Whilst I agree that freewill and predestination are absolutely opposites, I feel that both concepts are human constructs or perhaps rules, to explain the behaviour of their gods. Christians are able to explain the "bad" things by saying we have freewill so it's our fault not God's. A religion that preaches predestination says virtually the the opposite with the same fervour. The bad things happen because in a previous life, or in this one, you did something so dreadful that now you are to be punished. This is a particularly nasty point of view because, where christianity has great trouble explaining things like childhood cancer or horrible fates suffered by babies too young to punished for any sin, the answer can be that the dreadful diseaseas is because of earlier behaviour, either in an earlier life (as in reincarnation) or in this one- pure revenge by fierce god.

I find both views quite abhorrent, as do many other people, so the christian faith at least, has been keen recently to emphasise the God of Love, and to back off on the consequence of stressing the existence of freewill. Doctrinal teaching explains that we must pray to God as he knows what is best for us and we should do his will, not our own. This is still a prayer today, though the consequences of backsliding are not as literally damning as before (after all no one any longer believes in Hell do they?)