I say Eru is not God. He is
a God, but not
the .
As christian, it's obvious that Tolkien's view of a god is that of the Christian/Jewish(/Muslim/Buddhist etc. as all gods are the same according to many people) and he's been influenced by that of course. Because of his attempt to create a complete mythology, he needed a creator and a story of creation. And what is more natural than get inspiration from the Creator he believed in?
But if you say that Eru is God, you say that Tolkien tried to describe God through Eru Illuvatar and as
Kuruharan wrote in his post, Tolkien wouldn't like to compare something of his own creation with something as complex and beyond expressions as God. I think Tolkien had too much respect towards God to write about him in his books.
Unconscious of it, Eru might have become an equivalent to God, or at least can be regarded as such by people. It's obvious, as we are discussing it right now. But if the question is, did Tolkien mean Eru as God, I say no.
Fordim:
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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. If you believe that Eru is not God, then those "rules" are something else.
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I think you're simplifying things a bit here. I don't believe Eru is God, but I do believe that the moral rules of M-E are Christian. Tokien, as Christian and Catholic, had certain views of what was moraly correct and what was to consider "bad". The eternal battle between Good and Evil. These opinions are reflected in his work. But most moral rules aren't specific Christian rules, but more of common sense and a worldspread moral code. Killing is bad. So is torture, betrayal, lies, greed etc. Helping others, sacrificing oneself for someone or something etc is considered good.
One thing that I find interesting in the comparing of Eru and God is what that make Valar. Angelic beings you say, but to me Manwe seem to have more power than any archangel of the Christian religion. He's more of a semi-god. M-E is his kingdom, not Eru's domain even if Manwe subordinate to Iluvatar. There's no equivalent in Tolkien's religion.
Also intersting is Melkor's role as the fallen angel, becoming the Dark Lord. In this case, there's a lot of similarities with Christianity and Satan's fall. He was one of the greatest angel's, one of those with most power and one of those closest to God, but was hungry for more power. Exactly like Melkor. They both fell and became to metaphor of Evil.
And there ends my oversized discussion. Wake up again! I vote NO
