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Originally Posted by Lal
And therein lies something that so many readers have simply missed. For Tolkien, as a Catholic, it would be impossible to view Gollum as simply 'evil', as he is a human being. For Tolkien, even the most 'evil' human would always retain some goodness. It's perfectly allowable to dislike the deeds that someone does, but it is not permissible to hate the person for what they do, that is going beyond the pale.
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Do you know these readers, and did they express such opinions on this thread? Or is this statement made for the heck of it? I am not aware that anyone argued here that Gollum doesn't have good in him too, so I am curious about your answer. Having some good side doesn't exclude being culpable; it actually makes the responsibility even greater.