Can it be called "Free Will" if there is coercion?

Question

I would call the threat of eternal torment in hell ,coercion.

Answer 1

Im gonna try something and see if it makes sense:

First on a lower scale:

You're saying that there is no free will because there is coercion.

Therefore without coercion, we would have free will.

Now if lets define coercion as "punishment"

Free will is the ability to choose between "right" and "wrong"

However, something is only "wrong" if there is some sort of negative consequence associated with it. In most cases this would be a punishment in society (i.e. robbery leads to jail time, stealing a cookie leads to a slap on the wrist)

So without coercion, there is no "wrong" making "Free Will" a matter of "right" or "right."
This means we would have no distinction between choices and it would not be called "Free Will" because there is no choice to make.

Therefore: coercion is essential in order to define "Free Will" because it makes a distinction between right and wrong.
So to answer your question free will only exists with coercion. yes.

(if any of my high school logic makes sense)

Answer 2

I agree that threats are unnecessary. Most people will eventually see through threats as coercion tactics. Those who choose to live in fear....do have that right and not much can be done to change that.

Answer 3

Its simply a device of indoctrination. Carrot and stick basically. Good cop, bad cop works on celestial as well as in the cop shop.

The free will bit is the cop out used to justify the existence of disaster and bad things in the world when religion is questioned about this. Clever cop out it is as well as there isn't an immediate logical come back. Free will doesn't exist-will always costs.

Acting to reap good karma seems false to me. Giving in order to receive and all that.

I'm very very lucky in my life through no deliberate actions to create it. I do healing work but ONLY because I feel that I really want to and enjoy it. Hence it's free. It *may* have given me good karma but I don't count on it and it's not the reason I do it.

Answer 4

With or without coercion, there's still a choice.

Answer 5

it really is exactly what you pick it to be. What God does to modify the international and its techniques even as that element comes has no bearing on your determination that you made. Your judgements will be commemorated to the fullest volume. you pick to no longer believe God's supplies you, or to renowned them and phone him a cruel God for gazing you die off. purely because you could pick to modify your ideas once you come across out that this wasn't a figment of your mind's eye yet is definitely authentic, does no longer advise he has to conform. It became a decision you made and it really is going to were properly idea out. Now someone which includes myself won't be able to say that God gained't have mercy on those with a lot of those alternatives, because we do not comprehend you as God knows you and he's conscious of what's in all of our hearts. He knows who would come across basic techniques to understand what they'd no longer the first time round and those who will by no ability pick to.

Answer 6

I have long said that a prison wherein the inmates enjoy every good thing, every comfort and pleasure, have free will within the prison walls, but can never see the outside world (family and friends) again...that is still prison.

Answer 7

There is no such thing as "free will". We had free will when in the garden of Eden but Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge and lost the ability to make their own decisions. God installed punishment and punishment takes away free will. Think about it if you had free will would you allow yourself to be sad, hungry, upset, sick, over-worked, under-payed. Of course not, we do not have free-will, the only thing we have is the ability to chose God or Satan.

Answer 8

the threat of Hell is just another lie spread by Satan and his demons to Blacken God, and even your question shows that it has worked on you , you believe the lie, but you do, truly, have, free will, it is your choice to either listen to The true God, Jehovah, and learn the truth about him, or, listen to satan and his demons and go away from the true God! and the coersion you speak of is not from the true God Jehovah but from satan and his false teachings!

Answer 9

Why would an infinite being take pleasure from instilling extreme fear into the minds of its finite creations???

Answer 10

I would agree, it is more of a decision to impact consequences. That said, I suppose acting compassionately to bring good karma would be the same...