this thread grew reminiscent of
Evil Things thread, heh.
Well, since most of what I can do will be repeating my own comments from over there, and in that I will fall short of Maédhros since I lack access to VT resources, I will add just a bit only:
Where meant re:
1. The whole history was meant to happen as it did, for Eru is omniscient and was certainly in the know what was going to happen when He said Ea. (things might have been different, but they could not have been better - as quoted from Leaf by Niggle
2. Freedom of choice is not eliminated by omniscience of Eru and the maxim of "it all was meant to be in this way"
And why should not we lend our ears to Tolkien, even if it seems to some that he contradicted himself in his later writings, after all?