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It has always been a mystery to me as to why Eru didn't intervene to stop Melkor and Ungoliant from destroying the Two Trees.

I don't think it is plausible to say that he was not aware of what they were doing while they were doing it, that is to say that he could not see through the cloud of darkness that had been put up around the Two Trees while they were being destroyed. Moreover, as soon as he saw them approach the first tree he should have hit them both with huge bolts of lightning or some kind of power.

So, why didn't Eru stop Melkor and Ungoliant from destroying the Two Trees?

Was this ever discussed with Tolkien and did he offer an explanation for this?

Spencer
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    I don't think you really understand the history of Middle-earth or the story of creation if you think Eru would ever carry out something like that. The same could be said of why he didn't stop the First or Second Kinslaying, why he didn't capture Melkor himself etc... – Edlothiad Apr 04 '20 at 15:30
  • I have voted to close this question as a dupe because this is a meta question. And the question is very similar in vain to the linked duplicate. The answer for the most part would be identical to any answer to this question as this question is about why Eru didn't interrupt. – Edlothiad Apr 04 '20 at 15:35
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    @user255577 Tolkien's attitude was that Eru was another name for Yahweh/Jehovah, the God of Jews, Christians,and Muslims. Since Yahweh/Jehovah is allegedly all knowing, all powerful, and all good, many people wonder how He can permit any evil and evil events to exist and happen, and theologians come up with various explanations that apparent evils are for the greater good according to the superior wisdom of God that mere mortals can't understand. An alternate explanation - that Tolkien would have hated - is that in Middle Earth, Tolkien is Eru. Continued – M. A. Golding Apr 04 '20 at 15:43
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    @user255577 Continued. Since Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings and the Sillmarillion, he can be considered to be the creator god of that fictional universe and thus to be Eru. Tolkien was a storyteller and a writer, and writers tell interesting stories where things often go very bad for characters, which is totally different from the stories that a kind creator God would make happen, nice stories like "Once upon a time, the Universe was created,and everyone lived happily ever after". Continued. – M. A. Golding Apr 04 '20 at 15:52
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    @user255577 Continued. So Eru, or Tolkien in the form of Eru, might be considered to be a good writer and storyteller who creates interesting stories for his readers, but not a good creator god in the sense of being good to his creations. And the same could be said for all writers who are the creator gods of their fictional universes; they cause many bad (fictional) things to happen to good (fictional) people. – M. A. Golding Apr 04 '20 at 16:02
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    +1 @M.A.Golding But respectful to note that "Allah", not "Yaweh" or "Jehova" is the name of god in Islam, although Islam is one of the abrahamic religions. – Lexible Apr 04 '20 at 16:31
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    The Music is the Music. It doesn't matter if you don't like it. – Spencer Apr 04 '20 at 16:40
  • @M.A.Golding, I see the logic in what you have pointed out. I think it's safe to say then that Tolkien wanted the Two Trees to be destroyed in order to show what a terrible person Melkor truly was and to show the terrible things that Evil will do. –  Apr 04 '20 at 17:05
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    @Lexible Allah isn't a separate god, it's just one of the Arabic words for Eloh(im), the god of the Old Testament. But, if we are to respect Tolkien, we can say with some certainty that he "Allah" wouldn't be one of the words he'd call God. – Misha R Apr 04 '20 at 17:20
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    @MishaR We respect Muslims by referring to their god with the name "Allah". – Lexible Apr 04 '20 at 19:48
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    @Lexible Again - it isn't the Muslim God, it's the Arabic language. I find it a lot more disrespectful to confuse those two concepts. – Misha R Apr 04 '20 at 20:18
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    Most obvious answer to motives regarding Morgoth is quoting what Eru said to Morgoth during the Music. 'Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all of the Ainur, that I am Iluvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.' – suchiuomizu Apr 04 '20 at 20:47
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    I've reopened and re-closed this question since there was a bug (now fixed) with duplicate closure notices. – Rand al'Thor Apr 05 '20 at 21:40

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