2006-08-23 05:32:35 · 28 answers · asked by Swordsman 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
My opinion is that it was a very generous gift...and it makes life pretty interesting, just look at this place :) ♥
2006-08-23 05:33:42 · answer #1 · answered by ♥ Luveniar♫ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As others have mentioned, Free Will is a fairly deep topic to tackle on a forum - but here's my 2 cents.
Free Will, by it's very definition, implies that god (in whatever form you choose), may not interfere. His intervention into a situation would inevitably alter someone's choices or options.
Therefore: no miracles, no communication, no prophets, no son on earth... nothing.
It's a logical impossibility to say that god inspired someone to write about free will - the very inspiration negates the writer's free will!
So, your options are:
1) a god that gives free will, but does not intervene
2) a god that sometimes gives free will, and sometimes intervenes
3) a god that does not give free will, and runs the whole show
4) a god that really doesn't care either way
5) no god
You can see that true "Free Will" comes at a price - a god who can't intervene, or just isn't.
2006-08-23 05:54:22 · answer #2 · answered by joetho 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
As far as I can see, there is no such thing as free will. I base this on the trivial observation that you cannot choose what to think before you think it. Thoughts come into your mind unbidden, and you cannot choose what your next thought is going to be, because you would have to already be thinking of it in order to choose to think it, and that leads to an infinite regression.
Undoubtedly there is the influence of cause and effect - something happens to you, and you then think about it - and perhaps there is also a completely random element, but the same could be said of the weather, and we don't say that the weather therefore has free will.
So, if we cannot choose what to think, then we cannot choose what to do either, since our actions are (generally) guided by our thoughts (and any action that is *not* guided by our thoughts wouldn't be characterised as 'will' of any sort anyway).
Hence, as far as I can tell, free will does not exist.
2006-08-23 05:40:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ahhh - one of the biggest theological debates out there.
There are scriptures that seem to back up both theories: That we have free will and that we are predestined. There isn't enough space here to quote all the verses that speak of this.
I personally feel that we have free will to choose Him or not. But, I think that since God is omnipresent (present not only in all places, but in all times), He already knows who will choose Him and who won't.
Does that answer your question?
2006-08-23 05:37:55 · answer #4 · answered by midlandsharon 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What is your opinion of God's gift of life!
2006-08-23 05:35:42 · answer #5 · answered by bprice215 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have been thinking about that. I think that there is no love without free will. He loved us so much that He gave us choice. I think He is saddened by our choices oftentimes,but at least He knows who is loving Him back.
He did not promise an easy way, but if Jesus is the only way to the Father's House, we ought to choose that if we want to be with Him. We can complain, we can say that we do not like this or that...but think about it, if you love somebody, woud you force or program them to love you?...A free will is the only way to me that makes any sense after all. What do you think?
2006-08-24 05:25:08 · answer #6 · answered by SeeTheLight 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd rather have the gift of no poverty or no starving children or not having to worry about getting raped.
But, hey, who's to look a gift horse in the mouth?
2006-08-23 05:35:31 · answer #7 · answered by Phoenix, Wise Guru 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's terrific. It allows me to have the free will not to believe in a God who would want me to 'believe' in him or pray to him.
Now- if I could just get that same gift from my wife.
2006-08-23 05:38:19 · answer #8 · answered by Morey000 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is a gift but is one with consequences also. According to Deuteronomy, if you chose to do the right things you will have life, if not, death is the end result.
2006-08-23 05:35:11 · answer #9 · answered by Pinolera 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Without Free will, we would be no different than animals.
Without Free will you cannot have true Love, for anyone or for God.
It does let some do bad things, but when you really find true love/Faith, it is an awesome thing!
Peace!
2006-08-23 05:35:51 · answer #10 · answered by C 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋