I have been reading The Gospel According to Tolkien of late to examine theological views on The Lord of the Rings, and one thought has stuck with me. The author, Ralph Wood, looks at invisibility and its implications of evil. The character of Gollum in LOTR has clearly undergone a transformation because of the ring; a key component of which is the invisibility. Being able to avoid being seen allows a person to do things that would otherwise be unacceptable in a social environment.
I am moved to compare all this with the need for people of faith to be in community. Practicing one's faith solely in a solitary fashion, away from community/church can bring about errors in thought and practice. And in the absence of others, there is no means for correcting such errors.
As one who works with youth I am often faced with the question of why church is necessary. My answers have dealt with the positive aspects of community. The negative aspect needs to be dealt with as well. The popularity of the LOTR movies will allow me to use Gollum as a metaphor for the worst case scenario of what being disconnected from community can lead to.