Christians always say that we choose to go to hell because God gave us free will. But if God is omniscient, and knows exactly what we're going to do before we do it, then it never really was a choice in the first place. God created hell and then created billions of people knowing exactly who was going to hell and who was going to heaven. If God created someone knowing before they were even created that they were just going to go to hell, why would he create them in the first place? Wouldn't creating someone just to send them to hell be, by definition, sadistic? When you consider this, is hell really a choice? If we are all just part of the creation of an all knowing God, and we are just doing what he knew before we were created that we were going to do, then we never really had free will in the first place.
2007-07-01 17:44:33 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Steve: wtf? Don't tell me to read the bible, what makes you think I haven't?
2007-07-01 17:50:52 · update #1
that's exactly what I always say. "God" knew I wasn't going to believe in him, yet he created me anyway. Which means he must have created me with the express purpose of sending me to hell.
and to WhyBother: yes, it does actually. if he already knows what you're going to do, then you don't have the option to do anything else, now do you?
2007-07-01 17:49:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 3⤋
I take it that you have never been a parent.
Here is the stuation we face as parents. Often, we give our kids an option on what to do, but hope that they will make the right choice. Because we love our kids, we want them to learn responsibility, instead of just forcing them to be good or to do the right thing. Because we want them to learn from the experiences.
For me, it's the same way with God. How would it be if you were forced to obey God? Would you do it because you wanted to, or would you do it because you had no choice? God says that he knows our hearts, and he wants us to choose to be there with God.
Besides, it takes more than a prayer or a baptism to have that relationship with Jesus to get to heaven. The Bible speaks about those that know his voice are the ones that go to heaven. That means that you need to have a close relationship with God in order to Go.
People need to remember that heaven in our religion is not just a reward. It's going to His home on a permanent basis. So, doesn't he have the right to only have those who want to be with him, there? Why would he want to have someone there who doesn't even like Him?
As a parent, would you want any teen hanging around your house that hated you? Probably not.
2007-07-01 17:54:19 · answer #2 · answered by Searcher 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This really is simple- you have a choice, however, God knows WHAT choice you are going to make , before you make it- that does not mean He is the one making it for you. He created us - so please, don't blame God for the choses that we make.
Ok, this is going to get some comments I know, but here it goes. If a baby was going to be created and then the woman decides to abort- you could also say it is God's fault for creating the child in the first place- WRONG-
Here is another more "earthly" example- What if you and your child had a conversation, and he/she decided to do something other than you wished or wanted for them- would you have wished you never had that child- or course not, and there would be consequences to our children's bad choices, right? If there are life long consequences for our children, why shouldn't there be for us as God's children? We cannot blame God for our choices.
2007-07-01 18:24:10 · answer #3 · answered by AdoreHim 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is not a very strong argument you have. Okay, what if God made everyone perfect so we would all go to heaven...would that be giving us a free will? No. Just because God knows what decisions we will make doesn't mean that he makes those decisions for us. So yes, we do have free will. Yes, hell is a choice. It's a choice you make when you deny Jesus Christ our savior. Everyone has the opportunity to go to heaven, unfortunately many will end up in hell because they lack the intelligence to accept the gift of eternal life God has offered us all. Hopefully one day someone can preach to you the right words to bring you to Christ because he gave his life for you too (even if you don't believe). People talk so bad about Christians because we have hope and faith. I think everyone is just jealous because they don't have the comfort of knowing their sins are forgiven and heaven awaits them. Athiests want to believe in evolution (which is a load of crap) and they believe they just die and rot and thats the end...so if you have no religion...why are you mad that we have one? What does it hurt you who has no faith? Why can't you people accept it? You CAN"T change us. Your futile attempts are in vain. So find a new subject, this one is getting quite boring.
2007-07-01 18:02:31 · answer #4 · answered by Marie Jane 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Everyday everyone person has the choice to do good and bad, right and wrong. God gives us choices throughout our lives and He has equipped us with the necessary things to make the right choices. However, not everyone chooses the right path. The Bible says that God loves all of us and wishes that no one would perish, but that we would all be saved. However, he gives us free will because HE is a gentle God and does not push himself on anyone. Rather, he waits patiently for those that will to come to him.
2007-07-01 17:58:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You still have free will. God knows that you will approach a dog with your car next Tuesday, but He also knows that you will choose to swerve and miss the dog (or try to anyhow), or maybe He knows that you will approach the dog and NOT swerve or miss it, which ever happens. God doesn't often step in and change things against free will. God bless.
2016-05-21 00:24:55 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are all born into sin with the probability of going to hell God gave us free will as a choice he wants us to choose him and his commandments on our own or not to as our own choice, he gives us every opportunity to choose him all we have to do is ask forgiveness for our sins and we are forgiven if we sincerely mean we are repentant, God does not know who all is going to heaven and who is going to hell until judgment day when we must all stand before him and account for how we lived on earth for ourselves, this is why he gave us free will so he dose not have to choose , we get to choose him that is if we love him more than we love the worldly temptations that we are challenged with each and every day.
2007-07-01 18:15:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is one of those questions I struggled with for years, until it was stuff like this that made me realize it was all baloney. It doesn't add up. A all-loving, all-knowing god who knows exactly what I'm going to do can't send me to hell. It's logically impossible, unless of course he's NOT all loving and is really just a sadistic tyrant. In which case, I wouldn't want to spend eternity with him anyway.
2007-07-01 17:54:22 · answer #8 · answered by ? 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's just one of the many, many reasons I decided to leave religion. It doesn't make sense to me why he would create something then dam it to a fiery place. If he was all knowing, then why would he create men and women and let them procreate full well knowing that they wouldn't take care of their off spring the proper way? Or let them be born full well knowing that the child will be abused in some way or another by parents or someone else.
2007-07-01 17:53:59 · answer #9 · answered by sweetgurl13069 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't agree ! God has a plan and what ever is in his plan WE Do Not Know !! It is not meant for us to know and we can not understand everything there is to know right now! It is not in his plan yet for us to be so wise!!! God knows everything but free will is to choose your own way ! You do decide if you want to beleive in GOD or Not !! Don't you? That is what Faith is, trusting and believing in God Even when you do not have all the answers yet!!! Trusting in God to one day give you the answer and Not Questioning Him!! You can question all you want too and still not have all the answers! You just have to believe in him and feel secure in him anyway !! There will always be someone questioning God!!! But its your chose to beleive in him or not , it's up to you ! I don't think god created anyone to just send them back to hell ! God wants all of us to go to heaven ! That is why He sent Jesus !! To save us and forgive us !!!! If it is so what you say then why did he send Jesus to save us??? We have a free will to chose right from wrong too ! If there is no god then why are we born to begin with?? What hope do we have ? What do we have after this life? I would rather believe there is a GOD then to Not believe and HAve Nothing!!! Nothing to look forward to ! God gives us HOpe and eternal Life !! Without hope you have nothing! I feel sorry for those who have No HOpe! What do they have? Nothing! No hope for a future or life after death, No heaven! That would be terrible!!! Well , I for one Choose to believe in GOd!! I have HOpe and lots of it!! I pray for you that you stop questionong God and just trust in him and believe in him !
2007-07-01 18:05:39 · answer #10 · answered by monkeymomma46 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God had to create bad people because without bad people there would be no good, and no one will learn from other's mistakes, and everyone would be perfect, and life would be boring and unfulfilling wouldn't it?? i think we are tricked into thinking what we do is free will, when actually it's all planned out for us. but since it feels like free will, then we might as well live with it, since it's the best we can get.
2007-07-01 17:49:20 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋