[Raynor]

Look, we're arguing as though Eru destroyed Numenor because of something done against his will, but that's wrong. Eru detsroyed Numenor because the Valar asked him to, not even that, that Valar pleaded with Eru just to do something.

But the second requires the first; I doubt Eru would proceed to any action, esspecially one of destruction, if there weren't good reasons, no matter the status of those who make the supplication.

He did not do it as those remaining on Numenor were 'evil' themselves - indeed Miriel is perfectly innocent.

COndoning acts of evil does not amount to innocence. And Sauron didn't just tell lies, he used his demonic power to corrupt the very beings.

And I seriously doubt that Tolkien, devoted family man would ever write about children being evil or wicked.

Though childrens in Gondor do play as orcs in The New Shadow.

The event is not 'just' nor is it 'justified' apart from it is something that the god of this world does.

Rooting out evil is just and justified. This was not a random act; it ended thraldom to evil to both oppressors and oppressed.

he is in fact punishing the Valar who were foolish/proud enough to set up Numenor in the first place.

How?

Nor was the event meant to echo the Noah myth in any way, it was meant to be Atlantean. The only part which echoes the Noah story is the escape of Elendil and the Faithful, which Tolkien calls "a kind of Noachian situation".

Atlantis and the deluge are not mutually exclusive, esspecially given your quote from his letter #156; quite the contrary case can be made rather powerfully. And Tolkien calls Elendil a Noachian figure in Letter #131.

So while we're all scratching away at some kind of Biblical analogy, meaning or comprehension to all of this we are looking in precisely the wrong place.

This biblical analogy was reffered to by Tolkien specifically; plus what I said above. Also, the deluge is something imprinted in the subsconscious of all humanity, although you are probably right it is more at the surface in certain areas.

Tolkien's work is not a 'mythology'. A mythology is the work of a people over millenia. Whatever Tolkien produced it is not technically a 'mythology'.

Well, I didn't say mythology, but myths; aslo, if we are to understand mythology as a body of myths, then he did produce it. Further I don't think your qualifier "produced over millenia" is necessary, but that is beside the point anyway.

amuse them, delight them, and at times maybeexcite them or deeply move them.

Delightment, excitement and moving signifies, to me, much more than entertainment (a word he didn't use) but (the making, road to) eucatastrophe.

Which assumes that Tolkien was writing something about God in a fictional setting, of course. And even if he was the reader is not required to accept, let alone agree with, what the author says. And if the author gives us a work of fiction rather than a work of theology, one must assume he wanted it to be read as a story, not a work of theology.

Ok; what was Tolkien writing about when he made more or less specific, direct, refferences to Eru? And, if he was talking about a transcendent reality, I ask again how could that be different that what he conceived of God? How can two transcedent realities differ? Also, to presume that one's spirituality can't be reflected in a book, and increase its value, and be perceived as such, is, well, presumptuous.

So killing a million 'bad' people is OK?

We are not talking about everyday 'bad' people. I am not going to repeat in each and every post their sins and horrible deeds. By their corruption, they were brought to a human's lowest possible level. And if one does in the sanctity of one's house doesn't concern others, it was not the case with them. They were spreading their corruption towards all of Middle Earth, esspecially in the west; and considering Sauron's powerful grip on the east, this would just have brought all humankind to its knees, probably forever. It also became a threat to his other kindred, the elves, even in Aman; they had to retreat from their ages old homes, to the protection of the valar, but even Valinor was endangered with destruction. You cannot ignore a problem of this level. And I believe that Eru did what was the closest to their redemption, by ending their thraldom to evil. They ignored everything else. But they could not be ignored anymore.

And yet Eru spared Sauron

Because he stated in the letters that not even the crreator can destroy a fea.

the Orcs & other servants of Sauron btw - whose attrocities far exceeded those of the Numenoreans

I am curious, what more evil deeds did all of these do that "far exceeded" the numenorean actions?

I don't see where 'Hell' comes into M-e - where it is never mentioned as a metaphysical reality.

But it is very real to those who experienced Utumno or Angband, and probably Mordor too, later, as evil is manifest in this world.

The idea that the whole of the faithful of Numenor could gather together in one place (& fit themselves into 9 ships) without being noticed is hardly credible.

It would fit however with the legend of Lot and his family escaping from their town before they were destroyed; and it was made specifically clear that the valar intervened to get them safe to shore. I would also like to know if you have any evidence that there were more faithtfulls than those who made it to the ships.