I thought it was a fairly simple concept, but I've read several different definitions and interpretations since I began participating on R&S.
Don't quote me Bible scriptures; I would know to know what YOU think. I'll give the 10 points to the person who best answers the question at hand.
2007-04-23 04:51:57 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Free will
The ability to make my own decisions and determine my own fate and to live with whatever consequence they may bring.
2007-04-23 04:55:22 · answer #1 · answered by Diane A 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Are We Free? Do We Have Free Will? If God exercises providential control over all events are we in any sense free?
The answer depends on what is meant by the word 'free'. In some senses of the word 'free', everyone agrees that we are free in our will and in our choices. Thus, when we ask whether we have free will, it is important to be clear as to what is meant by the phrase.
Nowhere does it say that we are free in the sense of being outside of God’s sovereign control or of being able to make decisions that are not caused by anything. (This is the sense in which many people seem to assume we must be free.) Nor does it say we are free in the sense of being able to do right on our own apart from God’s power.
BUT, WE ARE nonetheless FREE in the greatest sense that any creature of God could be free: we make willing choices, choices that have real effects. We are aware of no restraints on our will from God when we make decisions.
We must insist that we have the power of willing choice; otherwise we will fall into the error of fatalism or determinism and thus conclude that our choices do not matter, or that we cannot really make willing choices.
2007-04-23 05:12:56 · answer #2 · answered by Ask Mr. Religion 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Every question to a believer has MANY different interpretations. You'll rarely get the same answer twice unless one of the lemmings copied & pasted someone else's answer because they couldn't come up with a good one on their own.
Edit:
I love the first answer..... Free will is the ability to do god's will..... So free will (freedom to choose) is defined by being a slave to god's will?? That makes sense!
2007-04-23 04:55:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Most people would say it has to do with "being able to do whatever one chooses." Let me mention three ways we normally limit our choices.
We live in a limited context. We have laws which actually bind and limit our freedoms. Freedom is illusive. We live in a limited context. Our greatest problem is how to live without interfering with the preferences of other people. Most people don't worry about what God wants!
We are limited in power. We can only do so many things. What I desire is not what I can do. I can wish to fly but that does not increase my ability to fly. No one stops me from flying. I just don't have the power. God, on the other hand, is all powerful and can carry out His choices. He is sovereign, not us.
We are limited in desire. We will only do what we desire or prefer. We are limited by what we desire and want. For example, I will not choose to buy beets. I don't like them. I don't want them. My desires shape what I choose and will.
This last issue probably doesn't seem relevant, but it is very important. The problem is that we want 'free will' to mean "to be free to choose anything that could be." But our former definition, "being able to do whatever one chooses" is correct. We slide back and forth between these two definitions and they confuse the issues at hand. For this reason I have added the third point above.
Hope I helped you out!
2007-04-23 05:03:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
I think you may be indirectly probing toward the concept that God knows all that is and all that is to come and that to act one way or another (however one chooses to act) has been predetermined. Most people have wrestled with this idea for some time, do we drift along on the waters of fate, destiny, god’s will.. whatever.. or do we control the ebb and flow of all events?
In a religious sense… we don’t know the future, we don’t know what’s going to happen to us. Our free will is our ability to choose something based on a lack of knowledge of future events. Whether it’s pre-determined or not being immaterial. If you think of God as essentially having a TiVo of the world..imagine his perspective as one of someone who is catching the game after it’s already done. He knows the outcome of the game already. He knows the motivations of the players and other outside influences (Thanks to commentators), but for the time the game is on, no matter how many times you go back over it, the players continue to strive for the unknown outcome. God knows what the outcome is, but the players do not.
Our world, from God’s perspective could be thought of in that sense. God knows the outcome. We do not. We can only conjecture and guess as to the outcome of our decisions, but the outcome is always unknown,,even if it is fairly predictable most of the time. Every decision is a tiny leap of faith.. usually not much of one. And I somehow doubt whether my brief pondering of a Java Chip Frappucino versus a Dulce de Leche Frappucino is really considered a leap of faith that I will be pleased with my choice, but the outcome of that decision is known to God, if not to me.
We make thousands of decisions each and every day.. from getting out of bed to bathing to jumping off of a cliff. While God knows the options we will choose, we do not. God knows the consequences of our choices with a surety we cannot comprehend, We, muddle along, choosing to eat lunch at Two J’s, or choosing to offer a homeless person a few bucks to get lunch, or choosing to make our world a better place. God knows what we will choose, but we do not...and that's what makes life so interesting to us.
2007-04-23 05:15:41 · answer #5 · answered by lystrayel 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Free Will is knowing the facts of a situation and choosing which you decide to believe or follow. Children know it is wrong to lie, but may choose to do so if they think they will get by with it or avoid punishment. People know it is wrong to commit murder, but some choose to do it. Free will is the choice one makes.
2007-04-23 05:11:35 · answer #6 · answered by Sarah S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Free will is having the right to choose the direction of your life and make choices about the decisions you face. It involves knowing the consequences and being willing to accept them. It also involves ethics and morals and knowing right from wrong. It may seem easy, but in reality, its not at all.
The Skeptical Christian
Grace and Peace
Peg
2007-04-23 05:09:22 · answer #7 · answered by Dust in the Wind 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I define free will and the ability to choose amongst your desires. This does not involve what your desires might be or how they are conditioned. Desires are conditioned and these conditions shape decision making. If they did not, all of our decisions would be not merely free but random or arbitrary. We do not make arbitrary decisions but decisions based on experience, preference, and so forth which are factors we are not free to change.
2007-04-23 05:08:15 · answer #8 · answered by Aspurtaime Dog Sneeze 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Free will is the ability to decided where you go, what you do, what you think, and what you believe. I can choose to read all your arguments for why there is no God, I can even choose to believe them and God won't strike me down for that. I can choose to go out and commit unspeakable acts and God won't strike me down. I can choose to love God and follow the Bible or I can leave it. There are times in my life when I have left it and gone my own way.
So why did I choose to come back? Because I found life without God to be lonely, empty and meaningless. To me God is someone I can talk to without ever wondering if they're going to stab me in the back or accidentally tell my private thoughts to the public. God is a friend who will NEVER disappoint me.
To put to you personally: You've chosen to not believe in God and God has done nothing to you for it.
2007-04-23 05:09:15 · answer #9 · answered by Mandy43110 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Free will
we all are free to make out own decisions
first and most obvious to believe in God or not to
next is if we do believe to serve God or not to
and if we serve Him next we decide to follow His will or not (we are free to leave)
regardless of what we decide God will not make us follow Him, nor will he make us do right.
as nice and easy as it sound He will not stop those who chose to do wrong from doing it. that is what this life is for, for us to make our chooses.
We can not blame God for the wrong we make, for very one can do as we want.
but there are consequences for our actions, like if you steal you can go to jail... etc.
2007-04-23 05:05:02 · answer #10 · answered by Noble Angel 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will is the ability to make choices that have causes and effects without a predetermined outcome.
2007-04-23 04:57:30 · answer #11 · answered by Truth is elusive 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋