2006-12-05 08:22:06 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Conditional free will. You can do anything you want to do, except fly, run as fast as a cheetah, breathe water and live, lift an elephant, be telekinetic, sleep in a handstand, etc. and also anything that you choose to do that I donn't want you to do I will punish you for it.
2006-12-05 08:27:09 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I ask this to theists all the time and get the same muddled answer. I think they need to come up with a better explanation.
"Free Will" as it's defined in the dictionary is: 'the doctrine that the conduct of human beings expresses personal choice and is not simply determined by physical or divine forces.'
Right. So god does not determine my choices. That's a paraphrase of what that says. Very simple. BUT! God, as I've been told, knows everything and is omnipotent! So god does not determine the outcome of my choices, but knows what the outcome will be? That's not free will - particularly when you also include the fact that god is supposed to be the *creator* and *created* me, with the omnisicient knowledge that he has about my choices that I will make, thus *designed* me with those choices already made. That's not free choice anymore.
God cannot give out free will and be omniscient. I'm sorry theists, you have to pick one.
2006-12-05 16:27:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Maybe what he knew about you will have something to do to complete the puzzles of life he created. However, your freewill is your right to alter what you want to happen in your life. A reason why some great people were able to change the course of history. Then the only thing that God will want from you is to live following his commands or you are free to make another choice. God's design for life can be likened to our modern day writers of television series. Try to notice how a story is changed to your surprise, why a certain actor suddenly is killed in the midst of an exciting part. Later in the star news, you will hear that the actor had become lazy or got greedy and was asking for a raise. God may have prepared a complete story for his amusement but that free will in us as players in his stage which may have cause to alter some of our destinies which could also have made him able to make a much beautiful novel of our lives. Will you not be happy with that? One glowing example in the life of Moses. He was assigned to bring the people of Israel to the promised land of milk and honey. When they were almost there, Moses made a mistake of not following the simple instruction from God. Suddenly, he was told not go but instead he was asked to have Joshua be blessed by the priests to lead the Israelites in going in. Moses died without entering the land of promise.
2006-12-05 16:55:14 · answer #3 · answered by Rallie Florencio C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He knew what U were gonna do before is absolutely correct, but your free-will is what lets him know what U R gonna do.He didn't make us robots,because controlled love is not real love. The fact that God foreseen your future, was based on your free-will..He new that U would do these things, because of your free-will..example: If U choose to fornicate your whole life, and I knew your future, then I could say now that I know ur future, and because of your free-will U will be a fornicator.
2006-12-05 16:36:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's free will in that your consciousness makes the decision. In that you don't lack the ability to decide otherwise. It's just that your decisions are based on things that have happened before. You act without constraint. It doesn't mean the future isn't set in stone, but rather it means that you're not a puppet on a string so much as a train on a track. ... does that make sense?
Do a google search on "Soft Determinism"
2006-12-05 16:25:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
for God to know what a person will choose does not mean that the person has no freedom to make the choice. It simply means that God knows what the person will choose. This is necessarily so since God knows all things
2006-12-05 17:14:10 · answer #6 · answered by Sternchen 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God knows everything. He allows us to make our own decisions & our own mistakes because He loves us enough to do so.
we also are allowed to face the consequences of our mistakes @ times. Free will doesn't have anything to do with what God knows we are going to do, it'd that He allows us to do it. We have the right to make choices--that's what free will is.
2006-12-05 16:28:05 · answer #7 · answered by wanda3s48 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are free to choose because He gave you a free will but He is not controlling He is all knowing what will you choose and do. Theyre very different my friend.
2006-12-05 16:26:00 · answer #8 · answered by Zifikos 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If “free will” can mean that God gives humans the opportunity to make choices that genuinely affect their destiny, then I would conclude that we do have a free will. The world’s sin status is directly associated with choices made by Adam and Eve. All accounts of the fall of mankind indicate it was as the result of a wrong choice. From that point on individuals have had the opportunity to choose to follow God and to experience the consequences for not making that choice.
Even in light of God’s choosing Abraham and his descendents, God held individuals accountable. And individuals outside of the chosen group (Israel) were able to choose to believe and follow God, (examples: Gentiles that left with the Israelites at the exodus, Ruth, Rahab, Rulers in Babylon).
Therefore, He who chooses (elects) also allows individuals to choose. The Book of Romans is famous for explaining salvation and the sovereignty of God. It uses words like “chose,” “predestined,” “elect,” etc., yet it also holds people accountable for not choosing.
In the section whereby Romans discusses the sinful depravity of humans God bluntly states that those outside of salvation are without excuse “no defense.” This is specifically in light of the rejection of General Revelation, (showing His existence through His creation) Romans 1:20-21.
In other passages we learn that: Individuals are expected to choose to believe (John 3:16; Romans 10:11; etc). Individuals have a choice to be foolish or wise (Matthew 7:26). The Scriptures are given to provide instruction for salvation – obviously to be chosen or rejected (2 Timothy 3:15; John 20:30,31). Jesus established the choosing of obedience as a sign of our love for Him (John 14:21).
It is God’s will that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9), therefore, it must be someone else’s choice that separates individuals from God. God says we will reap what we sow – we can choose to reap differently (Galatians 6:7,8).
The multitudes of directives given by God assume that the hearers can make a choice to obey or disobey. It only seems logical that God could only hold us accountable for that if we indeed had free will to choose. Therefore, a Just God would not be expected to heap levels of expectations on those that are not free to choose. Therefore, I prefer to reconcile the thought that a sovereign God in His complexity allowed me to choose to accept Him, rather than to attempt to resolve a seeming character conflict between His justice and holiness.
2006-12-05 16:24:26 · answer #9 · answered by Yeshua 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Great question; I have wrestled with this myself and here is the answer I have found to be most helpful. God exists outside of the constraints of dimension and time, therefore we are unable to grasp His abilities. He loves us and His gift of free will is central to His love. He does not desire slaves to do His bidding, but rather He wants His children to listen to Him and to freely come to Him in love. He does not force anyone to obey Him, nor does He fore-ordain anyone's life experience. Since time is meaningless to Him He can know what we will do without having to make us do it.
I am a parent and I think I can understand God's love to a certain extent based on my experience as a parent. Nothing gives me greater joy than the love we share as a family; when my children behave as mature, responsible people, adhering to the mode of conduct which promotes respect and dignity to all of our human family, I am overjoyed, grateful, and impressed. So it may be with our creator Father in heaven; our behavior, when in consonance with His teachings and His example, give Him great joy. I do not force my children to be "nice" and "good", but by my teaching and my wife's example the children are taught to be upright, honest people. God does not force me to follow Him, but His profound example of humility and love have taught me to strive to become a better person.
2006-12-05 16:33:42 · answer #10 · answered by Jack Hip 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋