How do you Christians resolve the inherent conflict between omniscience and a just and loving God?
The problem is this: Christianity ascribes the quality of omniscience to their God. By that definition, he knows all things, past present in future. He therefore knows the final outcome of everybody's life, including the decision to weather or not to "accept Christ" (however a particular denomination defines that) at some point in their life. This means, then, that he purposefully creates people knowing full well that their end result will be Hell (again, however defined by whatever denomination) - hardly the mark, in my opinion at least, of a "loving", "just" and / or "omnibenevolent" God.
Any thoughts / responses?
2007-06-21 18:32:22 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
From experience, you'll get a lot of doublespeak from the Christians about how we have "choice" to accept Christ or not... the fact that our destinies are predetermined by the sky pixie seems to be overlooked by them.
Personally, I love this argument and bring it up in most religious discussions.
2007-06-21 18:40:24 · answer #1 · answered by Dazcha 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There is no problem in this "conundrum." Since I believe God is a truly loving God, he created humans with the capacity of free will. This opens up the possibility of true love. Love is not love if it is forced upon someone else. Love is only love if it is a conscious choice. Thus, God created humans with the possibility to turn against him, but also with the possibility to accept his love and enter in a relationship with him. God is omniscient and knows the outcome of all our choices, but that does not mean he made those choices for us. We effectively choose hell when we turn away from him, yet at the same time, we can choose life if we choose to love him.
2007-06-21 18:44:02 · answer #2 · answered by akkschwy 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What makes you think you were hard wired, or predestined by God to either accept Christ or reject Christ? The ability, the free will, was hard wired into you to accept or reject. God did not create pre-programmed automatons, of which some are destined to Heaven, and others destined to Hell. God's omniscience has no play in this whatsoever. You are given the options to accept or reject. This is voluntary on your part. If God already predestined your future for you, then why did He send Christ as a redeemer?
I think you are way confused on the nature, and person of God.
2007-06-21 18:46:40 · answer #3 · answered by C J 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, He is omniscient. So yes, He knows that some people will go to Hell. Which to some seems cruel. But God gave us the privelege of free will. If He only created people that would accept Him, or made all people believe in Him, then that takes away our free will, does it not? Also, as a teacher once told me, "One of the best things a teacher can do for a student is to let them fail" (instead of giving them free extra credit or pushing them to do better when they're purposely slacking off). This could be applied to your question. One of the best things God can do for us, as humans, though it really hurts Him, is to let us live our lives choosing not to accept Him.
Also, if a person does not ever hear of God or get the opportunity to accept Him, then God does not simply send them to hell. He gives them all a chance. A little baby who dies is not going to go to hell, etc.
2007-06-21 18:44:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have any pets? Don't you know they will die someday and you will lose them forever? Why then did you get one if you knew it would perish?
It is all just a matter of choice. My mom is not a Christian and because of that I do not think she will go to heaven, but I do not wish my mom never existed or something like that. It is her choice, I am sad for her, but she is a sovereign person. God respects our sovereignty. If we say "Screw you God I don't want to spend eternity with you, I don't want to atone for my sin" he'll allow it. I think it requires great strength to let someone betray you and perish....
Oh and besides, even the person who does not accept Christ may be responsible for some good consequence. For instance a non-Christian wrote a letter to the editor trying to disprove Christianity. If that person goes to hell, would it have been more just for him to never let that person live so that they wouldn't go to hell? Well.. I wrote a counter reply and I know one person said they converted to Christianity after reading my reply, and who knows if any others converted.... So you see even a non-Christian can unintentionally stir someone to Christ.
2007-06-21 18:43:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is knowing something will happen the same thing as causing it to happen? For example, because a parent knows a child will behave a certain way, is that fore-knoweldge the cause of that behavior? The same principle is at work with the issue you present.
2007-06-21 18:46:18 · answer #6 · answered by jaicee 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
By stopping being religious and becoming what I term an Esoteric Christian Mystic. My studies have provided me with what I consider to be a broader understanding of the greater mysteries, although I still have much to learn, as do we all.
2007-06-21 18:37:15 · answer #7 · answered by Taliesin Pen Beirdd 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He know the outcome, but he doesn't make it happen. He gives us free will to choose whether to believe him or not and it's no one's fault but our own if we don't. We choose not to believe in Him, He just knows our hearts.
2007-06-21 19:01:12 · answer #8 · answered by mexico13 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree that God does know the outcome of our lives, but that we have free choice to decide it ourselves. HE knows what we are going to do before we do it, but does not control us.
2007-06-21 18:38:39 · answer #9 · answered by Tenn Gal 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I trust in God's infinite mercy and try not to let my finite mind try to dwell into that too much.
2007-06-21 18:37:23 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋