of being raped, and to raise the unwanted child as a visual sigma of my 'sin'. Well, I raised my son, I love him, but I must watch him suffer every day, and watch my family being slowly torn apart, when it would have been far more humane to have allowed him to die in the womb. Do not ever presume to know a mother's heart, child. You know nothing of hell. Mariam

non-christian · 21 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

well said Marion, Might I add the bible says suffer not a bastard to nor its mother to live, to call one's self christian, one would have to obey this law. I for one am not illegitemate, I was taken from my mother and forced to live a lie. One can use god to candy coat the world, but in the rain of reality, sugar melts away leaving the bones of reality bare to all. being christian makes one no better, simply grants them an eccuse to look down on others who choose to live in the real world. As for thinking I could have been aborted... I wish I was, and god has not... nor can he change it.

Marion · 20 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Would you please keep your sectarian beliefs OUT of fandom? I do not share them and frankly, if Tolkien (who was a staunch catholic) did not see fit to put religious dogma into his stories than it is clearly not your place to do so. Besides that, if you would truly call yourself 'christian', it would be a good idea to actually READ that Bible of yours. For indeed, there is one passage in the Bible that deals specifically with the act of causing a woman to abort a pregnancy. And the penalty for causing the abortion is not what many would lead us to believe: "And if men struggle and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." Exodus 21:22-25 This is a very illuminating passage. In it we find a woman losing her child by being stuck by men who are fighting. Rather than it being a capital offense, however, it is relegated to a civil matter, with the father-to-be taking the participants to court for a settlement. But, as we read on, if the woman is killed, a "life for a life," then the men who killed her shall be killed. What has been so clearly demonstrated by the passage in Exodus - the fact that God does not consider a fetus a human person - can also be seen in a variety of other Bible verses. In Leviticus 27:6 a monetary value was placed on children, but not until they reached one month old (any younger had no value). Likewise, in Numbers 3:15 a census was commanded, but the Jews were told only to count those one month old and above - anything less, particularly a fetus, was not counted as a human person. In Ezekiel 37:8-10 we watch as God re-animates dead bones into living soldiers, but the passage makes the interesting note that they were not alive as persons until their first breath. Likewise, in Genesis 2:7, Adam had a human form and a vibrant new body but he only becomes a fully-alive human person after God makes him breathe. And in the same book, in Genesis 38:24, we read about a pregnant woman condemned to death by burning. Though the leaders of Israel knew the woman was carrying a fetus, this was not taken into consideration. If indeed the Jews, and the God who instructed them, believed the fetus to be an equal human person to the mother, then why would they let the fetus die for the mother's crimes? The truth is simple. A fetus is not a human person, and its destruction is not a murder. Period. Yeah, yeah, the Devil can quote scripture to suit it's own purpose. But if you call yourself a 'christian' it would do to read the Bible sometimes. See what happens if you open a can of religious worms? That's why I don't write the story about Frodo landing in Valinor and finding out that Eru and the Valar were just a figment of Elvish imagination...

Mum's the Word · 20 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Thank you for writing a story that expresses the courage of your convictions. This little vignette has much depth and some good ideas in addition to the given topic. I particularly like the idea of a "Foundlings House" within the Houses of Healing in Gondor. I'm especially touched that as Steward with so much else to consider, Denethor saw the need for funding such a service. This indicates that he wasn't always such a bad guy and that Faramir knows it and is continuing this compassionate part of his father's stewardship. (In our day the Foundlings House would be ceremoniously renamed the Denethor Memorial Foundlings House, but I see that Faramir simply continues the donations in his father's memory. Well done!) Thank you again, LOTRFaith! Keep writing!

Mysterious Jedi · 20 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

I love it! When we moved a few months ago, there was a bumper sticker on the inside of my new bedroom door that said "I love babies: born and unborn." It was kind of funny because it is just like something I would have chosen myself!

Beethovens7th · 20 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

I read your story and the reviews. I must say, i didn't feel beat over the head with the message of your story, nor did i feel like your message "got in the way". Correct me if i'm wrong, but your message was the point, and so, well, can't get in the way, cause it IS the way, or something like that. I only wish that every girl seeking abortion as an answer could have such a caring guide. There are so many people who cannot have their own children,(i was one of those for a time) that ever one of those aborted babies could have had loving homes. Lovely story, I truly hope it touches someone, encourages them to think twice. Beethoven's 7th - - Now proud mommy of 2 beautiful children. P.S. Just a small typo thing, Did you mean to spell Eowyn,Ewoyn?

Joyce · 20 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Very confused at the end when Eyown apparently tells Faramir his papa was home. His DEAD father Denethor was home?! I like your story but I also thik you let your "message" get in the way.

LaughingBrook · 19 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

This is a good story, and I agree with the message. God loves the unborn. He also loves the mothers of the unborn who are scared because of the situation they are in. He wants them to turn to Him for strength and help in these sorts of situations, just as it is the job of we who know Him to reach out to the hurting and the scared.

Elf messenger · 19 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Good story. I am against abortion also. It is really murder with a different name. If you want to know I am a Christian to. Keep up the good work! Elf messenger

non-christian · 19 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

your story is lovely, but not all endings are as happy as you seem to portray... You wrote… I feel very strongly about abortion and being pro-life. I am very proud to be pro-life, something that my mom instilled within me at a young age. My sister Jewel was nearly aborted and it still gives me chills that people can actually do that... Do they even know what they are doing? What they are getting 'rid' of? A child. A baby. A miracle God just created torn to bits. Literally... It breaks my heart... Well... It also breaks my heart that society forces women who do not desire a child to bear it, among the scorn of religious self-righteousness and cultural prejudices. No, it is not God’s will a child should be aborted… but neither is it god’s will for an unwanted child to be born, and tossed aside, be it a garbage can or an adoption agency, to grow up knowing in their soul, they were not wanted, for I know that pain well. Nor do I think a child raised by an unwilling teenage mother who hates and abuses it has much of a chance for success in the world, to say nothing of happiness. No, rather it be aborted, recommitted into god’s hands to be granted in his grace to a woman who in the maturity and desire for a child raise it well and loved. I am pro abortion, and I do not believe adoption is as successful as some would have you believe. The term ‘right to life’ must be re-considered, for what an unwanted child faces is not life.

Eliora · 19 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Great story! It was so sweet and I enjoyed it, I am pro-life too and feel the same way you do about abortion. Are you a Christian?

Chibi-kaz · 19 January 2005 · Chapter 1: A New Life

Lovely story, except for that beating over the head I got at the end.