Let's then assume in this instance that Eru is an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient creator, fashioned after Christian monotheism. Surely his design for all his creation is pre-ordained, fated and marked-out for every individual and natural occurence?
We have Earthquakes, volcano eruptions, disasters, floods to name but a few, also all carefully mapped out in Eru's great plan for the world.
If all this is known in advance, surely Melkors actions were also woven into this great tapestry, possibly a vessel for Eru to test the faith, strength and resolve of his own Children. I must state clearly that I do not believe the Ainur to be Children of Iluvatar, but they ARE Iluvatar. One might consider the 'Holy Trinity' and amplify. Therefore, Melkor also being part of Iluvatar himself, was in essence an aspect of Eru's own persona.
If you consider the SIN factor; Sin stems Satan, who stems from God, therefore Sin stems from God? Is it impossible to think that because we have 'free will', the origin of our desire to commit sin ultimately comes from the one who is testing us? In other words, we were presented with sin as a means of finding our way back to our God? So, who therefore does Sin originate from, surely not Satan, for he would prefer us not to have a choice at all. Surely God has pre-ordained sin on our behalf, in order for us to decide whether we should ultimately choose him over our own desires?
So what role does Satan play? His is to sow discord, to tempt, entice and entrap. Yet, ultimately all his actions, devilry and devision stems ultimately from the One.
Free Will we all have, yet some are simply set-up for the benefit of others. Was Judas a patsy so Jesus could ultimately be betrayed and sacrifice himself on a cross? What if, when faced with the choice, he said no! Of course not, it had been written centuries before, because he had a role to play in opening the gates of heaven through Jesus. Where is he now?
In the same way, Melkor has played the role. He is of the mind of Eru, therefore he is the mind of Eru. The two cannot be detatched simply because it seems unpalitable that a loving creator would sacrifice so many for the righteous few and Melkor was his instrument, his alter-ego if you like, for sowing the seeds.
Hey, these are just my ramblings, offered to the good members of the forum for debate and criticism.
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