[Application]
The Professor was very careful to exclude outright appearances of any religious practice in his writing. It was never his desire to intentionally drive readers in any direction regarding faith or denomination. Hence, in the Second Age of Middle-earth there are scant references to religious practice among the Númenóreans.
We read, of course, of the three pilgrim observances on the Meneltarma – Erukyermë, Erulaitalë, and Eruhantalë – but we are given next-to-no detail about the rituals or prayers offered there, and so, it would be unfair to extrapolate more than Tolkien provides.
Nonetheless, we do see strong evidence of religion, not in what we might term positive religious expression, but in its antithesis. The worship of Ilúvatar on the holy mountain ends, the pilgrimages, rituals, and prayers to Eru cease, a temple with fifty-foot thick walls is erected in Armenelos – the capital city – an anathema to the Faithful.
Tolkien wrote, “[Númenoreans] did not conceive of the sky as a divine residence – in the centre of Númenor; but it had no building and no temple, as all such things had evil associations.”*
But Sauron built a temple, and inside was a black throne, an altar, and on that altar, sacrifices, starting with the White Tree, Nimloth, an offshoot of the Great Tree of Valinor, Telperion.
Why might the Faithful be offended by sacrifices? We are told that they – the Elendili, the Faithful – were the ones being sacrificed. It was their blood spilled on the dead stone, in reverence to Melkor. It becomes easy to see why that might offend.
“For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.”—Mark 13:22 (WEB)
While we may not see many references to the religious observances to Ilúvatar, we do find explicit and direct references to its antithesis, and the cataclysm which follows. Keep our eyes open for solid, biblical teaching is sound, but having a wary eye for the false is equally important.
* The Letters of JRR Tolkien, p. 231, brackets mine
