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Could God have created a world in which there were humans who had free will and in which they would not have chosen to sin? If so, why wouldn't he have used his knowledge of the future to determine to create that world instead of this one? If God could have created a world in which humans had free-will but did not fall into sin, but he chose instead to create a world in which human beings would abuse their free-will and sin, then how was the abuse of free-will and subsequent sin not a part of God's original intention?

2007-03-29 17:46:08 · 14 answers · asked by Steve 3 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

Look, I'm not asking if God could have created man free so that he would not sin. As if he could create a free man who wasn't free to sin. I'm asking if God could have created a man that was free to sin. The man could have sinned. But in the world God placed him in, he used his free will to make the free choice not to sin.

How does that make him a robot?

2007-03-29 17:57:14 · update #1

I am dumbfounded that so many of you think that I'm asking about whether God could have created man without free will. A "free agent" is one who has free will. I'm asking if there is a possible world in which humans have free will and do not sin. If there is such a possible world, why didn't God create that world?

2007-03-29 18:16:20 · update #2

14 answers

Read Leibnitz

Sure he could have. However a ulitilarain might answer that the value of a world with evil and with people who over come it or have a viturous response to it is greater than the value of a world without any evil. ( George N Schlesinger - New Perspectives on Old Time Religion ( a book of philosophy, not religion per se)).
On the other hand Leibnitz, whos theory Schlesinger was starting with, arguged god could not create such a world. While Leibnitz agreed it was physicall possible to create such a world, since a world with evil could be of net greater value, if god was to create a world at all, he would, out of necessity ( based on his perfection) creat the "best of all possible worlds". Since the best of all possible worlds includes evil it is the only world god could have created. ( I'm not going to drag out the book, but I'm pretty sure it is from his Theodocy.)


In response to those who say that a world without evil would eliminate free will, you are incorrect. God can choose to create a world using any of the infinite number of possible people. Since he knows the out come of every decision every one would ever make, he could easily have chosen to only populate the world with those that would freely choose to do the right thing. This would not be compelling their choice, only recognizing what choice a particular individual would make and giving only such people life.

2007-03-29 17:59:10 · answer #1 · answered by Zarathustra 5 · 1 0

Sin is separation from God. God made a world in which one could be separate from God if they chose to be. Not that God is not everywhere, but that the human person can turn off that part of themself that is aware of God's presence. Love is not love if the person that you love does not have the freedom to leave you. So in this way mankind has free will to love God and be in communion with Him or to live on their own away from God.

2007-03-29 18:07:18 · answer #2 · answered by tonks_op 7 · 0 1

I don't see why he couldn't create a world with free will that people chose not to sin. After all, he IS a GOD.

Seems like if he created a world where people DID sin then it had to be intentional. Therefore, it would be the cruelest thing I can think of to send such a creature as man to hell for all eternity.

2007-03-29 17:52:28 · answer #3 · answered by A 6 · 1 3

Do you think of yourself that you know more than God who created you. and why do you teach God. You only came from the dust and will return to dust and why do you want to grab the power of God? You are like Miguel Archangel who went against God by trying to know more better than God. and are you competing with Miguel Archaengel?

When God created everything on earth, everything have its purpose. Like in creating a man,Its the man who committed sin against God. He disobeys God and that is why there are sinners.

Again as regards to riches. Why there are rich people and there are poor people. and this is the answer. If God will make us all rich, nobody will work for the rich because you can not command a rich man like your self and who will work for you, to clean the dishes, to built your house and to bring you to school, office and anywhere you are going.You can not ask a rich man to drive for you but the lower class man can dirve you to where you want to go.

Use your intelligent qoutient on your asking question, please.
jtm

2007-03-29 18:11:33 · answer #4 · answered by Jesus M 7 · 0 1

The deep meaning of God,...we shall never know.
But what you have to understand, is that God is not intending to send some of us to hell.
It is the work of Satan that ruins our original Relationship with God.
That original tie that bonded us with our Lord was broken by Satan, when Eve ate that fruit of Knowledge.
God does not want us to go to hell, but it is the satan.
We are human beings, we cannot choose not to sin.
Satan will not leave us alone.
Some point or another, we will sin eventually. But only way we will be saved is by believing in Jesus Christ.

I guess God still created us even tho he knows that we will sin. But he gave us his only son to save us from the traps of Satan :] and thats what it matters.

2007-03-29 17:55:06 · answer #5 · answered by Peacemaker 3 · 0 0

Because by so doing he would have removed the free will. You miss the possibility that what he did was the right and best choice. You also ignore the fact that it was His intent for us NOT to sin. Having granted free will not only to us, but also to Lucifer left the possibility for this. It was after all the influence of Lucifer who aided in bringing the fall of man about.

2007-03-29 17:54:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

If He created mankind without free-will, we would all be perfect and have faith in Him and the world would be perfect. Yeah! Then we would all believe in God because He created us that, making us believe, forcing us to have faith. We would never sin and we would all go straight back to Heaven after we die, straight back to where our souls started from not having gained anything new. Not having learned anything new. Not having earned Heaven from our faith and good deeds. We get back to Heaven because He forced us to be perfect. I ask you then, what would be our purpose? Why would God have created us to begin with? Just to live with a perfect soul from Heaven and have that soul go back to Heaven? What would we gain from that? He wouldn't have had to send Jesus to earth. So we would all be Hebrews or Christians from the start?

You need to realize that God has His reasons and His purposes. He never has to justify Himself to mankind. He created us and He can destroy us. And He can do it any time and for any reason. Why? Because He is God. That's part of being God; that's part of His purpose of existence. He could have made a millions of planets like earth with only sea creatures. He could have made a dozen of planets like earth with only reptiles and birds. He could have made every planet in our solar system like earth with the same animals we have and with human beings. All with free-will and having different religions, wars, politics, same educational systems, etc. But He didn't. Why? Because He didn't and He can (not) do that because He is God. He created what He created because that's what He feels is best and when we die and have our judgment before His Son, Jesus Christ, hopefully all of our answers will be answered. Until then, the people with Christian faith have that faith; the Muslims have Islamic faith; the Jews have Judaism faith; and all the others and then there's thousands with lack of faith in everything religious. Why are we all like this? Because we have free wills and we have choosen to be this way. It's just the way it is. If one doesn't like it, change it, change yourself. Otherwise, deal with it, accept it. Live and let live. God is ineffable and there are certains things that you can only get the full answer from Him.

2007-03-29 18:06:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

No. The simple fact that they would be "free agents" would mean that their could be no guarantee that they would not sin. If God had made them without the free will thing, then they would have been mere robots....to do his bidding without purpose.

2007-03-29 17:51:00 · answer #8 · answered by Poohcat1 7 · 2 1

The people in your question would be named robots, not humans. May God Bless U.

2007-03-29 17:53:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2 1

Because God and Satan are playing chess with us. only the pieces (us) decide how to move God and Satan can only give suggestions of course Satan cheats every once and awhile. Also Free-Will isn't free will unless we have the right to abuse it.

2007-03-29 17:59:17 · answer #10 · answered by Cat's Eye Angie 3 · 0 2

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