Simply not true.
God can predestine the choices I make just as He can predestine anything else.
God uses what the WCF calls "means" to bring to pass what He predestines to occur. One of those means is the free will of men.
I don't know if anyone has ever told you that you sometimes make statements that don't make sense?
You just stated ...
God uses what the WCF calls "means" to bring to pass what He predestines to occur. One of those means is the free will of men.
So in the Garden of Eden, how exactly did God use Adam's free will to bring Adam's sin to pass?
Remember, to predestinate something means that that is what absolutely must occur.
Now free will means that Adam had the choice to do either. Now I do believe that God also gave Adam the ability to reason (think in a coherent manner about what is truth vs. a lie).
God laid out the truth; and Satan lied. Adam had th choose 1) who was telling the truth; and 2) was acting outside of the truth worth the risk?
I personally believe that despite the fact that Adam knew the truth, he chose to be with Eve, hoping for the best. He was obviously wrong.
The important thing is that Adam was not decreed, ordained, or predestined to choose the way he chose. Nonetheless, God by His foreknowledge knew the choice Adam would make.
How then was God in control?
Because God was prepared by also choosing to be man's Redeemer. Adam could not tell God; "God, you decreed me to sin, I had no choice".
God knew it, but did not decree it.
God no more has to eliminate my free will to predestine my choices than He needs to eliminate the laws of geology to predestine an earthquake in the Tribulation.
I wasn't aware the laws of physics, geology, and the ecosystem had any free will ... amazing ... I learn new things every day.
It seems that you pretty much hear what you want to hear - with me as you did with the WCF statement.
No, I very much read exactly what is written. Words have meaning. I want you to think about this ... if a person already believes the essence of what is taught in the WCF (because they have been taught that previously), they will 1) not question what is written; 2) allow the WCF to give them 'clarity' of that which has previously been taught; 3) seem like the only viable truth; and 4) cause those people to defend it as truth, for the previous reasons.
I do not agree with the WCF, therefore I must be wrong. Furthermore, since I do not simply comply with the argument you present, I must also be a liar, as you have previously charged.
I did not say that God authored my choices. Otherwise I wouldn't have used the term "free will choices" now would I have?
Okay, a simple lesson in 'ethics' when writing ...
If John Smith authored an article in 1900 that said, "Adam will choose to eat the forbidden fruit in 1950, because I have decreed it", when Adam chooses to eat the forbidden fruit in 1950, Adam cannot say "I authored the idea that I would eat the forbidden fruit. Why?
Because Adam was following a predetermined, prededestinated, decreed, or ordained script. The author of the Script was John Smith in 1900.
Nor did the WCF say God authors the sinful choices of men. Otherwise they wouldn't have specifically said that their choices were done out of their free will now would they have?
No, it says God decreed sin.
Your entire critique is based on your hearing what you want to hear while ignoring part of what a person or confession says.
Incorrect, my critique has been based upon the Scriptural meaning of the words in the WCF. Since the purpose of the WCF is to expound, and clarify the Reformed Theology position on Scripture; it is not only reasonable, but necessary to use the Scriptural meaning of words used in any critique of the WCF.
One cannot assert the meaning of words such as "decree", or "ordain" is any different than that which is used in Scripture, and then assert that the meaning is still Scriptural.
Now if (according to you, and those who subscribe to Reformed Theology), God is in absolute control of every event, and nothing is random; God must be the Author, and cause of it, or He allowed a "random" event.
It cannot be both ways, God cannot NOT have random events, and still not be the Author of some events. He must be the Author of all events since NONE are random.