Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-26535281-20150703012624/@comment-27723099-20150705164937

Melkor is a god. Eru was above the gods and the Valar are what men would understand as gods.

""Who was Inlúvatar?" asked Eriol. "Was he a god?" "No", said Rúmil, "he was none of the gods, beause he created them""

- Book of Lost Tales 1, The Music of the Ainur

But gods are an invention of the humans and the elves don't know gods (afaik, there is no elvish word for "god" other than "Eru" or "Vala"); they only know the Valar who are like gods, and Eru, who was even above them. Humans always like to have something above them, a god, to explain everything that they can't control. The evil men praised Melkor as their god.