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blantyr · 12-17-2011, 01:48 PM

With Enu and the Valar, the question would be how much one can get away with before they will act. The answer is quite a lot. I mean, sending an army to step foot in the blessed lands would be a no no, but short of that they’ll mostly leave you alone.

For Sauron in the late Third Age, he’d have to find his Ring or someone else would. If one thinks like a dark lord, there’s no option there. As is, the Valar intervention was relatively subtle up until the siege of Minas Tirith was broken. Aragorn called the shadow people forth. Was that the Ring? The Valar? If Sauron heard about that affair, would he know of the ancient prophecy, or would he be asking where the heck that came from? The next morning, the smoke from Mt. Doom was blown back in Sauron’s face. Was that Aragorn and the Ring? Was that the Valar? Did Sauron know, or was he as full of doubt and confusion as Gandalf seemed to think?

How does a Dark Lord think?

The other example was Saruman. His was a relatively trivial little darkness, one that wouldn’t gather the attention of the Valar, let alone Eru. It did draw the attention of Treebeard. Again, Saruman thought he knew Fanghorn, knew its strength, and knew it would not respond to provocation. Good guys are wimps. They’ll let you walk all over them. They never fight back, can't fight back. Well, hardly ever. Saruman thought to make war on Rohan, and thought Fanghorn negligible.

At a bottom line, basic theology, you have the old problem of the omnipotent, all knowing and benevolent God. How does such a being allow Evil to exist? Benevolence implies free choice, allowing sentients to do their own world building. This free choice cannot be taken away, yet such a God can’t just sit back and allow people like Melkor, Saruman and Sauron to take over reality. Such a God gives mortals choices, but makes just enough help available, should the heroes make the right choices, to doom a poor helpless dark lord should he over step certain boundaries.

No warning at all! Unfair! Doesn’t a dark lord deserve a few warnings? Omnipotent, all knowing, supposedly benevolent beings can be such a pain! Does anyone know just how embarrassing it is to be reduced to a shadow of malice that may never take shape and take over the world ever again?

Grumph!

12-17-2011, 01:48 PM	#5
blantyr Wight Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Settling down in Bree for the winter. Posts: 208	Unfair! With Enu and the Valar, the question would be how much one can get away with before they will act. The answer is quite a lot. I mean, sending an army to step foot in the blessed lands would be a no no, but short of that they’ll mostly leave you alone. For Sauron in the late Third Age, he’d have to find his Ring or someone else would. If one thinks like a dark lord, there’s no option there. As is, the Valar intervention was relatively subtle up until the siege of Minas Tirith was broken. Aragorn called the shadow people forth. Was that the Ring? The Valar? If Sauron heard about that affair, would he know of the ancient prophecy, or would he be asking where the heck that came from? The next morning, the smoke from Mt. Doom was blown back in Sauron’s face. Was that Aragorn and the Ring? Was that the Valar? Did Sauron know, or was he as full of doubt and confusion as Gandalf seemed to think? How does a Dark Lord think? The other example was Saruman. His was a relatively trivial little darkness, one that wouldn’t gather the attention of the Valar, let alone Eru. It did draw the attention of Treebeard. Again, Saruman thought he knew Fanghorn, knew its strength, and knew it would not respond to provocation. Good guys are wimps. They’ll let you walk all over them. They never fight back, can't fight back. Well, hardly ever. Saruman thought to make war on Rohan, and thought Fanghorn negligible. At a bottom line, basic theology, you have the old problem of the omnipotent, all knowing and benevolent God. How does such a being allow Evil to exist? Benevolence implies free choice, allowing sentients to do their own world building. This free choice cannot be taken away, yet such a God can’t just sit back and allow people like Melkor, Saruman and Sauron to take over reality. Such a God gives mortals choices, but makes just enough help available, should the heroes make the right choices, to doom a poor helpless dark lord should he over step certain boundaries. No warning at all! Unfair! Doesn’t a dark lord deserve a few warnings? Omnipotent, all knowing, supposedly benevolent beings can be such a pain! Does anyone know just how embarrassing it is to be reduced to a shadow of malice that may never take shape and take over the world ever again? Grumph!