My new puppy, Diogenes, has free will. He can pee on the carpet, if he wants. If he freely decides to pee on the grass, however, he will get a bisquit!
We humans, according to Christianity, have "free will" to accept Jesus. Except, if we DO accept him, we can freely go to heaven. If we don't accept him, we MUST go to hell. There's no "free will" if you are punished for choosing "wrong."
Can you explain how extreme, eternal punishment for choosing wrong can STILL be call "free will"?
2007-06-25 08:16:43 · 33 answers · asked by Laptop Jesus 3.9 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes! We've got a thinker on our hands! Very good question!
An equally relevant and fitting question is how can free will exist in Heaven? Speaking to religious leaders and devout Christians they will tell you Heaven is the only place that is perfect, sin free, peaceful, etc. If Heaven is a sin free domain of god's then that must mean I am no longer capable of sin once in heaven. Does this not mean I have lost my free will?
Reason #10,093 why Christianity is absurd.
2007-06-25 09:45:44 · answer #1 · answered by Alex S 4 · 2⤊ 3⤋
You let your dog pee on your carpet? You don't punish him or encourage him to pee in the grass?
The difference between choosing Christianity and not choosing Christianity is more about when and what rewards you reap from your choices. Choosing to not be a Christian is "OK" but the rewards you receive from that lifestyle are given on this earth and they are immediate and once your life is over so are the rewards. In choosing the christian lifestyle reward is delayed until the afterlife.
Think of it more as the choosing how to eat at a Thanksgiving feast. Do you stuff your face to the point where you have to unfasten your pants to be comfortable (An example of the non-christian lifestyle) or do you eat more sensibly (an example of the Christian lifestyle)? When the waiter offers you the surprise piece of pumpkin pie or that Wafer Thin Mint are you able to accept it an enjoy or are you too full and you can't stand another bite.
Hope that helps.
2007-06-25 08:59:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will is always within God's limits. So as we have a lot of options here on earth, there are only two choices what comes to the eternity: hell and heaven. I had a lot of help understanding this concept when I read the book " Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren.
So, you do not have an option of not wanting to be with God and not to go to hell. Heaven is for everyone. But you do not have to choose it. I do not know how to advice you to reconsider. Free will ends when you die. And we all die.
2007-06-25 12:15:12 · answer #3 · answered by Nina, BaC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mugg is correct. EVERY action has its consequences. The foundation for the answer, though, is that God cannot be in the presence of sin. That's why He had to 'forsake' or abandon Jesus on the cross. We cannot enter into His presence with sin. But by grace through faith and obedience, Jesus' blood provides a way. It's like telling the dog to pee on the grass and then letting him outside so he can.
2007-06-25 08:25:35 · answer #4 · answered by starfishltd 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, in a literal sense, the crime doesn’t fit the punishment, but I think the story works wonderfully as a metaphor for the rewards and consequences that happen in real life.
If you are going to take it all literally though, I would still consider it free will, but that’s why it’s so cruel. If god gave us free will (knowing that many humans were predestined to chose wrong) and then sends us to hell for not choosing what he wants us to choose…well, that’s pretty frickin’ evil…
2007-06-25 08:25:01 · answer #5 · answered by A 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, you can still choose it, if you want to. The idea is that God doesn't control your actions like a puppet. However, to call the current set up according to Christians "free will" is a bit of a misnomer. I'd call it "less than absolute rule" or perhaps "I COULD have made life completely boring, but I didn't."
2007-06-25 08:22:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Free will is the choice you make having looked at all the facts, them making a descision to go with what you feel is right for you. There is consequences to every thing you decide. Free chice is when given all no variables you the take the one you wish. You then are faced with that decision and all that it entails good or bad
2007-06-25 08:23:16 · answer #7 · answered by s. grant 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're right about being able to freely choose between God and His enemy. The choice is ours, but there are consequences to ALL our choices. The consequence of not choosing God is eternal damnation. That's the purpose of having a choice, if there wasn't something good and something bad to get, then what's the sense of offering a choice?
God Bless You
2007-06-25 08:22:29 · answer #8 · answered by B Baruk Today 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Isn't it possible to reverse the statement, too? If we choose to accept Jesus/God, we MUST go to heaven (because He will take us there) and if we choose to ignore Him, we WILL go to hell, because He will leave us to whatever fate will become us.
How does your dog have free will, really? He gets a biscuit for being good, so he's good again. Christians are good assuming their efforts will be noticed and acknowledged, without any "biscuits" on the way.
2007-06-25 08:21:29 · answer #9 · answered by randyken 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
From my understanding of Christianity it works this way.
Once you say the magic word and accept Jesus as your personal savior you are free to pee where ever you want. All you have to do is recite the magic formula and god will ignore your pee accident. In fact you get brownie points for peeing on unbelievers.
As a non-Christian god is going to hate you no matter where you pee and is looking forward to making you suffer for all eternity.
2007-06-25 08:23:38 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋