“The idea that being, beauty, and morality were merely productive illusions imposed on us through biological hardwiring crafted through the random process of natural selection rang hollow. “
Great article.
Tolkien was an amazing writer, and was instrumental in C.S. Lewis becoming a believer. Although I know that reportedly Tolkien said that the LoTR was not an allegory, he and his work definitely point toward God.
The Screwtape Letters by CSL are dedicated to JRRT.
Tolkien clarified the point you make by saying that, of course, his belief in God and Christ would inform his writing, even though he did not attempt to control the reader’s perception through deliberate allegory.
His essay, Tree and Leaf, clarifies his views on fantasy, and what he coined, “eucatastrophe”.