Creation According to Tolkien

No one knows how the world was created. Sure, we have the Big Bang idea, that all mass exploded from a singularity and eventually formed stars and planets and life. There is also the idea that God made everything in six days, as well as other theories. But no one really knows how, since none of us were there. Did God shape things with His giant hands? Or assemble them with His thoughts? Did He have angels arrange matter into recognizable things? Or did He imbue creation with the ability to mold itself according to a predesigned plan?

Or, maybe He just sang.
God and the angels singing, creating all that is. Hey, why not? I like this idea. But it's not my own. I got it from J.R.R. Tolkien, in his posthumous book The Silmarillion.

I love this old cover. Tolkien drew it himself. The very first chapter details the creation of Ea, the world that is (cosmos). Iluvatar, the God figure, assembles his Ainur (angels) to sing and make music with him. This music would come from the depths of their being, each being allowed to contribute to the creation. Iluvatar was like the conductor and lead singer.

So, music they made. It filled the Void and set forth a vision Iluvatar would give life to. But one of the Ainur, Melkor (Satan), had his own ideas. he had been alone too much, staring into the Void, dreaming up his own story apart from the will of Iluvatar. When it was time for him to contribute, his music was brash and repetitive, interrupting the beautiful music the other Ainur were making.

However, Iluvatar began weaving Melkor's music into his own. Melkor got louder, like bad metalcore, until Iluvatar "stood up" and put an end to the music.

Melkor may have rebelled, but Iluvatar made use of that anyway. The creation would have weakness built into it, but would still fulfill the purpose Iluvatar had for it.

One of the Ainur creating the universe

Melkor perverted the music and lost his position. And yet, he still had a place in creation, just not the one he wanted.

Iluvatar was not surprised. Perfection would come later, when Melkor's song was played to its last note, and evil was finished.

To me, this is a satisfying explanation of how things began, and why bad things happen, and how God uses it all to His glory. The Silmarillion may be a fictional work, but the heart of it wasn't.
Perhaps Mr. Tolkien knew things the rest of us don't. After all, God said He spoke everything into existence. Spoke or sang, or even programmed, it all came from Him.
To God be the glory!