Philosophical standpoints are derived from evidence. This evidence can be the nature of the human psyche or the original writings of the opponent (i.e. the Bible, Koran, etc.). For instance, the Ubermensch (Beyond Man, overman, superman) was proposed by Nietzsche as the goal of humanity. His contention was that the people who turn away from the Earth and seek other-wordliness (heaven, hell, afterlife) are caused to do so because of a dissatisfaction with life (which was an idea put on them by the institutions who give them an escape) and this other world or life is created by the dissatisfaction where all the people who made this person unhappy or dissatisfied are punished. Nietzsche didn't pull this out of his ass. He studied the human psyche, the natural need for an escape from reality because most weren't/aren't able to face the cold, hard world that actually exists in front of are eyes.
Free Will and foreknoweldge aren't the only contradictions of God. If God is all powerful could he create a boulder that he couldn't lift? And there are answers to the arguments proposed by Christians or other religious people, like the question "Why is there something rather than nothing?"
It's true that knowing someone is going to do something and making them do it are two different things.... in a human perspective. However, we're talking about a deity, an all knowing deity. If you KNOW what is going to happen as a god, then it is going to happen. We aren't talking about action, we are talking about knowledge. If I have choice A or B and God knows I will choose A, then where is the choice in that? I didn't have the choice to choose B simply because he KNEW that I would choose A. In my simple, human, Christian mind I believe that I chose A because I had the choice to, when in all reality, I was going to choose A ANYWAYS.
N.Drew, you are using the power of knowing all whenever it helps your cause. He would have known someone would change his mind, he would have known time would be redirected, he would have already DONE it. So if God knew every plea, beg, etc. to change something, and he was going to do it, he would have already done it (because he's perfectly good right?). So the life we have now, God would have planned for us at the beginning, he would have seen our troubles and fixed them (because he's all powerful, and all good, and all knowing right?) however you've just created an argument against yourself. If God is all knowing, he would have known our troubles, if God was perfectly good he would want to help our troubles, and if he was all powerful he would have changed our troubles, however, we still have troubles, people still starve. You can't have one and not the other. You can't choose a certain power that works at one time, and not at the other. Those three traits for God can NOT co exist if he is applied to our world now. It's a contradiction upon itself.
Let's say we do have free will for this example. Let's say tomorrow, I will have a choice to cross a street (A) or walk 50 yards up ahead to the stop light and the safe cross walk(B). God is all knowing, so he already knows my decision and consequence. He knows that if I choose A and cross the street, a car will hit me and I will die, and he knows that I will live if I choose B. He knows the effect of the cause. But he also knows that I will choose B. Now, if I randomly choose A, and die, he was WRONG. An all knowing being can NOT be WRONG. Being incorrect is the anti thesis of being all knowing. In other words, if I DID have the choice, God could not know all, and for centuries human beings have been worshipping a God with false ideas about his being. But if God was all knowing he would have KNOWN that I would choose A. I do not have the choice, or the chance to choose B, because he knew I was going to choose A, and I did, because he can't be wrong.
