Why do and how can people believe in fate?

I had a long conversation with pastor, who went on and on about gods plan, and how we all play a role in it. I was only their to support my brother, who's new thing is going to church and not getting wasted all the time. He doesn't really believe in God, but he is doing it so his daughters mother thinks he is turning a new leaf. Anyway... This pastor really took a liking to me, and while he was going on and on about abunch of non-sense, I just smiled and listed to everything he had to say, about fate, and how everything in my life has already been decided by god.

I didn't have the heart to tell him, that I don't believe in god or fate. I find the idea of everything already decided, to be very depressing. It's similar to what alot of liberals believe. That people are just what society made them. It's the idea that none of us have free will.. We are just acting out who we are suppose to be. No hope.. No change... No purpose... No Goal.... I don't want to live in universe like that... I want to live in a universe where human beings are the masters of our own destiny. Where when one human being helps another human being, not because he/she was meant to, but because he/she chose to.

I have heard believers in god say how they couldn't bare the thought of living in a world with no god, because what would be the point of anything, if we aren't apart of something. Well they're already apart of something, they have just chosen to believe in a very arrogant belief system, that is holding us back from a true purpose.