Can anybody tell me why God (in the christian sense) gave us free will and then wrote the ten commandments? Why give us free will and then tell us there are certain things we 'can't' do? This is why i'm a Buddhist lol
2006-09-05 04:29:45 · 18 answers · asked by atuniagain 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yessss! Another Buddhist! Mahayana, Theravata, Tibetan, or Zen? I too switched over. Welcome!
Jimbo - Buddhists don't pray, we have nobody to pray to
Buffalo Bill: No it does not. Just differant preferences. My branch, Theravata, is solitary meditation. Mahayana is more organized, it involves group meditation. Zen incorporates meditation into mundane tasks such as gardening, swordplay, and archery. Tibetan is a type of Mahayana that is heavily organized and filled with complicated symbolism. We all realize we all follow the same path, we just choose to do it in different ways. We sometimes mingle, I have tried Zen swordplay and follow some Tibetan belief. It is not divided against itself, like christianity.
2006-09-05 04:35:06 · answer #1 · answered by Shinkirou Hasukage 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's fashionable at the moment to use the term "free will" because it supports the modern democratic capitalist model. Before capitalist democracy, everything was down to fate, determinism. You were dealt your lot and that was it; not much you could do about it - if, like most, your deal was lower class poverty, well be good, do as you're told, and you'll have a happier time in the next world.
Free will is supposedly the freedom of choice to control your own destiny regardless of environment challenges. Today the term reflects the freedom to make consumer desicions in an informed environment.
We have outgrown the old determinism (authority) that ruled our existence from cradle to grave. Now we have free will.
2006-09-05 12:11:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Freewill is the decision whether you show your love to God, or others as well. The ten commandments are only the definition of love. If you love someone, you don't steal their stuff, screw their wife or husband, keep comparing to see what I mean. When you truly love someone, you put their needs before your own, which is why the first commandment is that you shall have no other gods above God. Especially yourself. Remember, you do not need religion to have faith, and the one thing all religions have in common is prayer.
2006-09-05 11:41:46 · answer #3 · answered by Jimbo 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The commandments are not orders they are tools. They are what you can do to lead a good life.
For example killing leads you to jail and the death penalty. Cheating on your husband or wife destroys families. Wanting your neighbours wife or car makes you just plain grumpy! You can do them, you are free to choose, but if you break a commandment (and lets face it we all do because we are human) you will hurt yourself and the people you love.
2006-09-05 13:10:27 · answer #4 · answered by Nicola H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He gave us free will because he wanted us to love him out of our own free will.
He probably thought that it would be a stupid waste of time to create a bunch of humans capable of loving, hating, doing good and doing bad etc., and then having them do ONLY what was programmed into their minds.
Plus, Adam and Eve were created in about the sfest situation possible, and one very much like how you think God would create us.
I think that it is much more kind of him to offer us the oppertunity, should we choose to take it (Which we did, ruefully now), to eat of the tree of knowledge. To know right and wrong and to act with our own intelligent minds.
2006-09-05 11:39:48 · answer #5 · answered by dinochirus 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He gave you the perfect law to prove you couldn't do it.
Because you aren't perfect.
Imperfect man can not follow a perfect law.
He was showing that you needed a Savior, that you couldn't do it yourself.
So now He provided a way to get saved---saved from what?
Having to try to comply to a perfect law.
Take away the law--provide Grace and faith and you are saved.
The faith is the tough one.
All you have to do is believe.
We are not socialized that way, we must work at something.
The simplicity of just believing.
Not having to work at it.
Not having to change yourself.
He saves you as you are.
2006-09-05 11:39:42 · answer #6 · answered by chris p 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
simply because it'll do no good/harm to others or even yourself
he forbids but you still have the freewill to do anything but the consequences are yours
the same in every othr religion like buddist youself
there are commandments and forbidden rules
it's all for your own goodness
2006-09-05 11:41:14 · answer #7 · answered by St.Jon A 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the ten commandmemnts were given because GOD knows that we are misusing the free will be store to us, and come to think of it those laws were for our own good if you look at it critically
2006-09-05 11:52:52 · answer #8 · answered by omot67 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
the same reason your mom and dad would give you keys to a car, and a curfew and rules. becuase its for your own good and you know as they knew, the difference between right and wrong, but whether or not you chose to do is up to you. they were given a choice and some chose to do right, some chose to do wrong. same as people going to jail today. everybody knows that what theyre doing is wrong and that it comes with punishment. but they do it anyway because people are not perfect and they are controlled by human nature and temptation.
2006-09-05 11:37:38 · answer #9 · answered by melanie c 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The commandments are a guide to good living, you have free will and so can chose to follow them or not.
2006-09-05 11:39:28 · answer #10 · answered by Dolly Blue 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋