sorry about that.So let me try to syllogize this:
He wants us to be like Him, valuing and choosing the right thing: love above all else. He can certainly be non-idiotic while giving us the choice to be just-or not. If our own justice or “god-likeness” depends on our choosing it, which it certainly does even in the world of human affairs, then our own autonomy would be a requirement.
We probably have too much ability (and freedom) to wreak havoc on others (and not enough ability to prevent it). What is the point? A good constructor would only allow as much freedom as is desirable for whatever his plans would be. Take the developers of the new driverless cars. They take pains to allow a considerable freedom to their cars, to make sure that the cars work in an optimal fashion: bring the passengers to their destination as fast and as safely as possible. Presumably the cars could bring the passengers to their destination faster… but only if the safety would drop.
Destruction is not the only option. A good constructor fixes the problems, and does not destroy the whole creation. Of course, if you believe that the flood was a historical event, then God already tried the destruction, but continued with the same flawed design, instead of trying something better. Either way, God is described as an uncaring, and bumbling constructor, or a vicious one. I see no reason why to “worship” such a God.
What else is there?
If this world represents the “right thing” and “love”, then God is even worse than simply a well-meaning but totally inept creator. With “love” like that, who needs “hate”?
I didn’t say that this world represents love, only that in this world we have the choice to act justly or not-and there are generally society-ordained consequences when we don’t. This world obviously misrepresents or opposes love constantly. Our choice.
I heard a story on the radio today about a man who had an injury to his eye that caused vision loss. He could not understand why God would allow that to happen to him. He went on a mission trip to a 3rd world country and while there, another person had something fly into his eye and, because they couldn’t get immediate care for it, he gave him some medicine that he had for his injured eye. The doctors said that the medicine that was used saved the eye and the vision for that man.
Example from Genesis 2 where God gave man free will, but commanded against doing what He made possible:
Unlikely. If he really wanted us to be with him, he could have created us directly into heaven.
God’s omnipotence allows him to do everything, except logically contradictory scenarios. And there is no logical necessity to allow something that God does not want.
A typical example of entrapment. If God really did not want them to ear from that tree, the simplest solution would have been NOT to plant that tree. If parents really do not want their child to poke a wire into a live socket, then they simply cover the outlet and do not allow that child to have access to un-insulated wires. Prevention always “rulez”.
So what does God do when He wants a man to worship Him and perform good deeds of his own free will, but the man does not?
The tree can be seen as a symbol of having a will opposed to God’s. You can’t create beings with free will if their will is not free. Beings of free will may be a higher good even if it means permitting beings with will opposed to God, and it follows that they are a better image of God for having free will.
Simple. God can foresee the man’s future behavior, and has the freedom to create or not create that particular person. If he does not like what the person WOULD do if he created him, then he can simply NOT create that man.
Humans have no power to foresee the children’s future behavior. And responsible parents habitually curtail the behavior of their children, when they see something they do not like. The desirability of uncurtailed free will is just your (in plural!) obsession.
There is no reason to give unbridled free will. Read my post (#5) about the development of driverless cars. Only an idiotic constructor allows TOO MUCH free will.
If he really wanted to do that, he could have created us directly into heaven and share his beatific vision with us.