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Originally Posted by davem
But your picture is not a picture of God qua God, but a representation of your image of God, which is your invention.
I suppose a Christian would say that the Bible is not a case of men writing about God, but of God telling Men about Himself. As to whether its actually possible to write about God, according to many mystics it simply isn't (cf The Cloud of Unknowing & Dioysius the Areopagite). Even if Tolkien meant Eru=God, we are still free to question whether he was right in his portrayal, so we can question his depiction of the Deity - just as we could question whether your painting of God is a fitting depiction - I may think its completely wrong (a Muslim or Jew, for instance, would find it blasphemous, as their faith rejects all graven images). So Eru, as an idea of Tolkien's, is open to question. Would God behave like Eru? I think that would require some pretty heavy proof.
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Fine then, we shall change a few thoughts...
So Eru is not a perfect image of God. That is granted. No one knows God perfectly, so no one can make a perfect image of Him.
However, if Eru is intended to be God within the Legendarium, with all the powers and attributes of God, an assumption that seems likely, then any queries concerning Eru's workings withing the Legendarium should logically be answerable by looking at God.
If Eru+Arda = Image of God+Earth, then the actions of Eru should equally the actions of God as they would most likely occur in the same circumstances.
Of course, the image of God varies from religion to religion, from sect to sect. Tolkien was, however, a very orthodox, and well-read, Catholic. As the creator of Eru, if Eru=Image of God, then Eru ought to have all the attributes of the God of Catholicism.