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Here's a wonderful three-part video showing how God's way of free will works.
Via NonStampCollector...his videos are amazing!
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Arguments:
Some theists try to use free will as a solution to the problem of evil, but this doesn't work. Natural Evil in a world created by a supposed all-loving being shows that an all-loving being is impossible. An all-loving being would never create a universe that includes natural evil.
If you see someone being raped, should you just watch and say things like "I don't want to stop it because it would take away free will?" Is the free will of the rapist more important than the person being raped? Would you say, "I don't want to reveal myself because people have to fix things on their own? Would you say, "It's just part of a larger plan or everything happens for a reason?" If you or anyone else is any decent person who has the immediate ability to alleviate suffering without risking your life, you career, or financial stability, you should do it.
With or without God free will is limited. We can't control many things in life such as the actions of others we don't know and haven't met, the weather, unlucky situations, gravity, etc. If God did make the universe, he chose for us not to control weather, but apparently made people with the ability to rape others...and cares about everyone's free will so much that the free will of the abused is apparently more important or even equal (?) to that of the rapist. God, if he exists, did not let humans eventually fly unaided, did not allow for us to have more than two arms, made us with the need of sleeping, etc. Why not just remove the desire to rape from the picture?
A God like who just sits back and watches, if he exists, seems more like a deistic god than anything who doesn't care about human affairs and just let things go their own way. If God really cares about human affairs, he'd have done a better job. Christianity, though, says that God made the universe with us in mind and cares about what we do.
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Addressing "Evil is a consequence of Free Will"
Even if evil is "needed," natural disasters, viruses, toxoplasma gondii, miscarriages/birth defects, genetic disorders, AIDS, "nature red in tooth and claw," and many other non-human-controlled evils make no sense in the light of an all-loving god. He certainly can't be all-loving if he made natural disasters and things out of our control.
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Addressing "If God intervened, it would take away free will"
God appeared to many people in the NT and OT whether it was Jesus or God. People, according to the Bible, saw Jesus perform miracles. Did these people lose free will?
God didn't need to intervene in the Haitian earthquake. He simply could have created an earthquake-free universe /natural disaster-free universe.
In removing natural evil, free will is not challenged. We would still have to deal with other humans, our own emotions, and everything else...but wouldn't be picked off by stuff outside of our control from nature.
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Addressing "But Heaven makes up for the evil in this world"
If there is an afterlife and death here seemingly doesn't matter/this life is transitory, does this make life some sort of cruel game or joke where God simply hides, doesn't plainly reveal himself, watches all of the evil, and does nothing about evil? What about all of the pain and suffering that others must face when we die, what about us losing loved ones, etc... The afterlife, in this sense, greatly cheapens life because this next life is transitory and this one pales in comparison with the next. I suppose the real game begins in Heaven where there is no evil (apparently, then, there is no free will).
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Addressing "Evil makes the human experience complete and allows us to reflect, understand ourselves, etc"
How do deadly earthquakes, tsunamis, and AIDS help us “fully understand ourselves?” Without these, we'd probably be able to live longer, appreciate more people, and almost certainly have a better life experience overall.