I'm not going to reply to all of this post, mostly because I don't know where I would begin. However, I would like to reply to this:

> This is essentially the problem of evil (why does a benevolent god allow bad things to happen?) compounded by the fact that he's not just allowing these things to happen, but actually causing them to by defining the starting states that will force them into happening.

Now, you and I both know that I have some issues with this as a result of some things that has happened to me in the past. However, I heard a story once that illustrates this a bit.

Note, however, that this is a fictional story using Biblical characters. Also note that I am paraphrasing the story and may leave things out, but I will try to recount it as closesly as possible to the original. (Also, I don't remember who wrote it.)

Anyway. One day, God came to Moses in a dream and showed him a dying Arab and a fishing boat. The dying Arab was lying in the desert, not knowing that a few yards away was a pool of water. The Arab was weak and near death. God could have helped him find the water, but He did nothing.

Moses also saw a fishing boat stranded in the middle of the sea. Suddenly, God caused it to sink. No one survived, that Moses could see.

Moses was outraged that God could let this happen, yet he knew God was trying to teach him something. So he asked God, "Why did you allow this to happen? You could have saved that Arab. You caused that fishing ship to drown. Why?"

God then allowed Moses to see things that he had not seen before. Moses saw what would have happened had the Arab been allowed to live. That day, the Arab would have accidentally killed his brother. According to the rules and customs of his village, he would have been disowned by his parents and banned from the village, if not outright killed. He would have lived the rest of his life as a beggar, cursing God.

Moses then saw the fishing boat. On the horizon, he saw another ship. Upon closer inspection, he saw that this other ship was full of pirates. If God had not caused the fishing boat to sink, they would have been captured, tortured almost to death, and then sold into slavery.

With a smile, Moses finally understood.

I know this doesn't really answer your question of free will, but I think it illustrates the point that we CAN'T see everything. I don't know why bad things happen to people, but God does.

Mia