2006-11-27 04:08:18 · 12 answers · asked by Saint 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Suppose I get in a time machine (omnipresent), and travel forward in timer to watch what you will do tomorrow. I do not, stress do not in any way interfere with what you are doing. You make your own choices.
Then I get back in my time machine and travel back to the present (your present or is it your past?....Guess it depends on which version of you I reference: your past self or future self!)
Now in the present time I know (omniscient) everything which you will do tomorrow; but, I have not in any way influenced your choices!
Therefore, you have free will, and God is omniscient (all-knowing)! QED
2006-11-27 05:15:36 · answer #1 · answered by eagleperch 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If some "God" knows everything and can never be wrong, that does not mean He/She/It has forecasted your choices. After all, "God" may have given you free will, so that he knows that you will make your own choices and not your choices, because God allowed you to make them freely.
That God does not know what you will choose, does not mean that he does not know everything, he knows the truth, and the truth is (let's say because of God) that you make your own choices.
Conversely if such a God has decided that you have no freewill, then he can forecast all your choices and whatever you may think, you don't have any in fact. Please not that in this case God does not know that you have freewill, indeed he knows that you have none.
So your real question, has God given us freewill ? Or are we puppets in God's hands ?
If he has given us freewill, then he does not know our choices, if he has not, he knows them.
And there comes a third question. How do we know if "God" has given us free will.
Well we can't know for sure. We can't know about any "God" either. So up to a certain point it is up to you to decide if there is a "god" and of what kind, and if he has given us free will or not, and whatever you choose to believe will be yoru reality.
OR, you can believe that God exists indeed, that he has not given us freewill, and especially not the liberty to choose if God exists if humans have freewill or not, and that indeed god exists and we have no freewill. Yet by believing such a thing you have to convince yourself that this is not a belief that you choose to believe but one that is self evidently imposed by some outside force.
My own personal answer is that you can not get out of such dilmnas
2006-11-27 12:58:02 · answer #2 · answered by Hermes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We don't have many, only One. Our suffering originated in that paradigm. Free Will is not free choice...Free Will is a power to create by Will.. Not knowing that,or worst, not believing in it, using Will unconsciously we creating zillion of choices for ourselves in order to be lost and so we are. We can learn creation by Will with certain adjustment of our current understanding . We using Free Will just to make huge mess what we call human life, for ourselves and others. If we have a tool in our possession, first we need to learn how to use it. By the way, even using Will unconsciously all choices we creating is valid, and leading one way or another to chosen destination. It is just matter of time.Would be soon or would be centuries.What the point to wish something in childhood and receive it on a death bed? That actually the case. We getting what we want when we do not need it anymore....Well . with all stated above I may assume that God give us only One Choice...With our ignorant effort we divided that Only One Choice to infinity of microscopical pieces and any particle of it is a living choice we are suffering oftentimes. Our labor. Answering your question do we have any, Yes, only one. Know yourself you'll know God. Does God have an additional choice to be something else but God? Nope. We are His Image and Likeness.
2006-11-27 14:35:21 · answer #3 · answered by Oleg B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of the greatest gifts that God gave to mankind was the gift of free will. God, in his infinite knowledge and wisdom, may very well know what our choices will be; however, this certainly does not prevent us from making those choices. As a mother, I am frequently aware of the most likely decisions that my (now grown) children will make. I have often been sorely grieved by their choices - and often overjoyed by their choices. I believe that God very likely experiences these same emotions. If we view God as a loving Father, then we would know that he desires good for us. There are many choices that we make that are in direct opposition of the goodness of God. But, because God gave us free will, he allows us to make these bad choices. Many people assume that because they believe in God, and they said a prayer, that God will not allow them to make a wrong choice. Not true! God respects our free will, and he will not interfere with it. God gave us free will and rational minds. When making choices, the bible gives us clear guidance as to what God approves or disapproves. Since we have free will, we need to determine if our desire is to please ourselves, another person, or to please God. God gave us free will because he did not want us to be forced to serve and love him. It is our choice. Even though we may make a wrong choice, God is also forgiving. When we admit our wrong, and turn back to him, he is very merciful. He will then take that wrong, and somehow cause good to come of it. Yes, we really do have choices - and they may be wrong ones. God may never be wrong, but he certainly may be grieved.
2006-11-27 13:09:36 · answer #4 · answered by hindsights2020 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This seems to be confusing to most people. God does know the outcome of all of our choices, deeds, and decisions. He is omnipotent and omniscient. So where do our decisions come in?
We must accept Him to be saved. We make the decisions and choices. He just know what we are going to do ahead of our knowing what we are going to do - that really doesn't take away our responsibility to make the right choice - He just knows first - that's all. His knowing has nothing to do with our limited understanding of His ways or His knowledge. We need to make the right choices and heed His ways to be saved.
2006-11-27 12:31:34 · answer #5 · answered by Doug R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Imagine an experienced teacher who would be able to guess the level of every one of his class.
Imagine that he expects a student to fail at the end of the year, although this student wants to try his best.
Would it be fair for this teacher to fire this student right from the beginning? or should he give him a chance?
Knowledge of God, Justice of God and our free will are not contradictory. The extra is the God Merci for which we should give him our love and trust.
2006-11-27 12:59:15 · answer #6 · answered by mrdadoush 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God may know what our future choices will be, but He allows us to make them, regardless of the outcome. Free choice is one of the basic tenets of the Bible.
2006-11-27 12:17:38 · answer #7 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The knowledge of an event is not what causes that event to happen.
You know that tomorrow the sun will rise. But that is not the reason why the sun will rise.
2006-11-27 12:19:18 · answer #8 · answered by apicole 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The future is never written in stone so the answer he see's in the present does not mean it can not change in the future.
2006-11-27 15:07:14 · answer #9 · answered by John L 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God might not even exist. There is no way in which you can truthfully answer this question.
2006-11-27 17:05:29 · answer #10 · answered by liz 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋