Frodo question re:
And both Noldor and Turin brought woe upon others besides themselves.
Besides, only when Noldor reach the state of humiliation and self-denial Frodo was evincing, they are granted 'salvation' i.e. passage to the West. And Frodo is too granted the healing there a reward not often distributed among mortals. Would it so happen that Noldor (in the person of Earendil) haven't prayed for mercy, of what avail would have been all their valour and bravery?
We have abovementioned 'Hitler's slayer's' situation here. Yes, much against Morgoth have been done, but it does not realese the doer from the charges they are accused of unless they repent = i.e. pride is replaced with self-denial
Perception re: All things are possible, and either of us may be right, but I will rather hold on to textual evidence as voiced by Finrod (up: Forever beautiful and new). It somehow, even contains both views. (though I personally would have acquired a headache if every day new kind of tree was found in my backyard
, with new colour of walls and fridge in different place all the time. But that's kidding, there is no need of answering this in your next)
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But does Eru, from his eternal perspective, make that distinction? Would not the 'Love & Good of the Children' be the same as the manifestation of the 'perfect' eternal state? One could not be without the other. Maybe Eru's prime desire is to bring about 'perfection' & the love & good of the Children is a part of that. Would Eru see them as separate things?
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Maybe. We do not know (inscrutability principle). But if we hold on to
tradition, than Love and Good of the Children is prime issue, perfection as a mere result of perfection of Eru Himself, who, being perfect, by definition acts perfectly. (was it tautology, by the way? four 'perfect'-s in one sentence
)
Good dragon/rings of power/flirt with Sauron re:
Is is not self contradictory: they can not distinguish good/bad jet planes, but are very well with good/bad rings? Ring's concept is similar to that of jet-fighter both are meant for the domination of the world in respective way. And in case of rings elves are quite good at distinction they bring the concept of domination (coming from pride, i.e. evil in the end) to the comparatively good usage, i.e. doing exactly what is attributed to men only in your concept. To parallel it with jet-figthers: jet=ring=device designed to focus power, plane type=power application form. So, the extracted concept of power focusing device (jet engine=ring) is created in both cases, power application form is different (fighter=ring of power=total domination of all, cargo plane=elven rings=preservation).
Now the jet in itself is not bad or good for the handler untill the handler defines, learns what is in his hands (my exapmle above about jet engine per se). I probably failed to communicate that, but I had a vision of a jet engine as something placed somewhere with no previous connection to its future handler and than found by someone, for whom, the finder, the thing is not good nor bad until studied.
But for the designer, the concept already in his head defines the goodness/badness of the object produced. So, device to focus power for domination is thus defined as bad.
Flirt with Sauron (good point, btw) you mentioned comes in. It does imply that Elven Rings were bad thing to be done from the very beginning. [
edit for the sake of better understanding -
that is indeed] Not the right thing to do. Yet Elves have been achieving things that are defined as good with their Rings (i.e. beauty of Lorien, etc). So, where is the alleged impotency of elves to pick up the bad theme and act good upon it?
Nevertheless, in case of the rings, giving them up by the end of Third Age is good action they have to humiliate themselves, deny the last remnants of their pride which led them in the beginning, be relieved and thus be themselves more so. That much good is lost along the way, is grieving, but that is the way with good based on evil for they were doing exactly what, as you state, man can do only building their good upon bad foundation. (with Galadriel's "I will diminish, remain Galadriel and go to the West" applying not to the Great Ring only but to her own ring too) It parallels with Noldor seeking pardon in the person of Earendil, with Frodo's "I have to go without, for all else should preserve it" etc
Probably, one day mankind would be forced to reject jet-engines likewise for the sake of constantly polluted environment, or whatever. For bringing good results out of bad things is Eru's faculty - all else must submit, remake, go back and start over.