[Eonwe]

hmmm. i don't quite get the whole "eru is a murderer" arguement. Sauron was created as a fair being, a maia, to server the Valar. He was corrupted by Morgoth, but in reality, he made the choice to forsake the Valar (and Eru's will). Then, he was pardoned by the Valar, when they had every right to throw him into the Void. (And i think this would have been in concordance with Eru's will, just as it was to have Morgoth thrown into the Void.) But he scorned the Valar's free pardon and sank back into his old rebellion. I think any of these things are worthy of the wrath and doom of eru.

And i don't think that Eru can be guilty of "subjecting the poor soul of Gollum to hundreds of years of pain and suffering". Gollum could do anything he wanted. He could have thrown it away, or he could have not murdered Deagol (which is why, according to Gandalf, the ring had such a malicious effect on him, as oppsed to Bilbo's more benine effects), he could have passed it on, or any number of things. The fact is, he wanted to keep the ring, and this caused him to forsake all the things he loved (family, sunlight, trees, fields, etc.) and hide under teh mountains, where he was transformed into what we know of as gollum.

Now, obviously the ring was a huge tempteation, but it was not unconquorable. Gandalf had nothing to do with it, even when it was freely offered him. Same for Galadriel. So i think that the blame for gollum falls squarely on his shoulders. Especially when he could have stayed nicely in Mirkwood eating elvin food and sleeping in elvin comfort. Like sauron, he decided to return to rebellion and misdeeds.

I don't think you can hold Eru responsible for the choices gollum made. I think the slipping into the Cracks of Doom were the direct results of passed actions on Gollom's part. (if he had only left deagol alone, if he had only stayed in mirkwood, etc.)