Is God metaphysically free?

Question

Did God ever choose his character and his moral standards? Does God ever know what it is to make a choice?

Answer 1

Wow - another human, mind-writhing question --- bring on the aspirin!!!

Consider this -
IF 'god' is totally a HUMAN CONSTRUCT -
(which 'thank god' more and more independent, non-frightened,free-thawt, non-brainwashed, folk are beginning to feel, and courageously accept),
THEN one would EXPECT 'it' (god- the human construct) -
to manifest human characteristics and traits (e.g. knowledge, choice, moral standards). . .
including some lofty, idealized, better than 'lowly-human' qualities (eternal, divine).
AND ----
Once knowing that WE (humans) created god, in our own image and likeness,
THIS certainly makes all the religious dogma look and act like chicken soup (old Jewish remedy). . .
for those who need it as a healing tonic - for ignorance and FEAR. . .

Your question has generated some awesome answers - THANX!!! we needed that .

Answer 2

Why do you say you will pray for atheists because they need help?
"You believe in a book that has talking animals, wizards, witches, demons, sticks turning into snakes, food falling from the sky, people walking on water, and all sorts of magical, absurd and primitive stories, and you say that we are the ones that need help?"


JUST KIDDING - I think maybe God is bound by his job. Wouldn't that suck to have to be God ALL the time, always have to work, always have that pressure of doing the right thing? He has to choose based on these moral standards and all - how does he make the tough calls? What about the grey area?

I know most people would say he knows all. To follow the religions, I don't think he has to think. The right thing just comes out.

Answer 3

Not to be obsequious, but that's a good question.
Not according to most standard theologies. God's stuck being perfect. As such, he has to create the best of all possible worlds. To create less than the best would be imperfect and wrong. So God was stuck. Being perfect means doing the perfect thing. Even thinking an imperfect thought like "Maybe I'll torture everyone" would be imperfect and thus not an option for God. God is supposedly the arbiter of what's good and evil, but he can't switch them around. God can't decide tomorrow that murder is required, not banned. That would be imperfect of him. He's supposedly in charge but according to fundamentalists of many ilks, God's got no choice but to do the ideal thing.

Answer 4

The philosophical caliber of your question exceeds the capricious nature of the God as recorded in the scriptures.

In the scriptures, we read how free God seems to be to change his mind about whether to destroy the city of Nineveh or not, or has second thoughts about his own action of wiping out all living things after the Flood, etc. Too numerous to list here.

Your question becomes much more interesting when we try to apply it to the concept of a truly perfect omnipotent God.

At first glance, it seems that a perfect God is 'stuck' being perfect, but even this seems to offer plenty of room for choice.

To create or not to create. A Perfect god could create numerous universes, some perhaps festooned with platonic (and hyper-platonic) polyhedra, or even a universe (or two) containing Perfect Vaccuum, or Pure Water. All are choices.

If we think about our own universe, the word "perfect" at first seems to be inapplicable, but 'perfect' could refer to taste - 'Perfect Chili' has just the right amount of spices, flavors, impurities,.. to give it that mmm-mmm-good perfect flavor.

God as Chef.

Answer 5

In Islam Jesus (pbuh) is not God and not the son of God. Jesus (pbuh) is a Holy Prophet just like

the Prophets Abraham (pbuh), Noah (pbuh), Moses (pbuh) and Mohammed (pbuh). God is one,

pure, and clean from all defects. He is the only one worthy of worship. He has no beginning nor

does he have an end. He has no partner. The earth, sky, stars, sun, everything was created by him

alone, and he is the master of all things. He has the ability to make a person rich or poor. He gives

things life and death by his command. He is pure from and relations e.g. Father, mother, son,

daughter, etc. He does not have face or body and nothing is like Him, he is free from any position

or place.

I invite you to visit these sites

www.sultan.org
www.myislamweb.com/
www.geocities.com/wisamzaqoot

Answer 6

The theistic philosopher Charles Hartshorne conceives of God as dipolar; on the one hand, there is God's abstract essence, which is unchanging; on the other hand, there is God's concrete reality, which is constantly changing in accordance with the cosmosgonic process (as must be the case even for God to be aware of anything). God responds to the changing reality of the cosmos, but that response is always one of presenting finite beings with possibilities for greater richness of existence.

In more existential terms, I would say that in God, freedom and love simply coincide.

Answer 7

good question and until recently i didnt put much thought into who and what god was
after reading "conversations with god " it helped alot and made so much sense to me
according to the book , god does not know him/herself and that is part of the reason we are here
to help god understand more about god through our physical feelings
it says it much better in the book so well worth a read :o)

Answer 8

he should be. god is a free agent.and the way the universe is functioning, it seems clear that god (if he exists) has resolved this issue by just letting his law of probability to run things. this way, he remains a free agent,doesnt make much decisions, and limit the need for miracles.

Answer 9

Nothing that is "born" chooses its own nature.
But God could not have been born.
Anything that begins, also ends.
Logically - he'd have chosen EVERYTHING about himself.
And he'd have done so - knowing all the implications of it in the future.

Answer 10

I dont think so... If god is perfect, then all of his decisions wouldnt be a choice, there would only be one option.