Was Eru a Sadist?

[Saurreg]

Good call Formendacil.

I think any theological reasoning behind the motives of the Christian/Islamic/Jewish God can be applied to the discussion at hand seeing that the two entities are so similar.

I think the reason is because our comprehension on omnipotence is so limited that whenever we are called forth to define it, we can only refer to existing and generally approved examples or sources and reiterate. The same must have occurred to Tolkien and he created Eru and was tasked to define this being. Being a devout catholic it would have much easier for him to draw parallels between his God and his creation either intentionally or not.

Consider this:

1. Both entities were supreme creators that existed before all else and will most probably continue forever

2. Both subjected its people to trials of hardship for various reasons

3. Both operated in mysterious ways that required not the understanding of their people but absolute devotion and trust.

There would be more similarities, but the above three would be the most apparant.