NPR - God and free will

I was thinking about religion recently and about the conundrum it creates when we're asking to give up our free will to believe in something free will would require serious inquiry into its validity. And when, where and how did this thought happen, when it wasn't out of the blue? Well, sort of. I was watching the movie "Bruce Almighty" again. And in the movie when given the power of God, Bruce was given two rules.

The first was he could't tell anyone he was God, like anyone would believe him anyway. The second was, "You can't mess with free will." I thought this was intriguing because it's the one thing we give up when we believe in God. And raises the questions. If God gave us free will, why would God ask us to give it up? Seems contradictory to me. God made us human for thinking and the ability to exercise personal action, namely to think, be and do as we freely choose, at least within the frame work our society and culture allow.

So why would any religion ask us to abdicate this gift from God as part of our being human and being an individual? Why would God instruct any religion to abandon individual and group free will to follow him without doubt or question? Why would any religious leader tell the congregation to believe this so far as telling them he's the voice of God to believe in him and his word without a moment of hesitation or wonder? Why would we be given a book, the Bible, so say it's all we need to know and follow?

It simply escapes me, but then again, being a student of Taoism, I accept the idea we are perceiving and thinking beings. I've always gone through the world to accept the right to think and decide and to accept the consequences of my decisions and actions. To be a human being as much as I am and can be. I've accepted and believe that, so that I know God is within me, and through observing the world, examining what I see, learning from what I see and experience, and be a better person as I go through life.

I know I am not asking God the meaning of my life but God is asking me the meaning of my life. I am and know it's up to me, who I am and what I do.