God treads lightly: Humanistic ideals in J. R. R. Tolkien's providential world

The world that John Ronald Reuel Tolkien presents to its in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings seems to be a moralistic and providential one, created by a Supreme Being that he identifies in the Silmarillion. However, it is not a Christian world and the "God" figure that Tolkien presents is not represented by a codified belief system or a "church." This thesis examines the three main texts on Middle-earth from the perspective of humanism. Despite the evidence of providence and prophecy, it is clear that Tolkien's characters are allowed to make moral choices, and to accept the consequences of those choices, without the direct intervention of a God or religion dictating behavior. Instead, the characters make these moral choices not to fulfill the will of God but for the good of society and humanity.