The sinking of Numenor - a lesson to whom?

[Anárion Cúthalion]

Originally Posted by Galorme

"The fear of God". Now that sounds just plain evil. The idea that there is a higher power who will punish you if you do wrong is just sick. Don’t you love Christianity?

In case you haven't guessed I am letting some of my Atheist beliefs infuence me here a tad.

I'll grant you, his/her tone was a little off-putting, but, genuine 'fear' of God is more akin to very, very strong reverence. Humility, if you will. I think it was mostly the fault of the Numenorean Fleet and their King which sealed the fate of the whole nation on the home island; their hubris, their pride and vanity all conspired to bring them to a place where Sauron could bend them to his will. Or at least to where he could plant the seed of boldness that drove them to pursue what they were already thinking. The people on Numenor are fine now, where ever Eru wants them to be. The Fleet, on the other hand, is in a form of living (well, sleeping) hell until the proverbial sounding of the trumpet.