If God wanted every soul to get to Heaven eventually, why did he create Earth in the first place?

Just got offed, I think you are underestimating the potential of THREAD OF DARK CONFESSIONS AND ATONEMENT.

yeah a pennance thread would be a very good idea i think

if they start that economics thread, you'll soon have a sneak preview of what purgatory is like i'd say.

"if God wants us all to get there, why should be given a choice about it? What inherent worth does freedom of choice have if there's only one correct choice?"

Tumoans in short because God values freedom over salvation, at least that was my understanding of the Catholic tradition. God ,part person, out of love wanted other creatures to share in what it means to be a person, to taste exisitence,being,freedom etc--to share in the richness of his own life, even at the cost of making the "wrong choice".

The ideas may sound abusrdly quaint and outmoded but the value of theology to me isnt really about knowing God stuff, its about understanding the part *the church* played in the formation of western culture and thought and by default perhaps the formation of ourselves.

Why couldn't God just make us think we had free will? Wait a sec...

i feel sick

tuomas asks way too many question to get into heaven, if i understood sister philomena correctly back in 1987.

Why couldn't God just make us think we had free will? Wait a sec...

:) a xtian might ask you to explain exactly what this physical process is and how it works at which point youd say I DONT HAVE A CLUE, but my hearts not in it and I think youre right-- although in a practical sense given the complexity of the biological processes involved and sheer volume of potential stimuli ( right word?) "free will" will always exisit