[ahadams2]

Another interesting point to consider is that the author does actually telegraph who Gandalf works for in one scene: the confrontation with the Balrog. In that scene, and preserved in the movie version, as Gandalf faces off against the demon, he (Gandalf) states very clearly "I am a servant of the Secret Fire and you shall not pass". Now given that Tolkien was a conservative Roman Catholic it's rather obvious Who the Secret Fire is, at least it seems so to me.

[Pyro7480]

Yep, see my post #10.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I was always under the impression that when Gandalf stated he was a "servant of the Secret Fire", he was referring to Narya, the Ring of Fire that he carried and originally received from Cirdain the Shipwright.

I don't doubt the existance of religion in Tolkien's work, and see many parallels, but this case in particular may not be what you think it is, ahadams2.