[Raynor]

Originally Posted by davem

To declare the destruction of Numenor a 'Good' act ... requires us to show that it conforms with some objective standard of right.

I believe I have already showed that even to human eyes, the destruction of Numenor was necessary and good, even for its inhabitants. And, as I said previously, "if one is to judge the fact itself that he killed one or many persons, then I believe one is actually questioning his very right to end life at all. Then death itself would appear as a curse (be it "natural" or not, I might add); but this specifically stated to be a distortion of truth, a lie perpetrated by the Enemy".

Hence, the destruction of Numenor must be a Good act indeed, a Perfect act, which Eru freely chose to commit, otherwise Eru is not a Good, omnipotent, deity, but a victim of circumstance for whom the end justifies the means

But we do see a coherent manifestation of Eru's free will in this case; it was his own choice to guarantee free will to his creations ("operative within provided circumstances"), and therefore he "reacts" to others' actions, in accordance with the very rules he sets. The issue of omnipotence is not relevant here, since power is subject to will, and it was his will to endow Ainur and Eruhini with free will.

TH was never intended to be part of the Legendarium, & there was never any thought on Tolkien's part that it should (or could) be.

I wouldn't agree; there are differences in tone, but they are explainable

Originally Posted by Letter #131, ~ late 1951

The generally different tone and style of The Hobbit is due, in point of genesis, to it being taken by me as a matter from the great cycle susceptible of treatment as a 'fairy-story', for children.

Moreover:

Originally Posted by Letter #25, published in the Observer, 20.02.1938

My tale is not consciously based on any other book — save one, and that is unpublished: the 'Silmarillion', a history of the Elves, to which frequent allusion is made.

Originally Posted by Letter #124, 1950

...though shelved (until a year ago), the Silmarillion and all that has refused to be suppressed it has bubbled up, infiltrated, and probably spoiled everything (that even remotely approached 'Faery') which I have tried to write since. It was kept out of Farmer Giles with an effort, but stopped the continuation. Its shadow was deep on the later pans of The Hobbit.

one can't take into account what one doesn't know & one won't take into account what doesn't interest one.

True, but the mere popularity of a certain interpretation has no relevance in an informed discussion, especially when said interpretation is based on an incomplete knowledge of the intended whole work.