I guess I just found from an early age that the carrot-and-whip approach of Christianity wasn't something I could follow.
...
What I don't undestand is this: God is omnipotent. He created all that is. Yet there is this elaborate opera in the battle between good and evil which is unneeded, unless to satisfy His own vanity. I suppose a believer would argue perhaps that God moves in mysterious ways His wonders to perform, and we cannot fathom God's will. To me, if it is all true, then it is a terrible game played with pawns to satisfy some unknown agenda. If He can do whatever He wants, why not just make everyone good and stick them all in heaven? That would seem a lot simpler. Otherwise, what He does is cruel, not loving. It is satisfying some whim or doing some kind of experiment. And if He has the power to do anything, then the experiment is unnecessary. He should know the outcome before it happens, which, according to the prophets and books such as Revelation, He already does. So why bother putting humanity through the heartache and pain? He knows what will happen.

I will definitely believe in Him, but it doesn't mean I have to like what He's selling. So just because this fellow comes down to convince me that He really does exist, it still doesn't mean that I would want to sit at His table.

I am simply saying God knows the future like history and His knowing so does not make it fixed or single-threaded.

Yes, things will play out accordingly. There is no chance it will unfold differently.

But none of this matters so far as our ability and freedom to choose as we please.

The idea that we're not truly free because we are not free to make choices that would result in different outcomes misses the point,

which is God knowing the future like history has zero effect on the nature and essence of time and space.

It has the same effect as if God did not exist or knew nothing at all. I realize you think this is impossible. You believe the future consists of all the possible ways things can play out. You also believe God has no idea which one of the many possibilities will play out.

I was right along with Vaster until you shed more light on the issue. That's horrible! I read
"on condition that their children attend school and are vaccinated."
I don't suppose that includes homeschooling and suspect the vaccination part might include "family planning".

Cash transfer programs had previously existed in the Cardoso administration- Bolsa Escola, Bolsa Alimentacao, Auxilio Gás. Most of these early programs faced internal organization challenges. Bolsa Escola was superior to other programs because it applied to all citizens and both supported and was associated with education. However, because it only targeted families with school age dependents, it didn’t alleviate poverty.

Bolsa familia replaced Bolsa Escola and the other previously existing programs in 2003, under Lula’s administration.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolsa_Familia

M: Thomas, I appreciate the humor. Thank you. But there's nothing imaginary about Tom being kind and patient. He's the real deal. On the other hand, his views about God being unable to know the future like history without destroying the nature and essence of time and space is unfortunate. God knowing so does not make the future fixed or single-threaded. If you disagree, please explain why. That is, why can't God know the future like history without making it fixed or single-threaded? Is it impossible?

V: I doubt I could explain it better than Tom already has attempted to do. I and Tom view free will as the ability to choose one out of two or more choices. If the choice we will make is already known, then we only have the ability to choose one out of one choice. That we may still be in the illusion of having the 2 or more available choices does not change the fact that we indeed have only one.

If God knows that you will repent, you will repent even if you have the illusion that you may reject God.
And if God knows that you will reject Him, no amount of preaching will be able to save you. You might as well be elected for damnation. In both cases youll have the same real chance of reaching salvation.

God gave us free will, which means that both the option of you rejecting Him and you embracing Him must be viable possibilities until you have made the choice and it becomes history. God knowing one choice will be made makes the other choice impossible to happen. But all this has been said before, and we must accept that we will never become agreed on this, before God tells us how it really is in heaven.