Building on what you said Ellis here is what I think is an objective statement of fact.

If free will does not exist then you course of action is predetermined and you, as an individual, bear no responsibility for ever making a bad decision. Truth is you never actually made a decision.

Why study for the math test, why be a good parent, why not just do whatever ... if it happens it was preordained. Islam has traditionally had a real problem with this one.

Now move 180 degrees in the other direction. You are personally responsible for everything you do. You make every decision and bear every consequence. This is the point-of-view of the atheist.

The Christian is trapped somewhere in-between. He cannot be responsible for everything because god, Jesus Christ, angles, the devil, and numerous Saints all can intercede whenever they choose and change things. And, to use blacknad's writing as a crutch here, perhaps capriciously responding to a prayer or not based on rules we do not or can not understand.

So if the asteroid hits ... I say ... it hit due to the laws of physics in our universe and we are morons for not getting our act together and detecting and deflecting it and are responsible for the consequences of our lack of action.

The person who believes there is no free will says ... it was destined to happen and there was nothing we could have done about it ... or we would have.

I presume the true believer says ... well I prayed, I tried, I really did. Better luck next time. But at least those killed all went to heaven so they are in a far far better place.

DA Morgan