What Happened, Happened

Although it was funny, I thought the scene with Miles and Hurley talked down to the audience. I'm still on the fence about changes to the island due to influences of the war to come (if it takes place pre-2007), but not about the actual time-line from the POV of the characters. If there are no stakes (Whatever Happened, Happened), why would Eloise Hawking say 'God help us all?' Speaking of this, we know that not everyone came back so... what's going to happen?

The island is obviously special in some way (it is a world created by writers who can decide what properties it has and what it can do). Perhaps this places us in a position where our knowledge of theoretical physics isn't completely on target in this one fictional place in space-time. After all, there is exotic matter there (which I'm sure points to a wormhole) and other properties that can take us into new realms of speculation.

Further, we have to understand that characters have their own motivations, pasts and flaws. Miles probably has his knowledge from his father (who I'm positive is Pierre) and Faraday, Faraday's theories are influenced by his mother (Eloise), Eloise certainly has her own motivations (if she really believed what she said to Desmond then why would she have to try so hard to convince him), Pierre Chang is severely limited by theoretical physics of 1977. Personally, I know exactly what I believe if this were taking place in the non-fictional world. However, I would like to facilitate more amicable discourse on the matter.

Most people I've talked to seem fairly adamant about their side in this matter; wouldn't it be great if this war in the forums is a antecedent to the war to come? Maybe, we are all taking sides in the war and don't realize it; it would be brilliant if the writers planned it that way.