Why was Boromir allowed to join the Fellowship?

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

3. Why was Boromir permitted to join the Fellowship in the first place?

The simplest reason is the Fellowship was in dire need of strength. Time and time again, we see they are in need of Boromir's strength, and he was right in saying after leaving Lorien they would need his strength to get to the Tindrock.

While Boromir does reveal the idea of using the Ring as a weapon at the Council, I agree with those who said Elrond and Gandalf probably chalked it up to ignorance.

I agree with this argument the most. I think we should be cautious about attributing too much of a political angle to the decision to include Boromir in the Fellowship. He was an experienced soldier of great strength and hardihood who was going in the same direction as them anyway, yet would not attract attention the way a mighty Elf-Lord like Glorfindel would. He had also received the prophetic dream telling him to seek Rivendell, and I get the impression that in their dire state Elrond and Gandalf were willing to seek guidance from "fate" wherever possible. That being said, it seems that Faramir was "meant" to go, given that he experienced the dream first and on more than one occasion.