If God knows what every human is going to do before He made Adam, how are we not "robots" to Him?

Question

Just because we don't know what we'll be doing in the future (thus giving the appearance of "free will"), doesn't mean God, who has seen it all before He made Adam, would consider us endowed with "free will".

We're doing what He has foreseen. And it was always within His power to determine the course of every event. By creating the universe, He knew every event. Had he created a universe with differences, He'd know different events would occur.

So from God's point of view, why would anyone assume we have "free will". Wouldn't that mean we have the power to surprise God with our choices? Or isn't it more likely God's foresight when making the universe included taking into account all our choices and the ways we'd react to each other and the world around us?

Answer 1

You've just hit on the paradox of omnipotence vs. free will. Both are mutually exclusive concepts. If God knows in detail exactly what everyone in the universe is going to do from the day we are born to the day we die, then any sense of free will we have is an illusion. Our futures are already set because God already knows...which leads to the question what is the point of living your life trying to curry favor with such a being? If he knows exactly what you are going to do, then you already have his approval or disapproval and nothing can be done to change it.

On the other hand, if we have free will, the God isn't all knowing because he can't be sure of what we are going to do next...which makes him less then omnipotent and all knowing, thus flying in the face of the definition of God.

There are all kinds of excuses used to try to get around this paradox, but nothing logical or provable.

Answer 2

Perhaps the future is under a veil, of sorts, hidden from us, and that God has given us options as to the direction we *should* take. The purpose of this is to learn from our experiences, so that we can move forward onto the next lesson. With each lesson, we learn more about ourselves and the spiritual path that God has defined for us. If we have several lifetimes in order to achieve this (reincarnation), then in each lifetime we learn those same lessons over and over until we either choose the "correct" path or we learn enough about the experience that we can move onto the next lesson. Eventually, we become knowledgeable enough that we can spiritually "ready" for Him to carry out His Will in a different form, i.e. angel or what have you.

If God knows the choices he has presented, but not necessarily the outcomes or the choices people will make, he gave "free will" to allow that freedom of choice so that he, too, can learn. It doesn't matter that he's omniscient; there will always be something unexpected that he would not, perhaps, have considered.

(I don't subscribe to a God-figure per se, but tend to personify the creation of our Universe so that it's more "interrelateable" to others and myself, since we have to go on blind faith that God exists in the first place.)

Answer 3

It's not about surprising God. It's about making the right choices. And he didn't know what Adam and Eve would do. It was Eve who partook of the fateful fruit, and Adam had every choice in the world - he could walk away, he could have ripped it from her hand, but he waited and ate it after Eve did. That's when the problems started, if you want to believe the whole biblical thing.
God lets us make our own choices. God doesn't predetermine our lives for us.

Answer 4

I've also heard that he does not know. He has the CAPABILITY of knowing, but he chooses not to know, thus we actually arent robots to him and his plan.

But on another note, ALL of what I've learned in the past, and in the present dealing with the Bible is speculation to me, because mankind is imperfect, therefore I cant accept these "Truths" to be facts. Its all about interpretation to me.

All I do know is that its been predicted thatin 2010, Los Angeles is having a huge earthquake, and the world is coming to an end via comet or atom bomb in 2012-2014.

Answer 5

God knows all things from the beginning to the end. Therefore by his foreknowledge of knowing what path mankind would take, he gave us all a free will, but to look at God great plan, knowing that when the time came for mankind to be put on this earth, & knowing what decesion they all would make, he then did predestinated mankind or women to be a child of his or not. It is by our freewill & God's foreknowledge knowing what our decesion would be, that he can lay out his plan. Not making us a Robot, a robot only does what it is program to do, If I did not have a freewill, but was made like a robot, I would have to wait on God to tell me when to eat. To use the bathroom, to sleep,, so therfore within everyone of us there is that freewill to make our decesion to when to sleep, to eat, & so on. But God being the all seeing & all knowing God, knew that we can make our own decsion of when to eat, or sleep, He put that freewill in us all. Yes God puts in us that law of nature, when to do these things, a robot sits still & only moves when told to, Mankind has that freewill to move whenever we want to, But yet God know that we were going to move. For he is ALL IN ALL.

Answer 6

I believe in agency, which isn't the same thing as free will. Agency is "the privilege of choice which was introduced by God the Eternal Father to all of his spirit children in the premortal state". Mortal life is a test of faith, where our choices are central to the Plan of Salvation. "It was essential for their eternal progression that they be subjected to the influences of both good and evil". God foreordained men to particular stations in life in order to advance His plan to lead humanity back to His presence. An example is Jeremiah, who God knew and set apart as a prophet before he was in the womb.

Answer 7

That's one of the problems with thinking your god is omniscient and omnipotent.

And a note about choice... If there were a god, that god would be taking away a choice by not proving to us that he exists. I can't follow a god I'm not convinced exists. And I can't make a choice to believe there is a god. Either I'm convinced or I'm not convinced. I can't convince myself a god exists any more than I can truly convince myself that the moon is made of cheese. I can choose to study something a learn about it, but I can't choose to be convinced by it.

Answer 8

Personal opinion time. Your thesis has a flaw of understanding in Gods knowledge of us. Gods knowledge is that of knowing us in our pre-mortal lives as his spirit children. He knew our thoughts and desires. He knew the kind of people we were, and how we were likely to react to stimulus. Then he sent us to earth to be proved in this mortal test. He gave is instruction manuals that set down the rules for our return. He then said it's up to you. Do what you want, but if you want to return this is how it's done. He doesn't direct is like puppets on a string, and I believe he is racked in sorrow for everyone who is lost to him, just as he is filled with overwhelming joy for everyone who returns. God may have a thousand "I told you so's", but I'm sure he has a few "you did better than I expected's" too.

Answer 9

God loves us so much that he gave us the gift of free will, and the choice to love him or not, obey him or not. Therefore we are not robots to him. If he wanted robots, he would not have created man. It says in the bible, God created man in HIS image. God is definitely not a robot. No one wants to be loved by someone that is being forced to love them, because that would not be true love, and neither does God.

Answer 10

I am not clear how God knowing how things work out take anything away from our free will. Knowing and controlling are NOT the same thing.. Jim