I was raised a Catholic.

@Graylight I suppose you could be right and that I don't stand on my own 2 feet in this world..?

Or it could be I've forged a life through fires and brimstones that you and your version of God couldn't ever understand..?

Either way, God isn't as merciful as you think, and not quite as condemning enough as I'd like him to be.

Talk of "choice" is an indication of options and privilege not afforded to everyone of "God's" children....

Remember that and pray....
For those without a choice.

@HikingMan Bear in mind this is all my opinion. I own it but would never assume others should also follow along.

My God has allowed me to freely walk into fires and storms of my own making that have nearly cost me my life. More than once. A God of my envisioning would be well beyond the human trials in a tiny dot of the universe.

I think maybe you're daring God these days, demanding clarity along misty paths. If so< I completely get it. I spent years angry at Him and the Universe when it was really myself I was fighting. My God doesn't exist within the parameters of what only humans can imagine. Not one of God's other creatures feels oppressed, feels slighted or fears some moral judgment for failure. Those are the creations of man.

Everyone has choice on some level every day. There's a reason some of the poorest nations rank highest among life satisfaction surveys. The choice to be happy is a conscious decision. No, we don't all possess the same scope or freedom of choice as others. We possess much more than some. Changing one's own mindset is a choice. No one and nothing ever guaranteed any creature living on this planet safety, happiness and exaltation. But choice remains free.