I believe in understanding things, PROPERLY and the correct definition of “freewill” according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary is freewill [n] the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion or [adj.] voluntary. It is important to grasp the correct understanding of freewill and not the deliberate misuse of the word by some people.
In order to have freewill, we must be free to choose WITHOUT constraint or necessity. The choice must also be voluntary. There is no freewill when choice is made under threat or is coerced in anyway out of fear of punishment or hope of reward.
To illustrate: If a parent holds a child’s hand over a burning stove and says, ‘Love and obey me and I will let you enjoy your favourite dessert. If you do not love and obey me I will burn your hand off!” certainly, the child has a choice.
But my question is, did that child have the FREEWILL to make that choice?
2007-03-22 04:27:30 · 6 answers · asked by jessicabjoseph 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Following God isn't a necessity in and of itself. You don't have to follow God, it's just that if you don't you'll be punished for your sin in hell. God wants you to obey Him, but you don't have to. People seem to think that bc disobeying God has a bad consequence, that they don't have free will. Why? A person has the free will to either obey the law or break it. Obeying the law has good consequences, and disobeying it has bad ones, but you still have the choice.
Again, Oxford is defining free will as having a choice without consequence. I'm afraid that isn't an accurate definition. Choices have consequences. Follow God and you have a good consequence of going to heaven, disobeying God has the bad consequence of going to hell.
2007-03-22 04:49:07 · answer #1 · answered by STEPHEN J 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having free will does not mean that consequences cease to exist.
At any point, the child can refuse to obey the parent or choose to accept the parent's conditions, that is the 'free' part. Although the consequences are different for each action, they ultimately only represent one aspect that the child takes into consideration. If the child realizes that the parent's method of 'choosing love' makes them unworthy, the child can easily choose to have their hand burned, in which case the fact that the parent did burn their hand only reinforced the idea within the child's mind that the parent is 'unworthy' of love, thus they chose wisely.
Consequences do not remove free-will since we can choose to 'ignore' them for reasons that we might consider 'stronger', and thus ultimately present no obstacle to our deciding. Forgetting that we have 'options' does not make them go away, anymore than forgetting that Australia exists makes it cease or disappear.
2007-03-22 04:51:47 · answer #2 · answered by Khnopff71 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It seems to me that the Christians that I know who believe in free will see it as more of a yes/no freedom. God says this, we have free will to decide yes I will agree/follow that or no I will not support that. Yes = obedience, no = disobedience and sin. I view free will differently though. I see it more as an essay. God does not write our lives, he wants us to write a life that pleases him. If our lives are a book for him to read, it makes more sense that we would be the authors because then our lives are an offering to him. If he were the author, we'd just be like Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction - we have no real say in what goes into the book, so God would be a lonely author reading his own books. Blessings in the Light of Christ!
2007-03-22 04:44:43 · answer #3 · answered by Guvo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The million dollar question: Will you go to Heaven? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. Jesus took your punishment upon Himself -"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus, and God will grant you everlasting life. Then read your Bible daily and obey it.
2007-03-22 04:46:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will results in freedom of choices, as one of the possible results. It also results in analytical thinking, discretionary independence... any process where the will is free.
'obey me and I WILL let you enjoy your favourite dessert' , negates free will by its very words. BTW these basal (low sentient) level analogies are too arcane to be of any value in understanding.
2007-03-22 04:43:05 · answer #5 · answered by Wonka 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dear Friend,
Of course it is freedom of choice, the idea of hell fire is not a teaching of the bible, but of man.
Why not read it and find out.
God Bless
2007-03-22 04:33:44 · answer #6 · answered by ianptitchener 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋