[Gurthang]

Originally posted by VanimaEdhel

Many people believe that God will aid a person in his/her struggles, but that the person in question has to complete the action. God does not force fate into a rigid little straight line[emphasis mine], but can only guide the beings creating history - try to make them see what is the right path and the wrong path.

I must say that I strongly disagree. In real life and in Tolkien's realm.

From the Silmarillion

Then Iluvatar spoke, and he said : '...And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me[emphasis mine], nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.'

AND

Iluvatar said again : 'Behold your Music! This is your minstrelsy; and each of you shall find contained herein, amid the design that I set before you, all those things which it may seem that he himself devised or added.'

Iluvatar specifically says that he made the Music and that everything will follow the music, even if someone was trying to not follow it. It may seem that a person did something on his own, but Eru states that it is still part of his design. Even before Elves and Men existed, even before Middle-Earth existed, Eru had everything planned.

My point is this: Iluvatar, being omniscient, made the plan in the beginning. Every being will follow that plan. Call it fate, call it divine intervention, whatever you want; it's going to happen. Each choice we make is a part of that plan, whether we want it to be or not. Even if we choose to do what we wouldn't do, it is still what was planned.