Elrond, why?

[Imladris]

Going from what Nuru said (jolly good post btw) is that Elrond would have committed murder by killing Isildur. I suppose that you could take the argument and say that by not murdering Isildur he was condemning thousands of people to death and that the fate of one was worth the fate of many. But think of it this way: Nobody's lives were in immediate danger from Isildur taking the Ring. Sauron was presumed soundly beaten and I don't think that many people really realized that there was a lot of danger in keeping the Ring. I think that it was a hind site 20/20 in the Councel of Elrond, where everything fell into place. But that is just my opinion from the general tone of Gandalf and Elrond in Shadow of the Past and the Councel of Elrond chapters respectively.

Taking the Ring from Isildur by force also would have caused considerable damage from what Gandalf mentioned in FotR.

If Elrond had killed Isildur it would have been bad form, as Hook would say.

[Encaitare]

I actually have wondered this myself. It seems like a good solution, but it's not in Elrond's nature. And I'm pretty sure you're right, The Only Real Estel, about Rivendell. I do remember reading that Isildur realized he was wrong to keep the Ring, but by then it was too late and he was attacked. See what fun things we learn by reading Unfinished Tales!

[The Only Real Estel]

Elrond never struck me as one who would really agree to, 'The ends justify the means.'

Ah, very well put! That was at least a third of my points in my first few posts right there in a nutshell!

If Elrond had killed Isildur it would have been bad form, as Hook would say

And it wouldn't have been at the opportune moment, as Captain Sparrow would say .

[ninlaith]

Keep a sharp eye! All in all if Elrond had tried to stop Isildur they may have fallen into Mt. Doom itself!