Where did people get the idea that Tolkien's Middle Earth isn't full of religion?
The universe is created by Eru Ilúvatar, who is equivalent to the head god (or the only one, depending on which way you view it all). Eru creates the spirits, called the Ainur, which can be equated either with minor gods or angels. Of the Ainur, there's the Valar, who basically represent elements (the king of the Valar is Manwe, who is lord of the air, and his wife is Varda, queen of the stars), and there's the Maiar, who are essentially their servants.
Morgoth, the main "bad guy" of the entire series, is the evil Vala... think Lucifer. Gandalf is actually a Maiar.
A lot of it isn't specifically revealed in the Lord of the Rings trilogy itself, but it's definitely part of the backstory.
