What God knows....?

Question

I'm sure you are familiar with the term "drive-by shooting". There are innocent victims of these shootings all the time.

Think about it....a gang member drives down the street and shoots into a house and a random bullet richochets and changes directions. At that EXACT second, a 4 year old child runs accross the room to get a toy and the bullet strikes and kills him.

Had the child or the shooter started 1 second sooner or later then the results would have been different and the child wouldn't have been shot.

If God knew IN ADVANCE that this child was going to die from a stray bullet, on that day, at that particular second in time......

.....then how could that child or that shooter have made a DIFFERENT choice????

Could they make a different choice than the choice god knew they would make?????

ifgodb4me: You are missing the point but you seem intelligent enough that I'm sure you will get this:

If those people don't have a choice because god knew IN ADVACE....then NOBODY has a choice in anything. We die because it was predetermined by god to happen on a specific date.
This makes us like puppets....acting out a sick screenplay written by god before we were even born. No matter what we do (choose jesus, the devil, buddah etc...) it doesn't matter because god already knows in advance. We have No choice in the matter.

Sandy: you are making my EXACT POINT. If god knows our choice IN ADVANCE....it IS like a movie. If god knew what would happen in the movie, BEFORE the movie was ever made.....then when the movie finally was made......how could the people in the movie have done anything differently???? God already saw it....he knew what would happen....the people had no choice, otherwise god wouldn't have known...
Think about it....
This is SIMPLE Logic that any rational adult should be able to grasp.

If god Knows what we'll do in advance...then we have NO CHOICES or FREE WILL to do anyting.

If god DOESN'T know in advance....then why would we even worship him?

Inteleyes: Your answer in NO WAY pertains to this question. I didn't ask you for proof that god exists. You say FREE WILL but you are unable to explain how FREE WILL is possible if god has advanced knowledge about our decisions and the outcome of our decisions.

SLOW DOWN. TAKE the time to read each sentence and respond.

2 + 2 = 4
Why are you people trying to make it =5?

DougLawerence: Think about what you are saying and what it MEANS....OK, you are saying God didn't force the people to do what they did to jesus, BUT he still knew they would do it?

If they actually had a choice and decided NOT to do that to jesus....then god wouldn't have knows about it would he?

I thought we just established the fact that god knew they WOULD do that to jesus?

Which is it?

Think about the LOGIC in this! It's not that difficult.

Answer 1

Yes, omniscience is a theological problem.

Answer 2

Just because God knows something will happen doesn't mean we humans have no choice in the matter.

God's plan for mankind takes into account exactly how each one of us chooses to respond to his grace.

The best example of this is the crucifixion.

St. Peter explained it better than anyone, on Pentecost, when he explained that God didn't force anyone to do what they did to Jesus, but that all involved had a real choice in the matter.

The Chief Priest could have acted differently. Judas could have refused the 30 pieces of silver.
Pilate could have refused to condemn Jesus.
The Jews could have chosen to revolt, rather than allow Jesus to be killed.
The soldiers could have refused to nail Jesus to the cross.

Of course, they didn't, and God knew they wouldn't. But that doesn't mean that God made them do it.

Each was responsible for the free choices they made.

So far as timing goes, God has always shown an exquisite sense of timing.

Like Jesus dying on the cross at the same moment the last Passover lamb was slaughtered in the temple.

What you are really asking about is what St. Paul calls "the mystery of evil". For that, there is no answer.

Answer 3

You like to ask difficult questions. God does know all things. Perhaps the child will be abducted and raised and tortured by a pedophile for the next five years. Which do you think God would choose in which He would intervene? Perhaps the death of the child brought 10 relatives to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus? God does not make these things happen but He does know how to make the ending better. God works everything together for the good of those in Christ Jesus. Are you saved and do you know Jesus? If not He is waiting for you.

Answer 4

Because God knows what will happen doesn't negate choice.

God is outside of time. He sees all that ever was, is, and will be. He has seen our choices "before" we make them--but it is still us making them.

It is sort of like watching a home movie from 1975 that you have seen dozens of times. You know that Grandma is going to slice the pie, but the fact that you already know her choice doesn't mean that she didn't choose to slice that pie in that way at that moment, all those years ago.

Answer 5

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW...
Your not open or understanding R U....
You keep blaming God for everything, don't cry to me if ur in Hell.
I am standing by God's side, not that he can't just take your life when he feels like it. Just that he loves everyone the same, no matter what they do and what non-believing Questions they ask, because God knows that we all have the ability to change. If you want to know him, go to him first, that's what he wants, God is not going to go an proof himself to you especially when you act the way you do.
We have free will, we go to God first, if you want to know and feel him, it's call faith........ God is not going to baby sit us all every minute everytime someone is going to do something stupid...... does that answer all your questions??????????

Answer 6

everyone at the time of birth has a time and day to die...i dont know if they had made a different choice if the circumstances would be different or not...the main thing is to always be prepared to meet god at all times!!!

Answer 7

And if God knows what will happen, he is powerless to change it. Christianity makes no sense, but it conveniently bails itself out by claiming that the Christian god is ineffable and transcends logic. This is an excuse not to have to argue rationally. Oh well.

Answer 8

he would have known in advance of that decision too. either way that child was meant to die. whether it be a bullet or cancer.

Answer 9

Of course there is no answer to this, just as there is no proof of any of your statements above. LOL it is a fools game, religious discussions.

Answer 10

that may be a good question
wish i understood it.
i guess the answer is.....
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no because god can't be wrong.