SOLVED. Sci-Fi Short Story. Creation of the world with people having free will. Lots of Biblical acronyms such as Work Order Request Document received by G-something Omniscient Designer who had problems with divine departments banning everything. Spoiler.

[ThatTallGuy]

The G.O.D. receives the W.O.R.D. to design a universe that includes something new, people, who will have free will - but some oversight agency nixes the people for ethical reasons, then starts investigating other bits. Birds are banned for not having redundant navigational tools or some such, and but being able to survive flight during storms. Eventually even volcanoes are banned for putting to much CO2 into the atmosphere and the G.O.D. is left with making a featureless ball of rock.

(view spoiler)[But the G.O.D. sneaks in a new thing, evolution, that hasn't been invented before and assures his friend that it will all be there eventually, volcanoes, birds, even people. Then he decides it's going to be cool to watch so he settles down to wait. (hide spoiler)]

[Eloise]

Maybe Strata? Although it's been years since I've read it

[Ayshe]

Or "Making Light" by James P. Hogan? It was searched for in this thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Kris]

Ayshe's suggestions of "Making Light" by James P. Hogan sounds like your book. Google Books has a snippet (or keyword) search:

Quotes:
They're trying to tell us that our birds and fish aren't safe."
"That's ridiculous! They're the same ones as we've always used. What's wrong with our birds and fish?"
"According to FAA regulations, all flight-control and navigation systems have to be duplicated," the CDE said. "Our birds only have a single nervous system. Also, we're allowing them to fly over water without inflatable life jackets."
The G.O.D. was completely taken aback. "What's gotten into them?" he demanded. "They've never complained about anything like that before."

https://books.google.com/books?id=3D1...

Which book/anthology do you think you found this story story in?

[ThatTallGuy]

That's exactly it! Thanks very much.

[Kris]

Great. Do you think you read the short story "Making Light" in a collection by James P. Hogan such as Minds, Machines & Evolution (there are different cover images)?