[Voronwen Amatiriel Cuile]

"Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear...it is a man's part to discern them."
there is a lesson in that- the concepts of right and wrong do not change over the years. i think, Jessica, that the answer to your question depends not only on one's principles and beliefs but more on what you are willing to sacrifice for them. in such situations as you mentioned, we need to ask ourselves, are we willing to die for mercy and grace. are we willing to sacrifice our friends, family, and possibly many others for them. (eek- my question mark key is stuck!) i believe that we would react out of instinct in those spots, sure, but i also think that insticts come from the depths of our hearts. for example- a parent would most likely kill or hurt rather than let whatever force that they are entangled with harm their children. many beliefs (including mine) would tell us that that would not be the right thing to do, but nevertheless humans are imperfect and would often times rather obey their inner emotions than what they know to be right.
anyway, just some thoughts. they'll probably just get lost in the clutter, and i'm sorry if anyone else had these ideas before- i only sorta skimmed most of the responses toward the end.