One response to the
paradox of
God's
omnipotence and our apparent
free will. Radical predestination, as articulated by
Martin Luther, holds that free will is an
illusion and all things are preordained by God. Our
salvation or
damnation was worked out at the beginning of Time and our moral choices have likewise been predetermined. This answers
the problem of evil by placing responsibility for it squarely on God. He wills both
good and
evil, but in the end only good will come out of the evil He has willed. It's a hard
doctrine, but Luther felt it was the only realistic view possible.
Luther, as you might imagine, was a fairly gloomy sort.