"no-brainer" means "requires little thought". i'm saying "of course there's predestination! we don't even need the Bible to tell us that. if you agree (i know you don't) that God is all-knowing and all-powerful, and you agree (perhaps you do) with causal determinism, then predestination is required!"

think of it this way:
God in His all-knowingness knew He was creating a world and universe such that everything that happened would happen. He also knew that by interfering with it in x, y, and z ways l, m, n, o, and p would happen differently. so God knew how everything would work out and determined how He would interfere with it from the get go, hence the concept of God's divine plan. which the bible tells us exists anyway.

still, by making the world and choosing to intervene such that everything that actually did happen would, he doesn't take away our freedom of thought (at least, as much as causal determinism doesn't take it away from us without a God).

if God didn't make the world such that people didn't choose Him, who's to say we actually have free-will?

of course, as Pappenheimer said, who can presume to know the mind of the unfathomable God (even if Pappenheimer is an atheist)? i can't tell you for sure why God predestined many for destruction. however, wouldn't you much rather be on His good side than His bad? Pascal's Wager, again.

why?

julz