Predestination?

Question

If God knows everything in the future, how can there be free will? That would mean everything in the future has been predetermined. Please Christians explain this to this new age Atheist. Kisses Betty

Even if he only has the ability to foretell events they must still be predetermined in order for him to have that ability. Your argument just doesn't hold water sorry. Kisses Betty.

I'm an Atheist yet I believe In free will myself though I can't logically explain my reasoning for believing in it so I guess some of us Atheist have faith too. A different sort of faith but until someone can explain too me the logic of free will I'll just have to take it on faith.

Answer 1

Why don't you ask the dead people you talk to? Ha ha smoke some mo crack loser!

Answer 2

Religions detract glory from God by means of false teachings. Take as an example the teaching of predestination. It is an unscriptural teaching that slanders God. It confuses what he can do with what he actually does. The fact that God can foreknow events is clearly stated in the Bible. However, it is illogical to think that he cannot control his ability to know the future or that he is responsible for every outcome. To illustrate: Suppose you had great physical strength. Would that make you feel inclined to lift every heavy object in sight? Of course not! Likewise, having the ability to know the future does not compel God to foreknow or foreordain everything. His use of foreknowledge is selective and discretionary. Clearly, false teachings, including predestination, do not glorify God.

“In God’s image he created [man]; male and female he created them,” states the Bible. (Genesis 1:27) Made in God’s likeness, we have the ability to reflect his qualities, such as love, justice, wisdom, and power. God has also given us the gift of free will, or freedom of choice. This makes us unique among his earthly creation. We can choose whether we will follow God’s moral guidance or not. That is why the prophet Moses could say: “I do take the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you today, that I have put life and death before you, the blessing and the malediction; and you must choose life in order that you may keep alive, you and your offspring, by loving Jehovah your God, by listening to his voice and by sticking to him.”—Deuteronomy 30:19, 20.

The gift of freedom of choice, though, does not mean absolute freedom. It does not free us from the physical and moral laws that God made for the stability and peace of the universe. These laws were set up for our good, and any violation of them could lead to serious consequences. Just think of what would happen if we chose to ignore the law of gravity and jumped off the roof of a tall building!—Galatians 6:7.

Remember 1 John 4:8 God is love. Deuteronomy 32: 4 His ways are just.

Answer 3

The idea of predestination is another human effort to poke into the mysteries of life. It's not a God given fixed principle. As such it raises more answers than question it wants to answer. Therefore, it shouldn't be a bad idea. Perhpas God himself is scratching his head over this idea wondering how could someone come up with such a connundrum. By the way, predestination as a hunch is not the monopoly of Christians.

Answer 4

God doesn't force Himself on anyone. He offers salvation to everyone (Jn 3:16, Rev 3.20, 2 Pet 3:9). God KNOWS who will believe and who will not, He knows all things, the end from the beginning, and is outside of time itself. But that doesn't mean He causes some to believe and some to not.

You have free will Betty to choose whom you will server.

Answer 5

This question, even without addition of God (just plain ol determinism) puzzles me hugely. If you are Descartes, or have similar views to him, God can do the logically impossible (so he can let you be free and know what's going to happen.) Let's bear in mind that God isn't existent in time, so it is a completely different thing altogether, he must see things all at once. I think it's a tricky thing to do but BASICALLY it is our free will that causes all our choices BUT God knows that they will happen. That doesn't mean he actively makes us choose things though. Even if he can see us in the future with... I dunno, a partner and 2 kids, we still will have made the choices to get there.

Answer 6

If I leave a slice of cheese out on the table my dog will eat it. Does that take away his free will because I know he'll do it?? I don't think so. Same scenario with a 3 yr old and a piece of candy. Knowing what someone will choose in no way cancels out their free will.

Answer 7

He only knows what you are going to do because you are going to use your free will to take the action that heknows you are going to take.

Additionally, God is all powerful. That means that although he CAN know anything he chooses to know, he can also refrain from knowing it if he so chooses.
For example, if you were extremely powerful, would that require that you lift every heavy object across which you come?

Answer 8

He has a pretty good idea of who will accept the calling and hear His voice but ppl can always surprise Him and accept it...IF 100% of our citizens would bow down to God we could make Him hear Us and the end could come sooner..
our lives our own and we get to choose so choose life!!

Answer 9

I like to sit on both sides of the fence on this one. I think that fate is involved in our destiny, but we freely make the choices and decisions that lead us to that destination.