The Lord of the Bible?

[Macalaure]

Originally Posted by The Suacepan Man

To pick up on this point, isn't there a line of thought that Judas was a vital and necessary part of God's plan - that it was his betrayal which enabled Jesus to fulfil his mission on earth? Similarly, it might be said that Gollum's betrayal was a necessary ingredient in the fulfillment of Frodo's mission and that it was, in effect willed by Eru. Certainly it is held by many (the author included, I believe) that Eru had a "hand" in Gollum's "accidental" over-balancing at the Crack of Doom.

Yes, I see your point. Gollum and Judas were different kinds of betrayers, yet their betrayals achieved a similar end.
I take it that you don't like the idea of Eru giving Gollum a nudge. Me neither. Frodo's and Sam's pity with Gollum (very late though, in Sam's case) to me is one of the most important ingredients and messages of the book. Eru's nudge doesn't mix very good with this...

edit: Then, of course, we don't know what Eru did with him after his death. And dying with the Ring in his hands maybe wasn't the worst thing to Gollum. And didn't Eru sweep away a whole island, some time back?
Ah, well...