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Originally Posted by Lal
Firstly, you have to consider what Melkor does. Is it evil?
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It depends on whether Eru is.
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Originally Posted by Lal
Melkor has all the powers of all his kindred, but instead of joining with them he seeks to follow his own path.
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This is the epitome of evil, for his own path is against the will of Eru.
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Originally Posted by Lal
There is nothing to say that Eru did not decide that 'evil' things like cold or despair or sadness were to be part of the theme; look at the words when he creates the vision of the Children:
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Precisely the point. Eru planned ice and snow, and Melkor could have achieved them within the will of Eru; but he achieved them according to his own will instead, which achievement can nevertheless be used as a tool in Eru's hands to become what Eru intended in the first place.
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Originally Posted by Lal
It seems that Eru knew there needed to be Darkness in order for the Light to be all that more wonderful.
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Well, try to imagine Light without its opposite. Everything good thing automatically has its opposite, both in the Legendarium, and in real life. It's just the nature of reality. The good is made, and its opposite is as a rule always possible. There is no other way. It is not a necessary corollary that Eru must be the opposite as well as the original of what he has created; rather, he has created the good, and its opposite is necessarily possible for those who choose other than Eru's will. And Eru uses that opposite to achieve his will anyway.
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Originally Posted by Lal
As to the why, I think it is Melkor's independence that rankles Eru.
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Tolkien's word for it is
'rebellion'.
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Originally Posted by Lal
his ongoing 'sin' then is to forget this lesson
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Or perhaps it is to perversely continue in what cannot be forgotten because to repent is an unacceptable alternative.
Eru's compassion may be called a trick if you like, but it seems rather that Aulë is blinded by his remorse and determination to obey, and therefore does not see or recognize what Eru has already done, which reads more like an amazing grace than a trickster's prank. And here's as good an example as can be found of Eru revealed by Tolkien as good and not evil.