Christians: God deliberately designed us with the freedom to commit sin?

Question

He deliberately gave us the freedom to kill one another, to commit rape and torture and mayhem upon one another, to commit genocide?

A loving God did this?

If you could design your children, or the children of your neighbours, would -you- design them with the freedom to do these things?

Especially if you knew that by not designing them to avoid these things, they would, in fact, rape and murder?

Isn't a loving God supposed to do all he can to ensure bad things don't happen to His creations?

Isn't a loving parent supposed to all he/she can to make sure bad things don't happen to the children?

Please explain why a loving God did not design us to avoid doing bad things to each other?

Wouldn't a loving parent step in if his/her children were literally trying to kill each other?

Or is it the duty of a loving parent to let them do whatever they want and say it's the children's "free will" that causes the problems?

Answer 1

...aren't you glad you have this free will to write what you just wrote express yourself in the process?

...do you let your child grow, by letting him explore the world on his own, and make his own decisions, make his own mistakes, so that he can grow up mentally and mature? ..or do you smoother him with your false 'love' with denial of free will, lock him up safely in his room?

...would you not risk him endangering himself so that he can grow up and mature, and do great things that you can be proud of?

...would you not teach him all you can, but finally let go - but nevertheless, forgive him each time he falls, welcome and receive him everytime he comes back to you nevertheless...
...........................and all *because* you *love* him?

God loves you.

Answer 2

But if God takes away this ability you can not even ask this quetion. That evil exists and you admit this means that you know there is something better that there must be an ultimate good. If there is no ultimate good, no absolute then all the things you decry as being evil and blame God for not preventing are merely inconveniences and matters of opinion. Since you appear so adamant about these things you know there are absolutes. Where did the absolutes come from ?

Answer 3

What would you like? A robot? God didn't cause people to hurt each other. People chose to hurt each other! God gave the Ten commandments as rules to live by. Break 'em and you hurt others and yourself! But don't be fooled. God is merciful, but there will be judgment for those who have broke the law. And since everyone has broken the law, a loving God made away of pardon through his son Jesus. But it all comes down to our choices!

Answer 4

We need the free will aspect because we need to make the choice to be believers and the doctrine in the bible on our own. We do not raise our children up to be criminals but because of free will the parents did not do their job. If parents raise their children up to be Godly and the children do not follow this as adults then it is not the parents but our society as a whole. God needs to know where our hearts lie and even though he is the all knowing we still have to make the right choices.

Answer 5

Parents usually have more control over their children than they actually excercise. For example, they could easily tie their children to chairs or lock them in closets to prevent them from fighting with each other. They could absolutely strip them of all liberty, and in so doing, prevent them from ever injuring themselves or other people. Do you think that's good parenting?

The question we need to ask is whether God's actions are justified. To be justified, one must have a morally justifiable reason for what he does.

Let's say Jim trips Bob. The first thing Bob is going to want to know from Jim is WHY he tripped him. So he asks, "Jim, why did you trip me?" The reason this question comes up is because we want to know if Jim was justified. If he's justified, then Bob isn't going to be angry, but if he's not justified, then Bob has something to hold against them.

If Jim said, "I tripped you because you're funny looking, and I thought it might get a good laugh," Bob (and most of us) would not consider that a good justification.

But if Jim said, "I tripped you because you were running toward a cliff, and it's the fastest way I could think of to stop you," Jim (and most of us) would consider that a justified action.

So the act of tripping, in itself, is only right or wrong in relation to the justification for it.

In the same way, before we can say whether God is justified in allowing or causing all the evil in the world, we first have to know if he has any good reason for doing so. If he has a good reaon, then he's justified, but if he doesn't have a good reason, then he's not justified.

The problem is that we have no way of knowing the intent behind God's every action, or his purpose in every event that happens in our world.

Since we lack this knowledge, we're in no position to say that God should've done things differently.

Answer 6

The basic principle is that if GOD programmed us to be obedient and loving toward one another, then HE would have created little robots to serve HIM and obey HIM. Even the angels in heaven were not immune to the wiles of the Devil. Satan drew 1/3 of all the angels in heaven! GOD will never drag anyone into heaven nor program them to go to heaven by default. HE draws people with a kind and gentle voice. GOD took a great risk by instilling in us a free will. This will be our test, to resist temptation to sin or to drown in sin.

GOD bless

Answer 7

If I had the capability of designing my children. I'd design them to have free will. Otherwise, their obedience to my rules is meaningless. They would have no choice but to do "what's right." They would be no different than mindless machines. That's not life and affection or love that comes as a result of that is not worth anything. My car does whatever I tell it to do (as long as it doesn't break down) and it is incapable of love and I don't care one iota about it.

Answer 8

God created mankind to have dominion over the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air,and to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth.He also command adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge and good and evil, for the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die.(Genesis 2:17)

So it was from the day adam and eve eat of the tree that they were commanded not to eat from the bad things started.(Genesis 3:15-19)

The devil was in the beginning he started it,and he is trying to get all of on his side but he knows that his end is drawing near that's why he is causing all this havoc on earth but soon his end will come because jesus will be coming soon to take his children home, and the devil will be cast in a lake of fire he and his followers.

Answer 9

A loving God gave his children all they needed to make good choices, but because a choice is no choice unless there is an opposing view point presented...So, God has allowed the opposing view point.

God is not responsible for our Choices. We are. God has given us everything we need to return to Him. He won't force us.

I would agree with you and your POV if God hadn't given us everything we need to make good choices and to return to Him. But he has. So, I disagree with your POV. God is loving...that is WHY He won't force us to be with Him or even follow Him.

Answer 10

I think you must be judging God according to the understanding of a man. God is an eternal being he is not temporary. It is your eternal salvation that is the plan of God.
Those that love life will surely lose it and those who sacrifice it for his names sake will have it eternally. We are not created to be temporary sinners but eternal creatures made new in his righteousness.