> > God, simply by being God, already knows that you praise him. He knows that you're thankful for his works.
>
> This doesn't make sense. Praise and thanks are actions. If I don't praise and don't thank him, how could he know that I do praise and do thank him? Putting "God can" in front of nonsense is still nonsense.

Actually, it does. I can be thankful for something without saying "thank you". I can praise God by doing what I think is God's will without saying "I praise thee".

If God was not all-knowing, he would not know that I praise him or thank him without me actually telling him. But God is, so he knows I'm thankful for what he has done without me saying "Hey, thanks!"

> So you ask for something, and God decides to grant it. Did God know you were going to ask? Yes. Could he have granted it before you asked? Yes. If he had done so, would you have asked? No. Did we just create a paradox? Yes.

No paradox here. You just described a diety that won't do anything unless asked. (Well, not *anything*...)

> So why doesn't God just jump in and always grant every request that you might otherwise have asked for if he hadn't granted it and to which he would have decided to grant the request had you asked for it?
>
> Beats me.

"Strange and mysterious ways", perchance?

-FP