This seems to imply a kind of monism (that all is one, all is God including us). After all, from this view couldn’t God have just as well Chosen to create an unsurprising universe?

Joseph Smith’s teachings seem to tell us that we live in a pluralistic universe, in which we are eternal and somehow distinct elements. In such a pluralistic universe, the universe might be composed of relationships. Physics then could be seen as one way these relationships are manifested. It makes sence then that physics, the science, is incomplete(it fails to explain everything). I beleive physics will always be incomplete even to God. In a truly pluralistic universe to know everything in a meta physical sence is impossible.

For me beleiving in a God who does not have inexhaustible fore-knowledge, actually lets me trust God more. If my life is already determined then how can God truly guide my life or call me to salvation? The Irony of inexhaustible Fore-Knowledge is that it actually takes away from the power of God to save us. I beleive from my experience that salvation is the grand story, yes, but one that is fundamentally as yet unresolved and undetermined.

I’ve known many Mormons who beleive otherwise, but I think they are a shrinking majority. Of them I’ve found plenty that worship the same God as me, and I’ve found others who didn’t.

That sounds very much like John Calvin’s position Bookslinger.

Man is free as long as he chooses what he desires.

The fact that God rigged the game from the beginning so that he would desire in exactly that way is irrelevant. Freedom is simply getting what you want – not having real options.

Think about it. Suppose God does know everything that is going to happen.

What can he do about it?

Nothing. If he acts to change events, then it cannot be said that he knew what would happen perfectly a moment ago.

A God with exhaustive foreknowledge is both impotent, and irrelevant to the course of the universe.

Exhaustive foreknowledge to me interferes with having a real relationship. So i can’t think of God that way.

3 and 5 I’m not giving up, no matter what you guys do.

I don’t see any paradox between agency and God’s foreknowledge.

It is possible our ideas about time are inadequate to understand God’s knowledge.

Check out this podcast…
http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/living-on-oxford-time/index.html

Einstein had interesting things to say about space and time.

Please provide quotes of the Brethren speacking clearly on the exhaustive foreknowledge vs. free will issue. I can’t think of any off the top of my head.

Also, it doesn’t matter how God might know the future — it only matters that a fixed future exists to be known to scuttle real free will. Here is the example again. Let’s say this is part of your fixed future (though you don’t know it yet):

At 6:36 PM on March 3, 2017, through a series of shocking life turns you will get raging drunk then get in your car and run a red light and a kill young mother and her baby

If that is in your future what can you do about it now? (Please don’t dodge this question — I really want to know your answer)

The disconnect, which I think you’re trying to incorrectly connect, is making a linkage between something that exists in our time-frame (agency), and something that exists outside of time (fore-knowledge).

Foreknowledge can’t exist in a linear time-based existence where we are being tested. But Heavenly Father doesn’t live in linear time, He’s “in the bosom of eternity” where “all things (past, present, future) are before him.”

So in effect, I think you do have one piece of the puzzle correct: foreknowledge and agency can’t coexist (at least not in the same person) “in our frame of reference”. But the mistake you make is trying to bring in Heavenly Father’s knowledge into our frame of reference.

He lives outside of our linear time.

I think there’s something in the D&C (or something in TPJS) about how Heavenly Father can’t show someone literally “everything” of all his creations, and let them continue in mortality. He let Moses and Enoch see all the Earth, but that was the limit, they didn’t see all of Elohim’s planets as they saw the Earth. And, He can’t even show someone all the Earth (past, present, and future) unless they’ve “finished and passed the test” and have their calling and election made sure.

1. They have consistently taught of the foreknowledge of God.
2. They have consitently taught of our agency.

I have to fall in with J. Max on this. I’ll believe the brethren over you any day.

I’m afraid that since there is no public discussion of this specific topic by the Brethren there is no majority opinion for you to allow to do you thinking for you.

but I do remember a mental awakening, an ephiphany, upon hearing it

Even if it seemed to make sense at the time I assure you it was nonsense. This is a paradox and thus has no solution.

In the friction between fore-knowledge versus agency, I’ll actually give the nod to fore-knowledge, and say it would trump agency. Because if it turns out as you say, and both can’t coexist, then my fall-back position is that agency is merely an apparent agency

Yikes. That sounds like the worst trade-off I’ve ever heard. You might enjoy Calvinism though.

Anyhow, if agency is only “apparent agency” then moral responsibility is only “apparent moral responsibility” and this life is not a test at all. Did I mention you might enjoy Calvinism?