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Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar
LMP, though we are approaching this question from a similar point of view, we come to opposite conclusions! The question Fordim asked is not whether Tolkien considers Eru and God to be the same, but whether it is my (and your) opinion. I know Tolkien set Middle-earth up to be our Earth in a previous history, but he realized that it was an alternate pre-history. If we take Eru to be identical with the creator God of our earth, then the story of creation (with Adam and Eve being the parents of all living) which is so central to his identity does not fit.
The mythology of Middle-earth is a lovely alternative, taking some variant points of view into consideration (such as making the Valar include elements of both pagan Gods and Judeo/Christian angels), but it cannot fit into Jewish and Christian theology. It is fiction and I enjoy it very much, but I do not attempt to reconcile it with my real life belief.
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My answer remains "yes" - to both aspects of the question: Tolkien meant it, and it is so. The myths are not mutually exclusive, but tell different stories about different peoples. Even if Tolkien did not mean it, it still is so. The Spirit and Truth shine through, and most of us perceive it. We may call it other things because of whatever reasons, but it still is what it is.
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Originally Posted by fordim
There's a lot hanging on this question: if you believe that Eru is God, then you are saying that the moral "rules" of M-E are Christian.
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Well, yes, since I believe that to say Christian is to say Truthian, because according to my belief, He is the Truth; all Truth originates with Him. Tolkien's Eru shines through as Him. But I still hold that it's an incomplete view, coming from a myth by "people" who knew very little. Still, what is known, rings True.