Can God be surprised or disappointed if he's omniscient?

Question

Bryan: You have not thought this through. If you did you wouldn't make comments like that. Your analogy is incorrect. Think.

If god knows a person will murder before he creates them, and then creates them anyway, he cannot be disappointed when they do it because it would be his fault. He could only be disappointed with himself for doing such a ridiculous thing.

Answer 1

You just don't get it , do you?

Answer 2

Depending on how you construe omniscience, yes.

Clearly, omniscience in the sense of knowing future contingencies as setlled facts is incompatible with human free-will.

However, "omniscience" means "the knowledge of all (things)." Let's assume that future contingencies exist as possibilities, but not as actualities. Then God's "knowledge of all things" means that God knows actualities as actualities, and possibilities as possibilities. But he does not know which possibilities will be actualized by the actions of free agents, because those decisions do not yet exist to be known.

In short, yes, God can be surprised and disappointed.

There are several theological schools which have employed this kind of reconciliation of divine omniscience and human (or, more deeply, cosmic) freedom:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molinism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_theism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_theology

Answer 3

Ponder this one. Its one of my MANY that have stumped everyone. It just geoes to show that there is no god, and if there is he isn't all he's cracked up to be

Every thing that is perfect is whole in itself. If god is perfect, then why did he create us because he is lonely? If he is perfect then why did he need us?

Also, its an old one but a good one!

God can do "ANYTHING" right? Well can he create a rock so big and heavy he cannot lift it?

Answer 4

Since He is omniscient he is aware before anything surprise or disappoint Him. He know the end from the beginning.

Answer 5

Isn't it strange and disappointing how very human most people's gods are? The problem with most monotheistic religions is that all the bad human attributes seem to be magnified to superhuman, or even infinite, levels.

Answer 6

Hi XXL,

This is again a interesting question. One of supposition.

What does or should omniscient mean? It is defined by the vocabulary of men. In concept it means all knowing. Does that mean in control of, able to effect, without feeling? I cannot say with certainty.

To me I am comfortable with the defined concept of: knowlege beyond that which we as men will ever be able to achive in our mortal state. The ability or wisdom to understrand and use natural law to organize matter to form the universe and to set in progress the order of all that we experience. That is enough for me to submit to as omnicient. It has me beat beyond my ability to comprehend.

Yet if I am true to what I do know, I know that even though with my limited experience, I, who am bound by the same natural law that God is able to use as a tool of craft, I having greater knowledge and wisdom that that of my son, having imperfect love, am able to feel sorrow and yes, dissapointment.

It is a necessary part of this state of existance, not in opposition but as a matter of our progression. So why, would I assume that something so a part of and necessary that we would agree to submit ourselves to this state in order that we might progress, understand and become more like our Father, be absent as we progress further along the continum of enlightenment?

This I know, God loves us and cares for us and is able and willing to aid us at our request. He does even at times unbeknown to us.

Does he feel dissapointment? I can only imagine how great at times.

Answer 7

I think that the female aspect of him can have emotion over what happens but the male part is all about the "plan" that he already knows therefore can not feel the emotion of it.

Answer 8

He can be saddenend.
But why? good question. He knows that everything will happen before it does. One would think he would expect it. I'll ask him about this when I get into heaven.

*adds line number 35,016 to list of questions to ask God in heaven"

Answer 9

Yes, read the Scriptures, God is very emotional, to put it very bluntly.

Answer 10

God CAN be. But because He's omniscient, He's not.

Answer 11

You know your child is going to get into trouble at sometime, are you going to be disapointed when it happens? Your asking really stupid questions btw.