This a really controversial question. Involves RELIGION...?

Question

Do you believe there is such a thing as FREE WILL? or does god show you the way, but you have the free will to choose which way to go? does hell exsist, then, because if you believe free will does not exsist, why would a hell exsist if you really have no will over what you do? or does hell exsist because we have the will to make our own choices? and if you dont have free will, then why did adam and eve ever choose to eat from the forbidden fruit, even when they was sinless ( why would the thought ever enter man's mind if he was made to be like god, even if satan tempted them, isnt satan under god, and therefore, at the time, under adam and eve? does praying really help, because if god is almighty, isnt he going to do what he wills, and carry out what he has planned for you? really think about this....i believe that free will does exsist, that god shows the way and we chose whether or not to follow....what do you think?

this has caused a BIG discussion between my friends and I

Answer 1

I believe what you believe. God has a plan for our lives, true, but we decide whether to follow that plan or not.

Answer 2

St. Augustine wrote a few really interesting "debates" about this very subject.

According to him, Free Will is a gift from God. Through Free Will we get evil, and why would God allow evil into our lives if he's truly an all-loving God?

Well, Augustine says that since we have Free Will, it makes all of our decisions genuine. When we choose to love over doing evil, it means all that much more. When we choose to believe in God, it's an authentic decision instead of being made to choose God without free will. People will do evil, but those who choose not to are more valuable for it.

I kind of like his interpretation of it, even though I'm not Christian or a believer, myself, I just find the philosophy of religion interesting.

But seriously, if you're interested, St. Augustine's writings are really, really good and discuss the aspects of God and why he would give free will--and whether or not free will really is since God knows everything that will come to pass.

Answer 3

If a person didn't have Free Will, then those who go to hell (according to your religion) did not do so by their own choices. It would mean that God created people to torment while alive and then torment after death... for eternity. This doesn't go well with the "Loving, Merciful and Just God" so many try to describe. If God is in complete control, and I have no Will of my own to choose, the God made me a Pagan, he made me Not believe in certain things of Christianity... therefore, ultimately, I am doing God's Will.... so how could he send me to Hell even then????

As for prayer, my son pointed something out that I have to agree with.... "They go to church on the day God is supposed to be resting and then they ask Him to change all of His Great Plan so that their puppy may live...." A generalization, of course, but it shows me that even a 16 yr old understands the contradictions in the Christian Religion (usually given by Christians themselves)

Answer 4

>> This a really controversial question. Involves RELIGION...?

Everything in religion is controversial. This section thrives on controversy.

>> Do you believe there is such a thing as FREE WILL?

No, but not for the reason other people think there's no free will. I'll dismiss the religious idea, then I'll show you what I think of free will as.

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Assume that there is a god. Assume this god has two properties:

1. The god is omniscient (knows everything - everything that was, is, and ever will be).
2. The god creates us individually.

We will add a third property of giving free will and draw a contradiction:

3. The god gives us 'free will'.

'Free will' is defined as:

( http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q... )

'2. Philosophy. the doctrine that the conduct of human beings expresses personal choice and is not simply determined by physical or divine forces.'

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The god, when creating us, must 'know' everything that will happen in our lives, by property one. It knows everything that we will face: every choice we will come across, and every choice we will make. It also creates us, with this knowledge ahead of time. Therefore, we are created (property 2), with pre-determined/pre-known choices (property 1), by a god.

This is a contradiction with property 3, by definition:

'(choice is) not simply determined by physical or divine forces.'

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Therefore, the idea of a omniscient, creator god that gives out free will, is a contradiction by the above proof. q.e.d.

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Now, for what I believe - I don't think free will actually exists. Simply put, our decisions on choices are really products of previous choices and experiences. You cannot isolate a choice and then make a 'decision' on it, based on what you'd like to do - you're really compiling and judging, based on previous experience. Free will would dictate that you do not consider those things, which I view as a foolish idea.

I hope the above explanation of your creator/omniscient/free will god is descriptive enough to help fuel the debate.

Answer 5

Man was created to be like god, but not to be a god therefore we are imperfect. God gave us life and decided that we would have free will. So we choose to follow or not. That is why there is such evil in the world. Its not because god is punishing us it because some of us have decided to fall into temptation. I do believe in praying and i believe in hell.

Answer 6

You are into a big discussion that has been going on for centuries between Calvinism and Arminianism. I asked a question just yesterday on YA yesterday asking those who believe that people have a free will to just give me one verse out of the Bible that says people have a free will. As I suspected not one person was able to give me a verse substantiating it. There are many verses that tell us that man does not have the ability to choose good, and that unless the Father draws someone to Himself they cannot come to Him. Good luck with the discussion.

Answer 7

You absolutely have free will. And you have a consience to help you know right from wrong. Without free will, where can there be Love?
I don't think God always shows you the way, especially if you're not asking for His advice. But if you are, He is probably helping.

Answer 8

The idea of "Free Will" is a concept from PHILOSOPHY. In our Western Culture where we enjoy "Freedom" to learn and think about all sorts of concepts - this one has gotten mixed up with Religion and in particular, Christianity. In Christianity, remember, there is no "free will", as anyone who does not believe will perish or wind up being eternally punished for not believing. This is by no stretch of the imagination, free will. If I point a gun at your head and then tell you that you have the free will to either do what I say or else be shot in the head, is that free will?

Answer 9

a million) Abortion, ought to it particularly is criminal? No, aside from rape or if the existence of the mummy is in threat. no rely how human beings spin it, from the 2d of concept, the cells have unique DNA and are coming up. combating the form of a guy or woman, no rely if 10 days old or 10 years old, is homicide. 2) Do you have self assurance interior the loss of existence penalty? confident. So why do no longer I help abortion? the toddler did no longer something incorrect. The assassin murdered somebody. 3) Do you like marijuana could be legalized? confident, for scientific purposes purely. My fellow Christians won't like this, yet I guess they have not any problems with morphine being given to ill sufferers. i think of it particularly is the comparable thought. Plus, the Bible prescribes wine for scientific makes use of in a million Timothy 5:23 and in Proverbs 31:6. 4) What are your religious ideals? Do you have self assurance purely those ideals are suitable, and all others ought to be kept away from? Jesus mentioned he's the only thank you to heaven. 5) Do you think of comparable intercourse marriage ought to be legalized? No. 6) ought to the alcohol age be diminished to 18? No. 7) ought to the U.S. end involvement in wars interior the middle-east? That relies upon. 8) Assisted suicide, ought to it particularly is criminal? relies upon. 9) Do you have self assurance in spanking your babies? confident. 10) What could you p.c. out as politically? Conservative, liberal, or different? Conservative.

Answer 10

I agree with your last sentence. God has given us the bible to show us the way he wants us to live our lives, but at the same time we have the free will to obey or ignore it. He has told us the consequences of both actions. We can choose life or we can choose death. Deut 11:26 & 27 ....the blessing or the malediction.."

Answer 11

what if you look at it this way! there is no hell, there is no heaven....it's just a story which some intelligent people made up thousands and thousand of years ago as people were afraid of the unknown and somebody had to do something about it and it turned out you can manipulate people to do things to your benefit because there are only 2 things that 'disturb' humanity the most-
why are we here? and
what happens when we die?
i suggest you look outside the catholic view and realize there is more to this world than just your way of thinking.