I noticed that Nicole Kidman and Meg Ryan looked remarkably the same after their facelifts, and wondered if it was the same surgeon.

I also noticed that Meg Ryan dropped almost out of sight after that.

Thank you for the article. God really does make us the way we are for many reasons, and there is a fine line in respecting the "temple" that are bodies are, and trying to "improve" on what He has given us.

What a wonderful analogy, made more powerful because it came from a real life experience! Thank you!

St. Pio is one of the most extraordinary saints of our time. Thank you for the read.

I don't know. We all bring something of ourselves to whatever we choose to create. Our experiences certainly play a huge part in the creative process. We write what we know. We write what we believe.

If we fail to do that, we are inauthentic to ourselves and our audience.

I don't believe that Tolkien was at all inauthentic. There are few writers who know the genre as he did; still fewer who could create not just a mythical/fantastical world but one complete with its own language.

At the end of the day, does it really make any difference if he avowed or disavowed being a Catholic or a Christian?

In any event, what Tolkien created has engaged, enthralled, and given enjoyment to countless people and multiple generations of readers.

Thanks for the read.