Accidental- coz God wouldnt give us free will if Eve didnt commit the first sin(as the bible claims) a Gift we gained or given?
Premeditated- coz Nature seems to bestow only us(human nature) to choose.... a Curse to be a lone thinker or feeler?
2007-07-18 16:10:47 · 18 answers · asked by enki 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I'll take a stab at that because I choose too.
On the Christian bent, it wasn't God's act that created freewill, but the temptation of the serpent. By choosing to disobey, Eve ate the apple and she choose to give it to Adam as well. So in an odd sense, the greatest proponent of "freewill" would be the Devil, the biggest freewill proponent ever (you have to be if you want to kick God out of heaven).
As for nature "bestowing?" a "Curse?" to be a lone thinker or feeler. Well, we're technically not alone, we have one another and if you were truly alone you wouldn't have asked the question unless you were talking to yourself. In which case, you need to go to the nice padded room. That aside, as for being the only creature to have freewill, have you really tried to get a cat to come when it's name is called? Oh they KNOW their name darnit. They just ain't coming! THAT'S freewill.
The thing that really struck me about your post that peaked my interest was you came at this from the opposite end. Most people spend their time asking about predestination of actions instead of freewill. You infer from your post that you seem to believe that it was predetermined that we have freewill either by God or Nature, which is strangely saying that there is freewill only by suffrage of God or Nature. Strange view. You're arguing that freewill does exist, but only because that was in the script.
2007-07-18 16:28:32 · answer #1 · answered by Michael C 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I think your "accidental" and "premeditated" are a bit off base. Free will IS one of the accidents of our humanity, by that I mean it is part of our essence. It had nothing to do with Eve committing a sin, it had everything to do with God's creation of man as a free moral agent. Whether we call it a curse or not depends on what we do with it and how we deal with the results. It is part of our nature, and since we exist by the will of God we might say it is premeditated, but hardly could say in that sense it is a curse. Our redemption is also premeditated, hidden from the foundation of the world in God's foreknowledge. It's something recalled in the concept of "O felix culpa", O happy fault, O blessed sin of Adam, that merited such a Redeemer. Blessing and Curse are two sides of the same coin. We are not alone, our thoughts and feelings are those of all humanity. The Bible does not claim Eve "committed" the first sin, it says that in Adam all sinned, and in Christ all shall be made to live. This is a radically different concept of free will, because it is only in choosing life, turning from sin and death, that we are truly free.
2007-07-19 00:00:05 · answer #2 · answered by Fr. Al 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
I'm sorry, my dear enki, but I don't agree with any of your question. Let me start with, gifts aren't accidental. Whether one believes in God or not, why would God create the evil serpent to tempt in the first place? So that Adam & Eve would sin, & the whole human race after (where did they come from??) would be sinners, so that Christ would then have to suffer to save us from being sinners caused by the serpent he created? What is mythology but "stories" with morals or lessons? What is the moral of this story--&, I wonder, why would free will be given just so we'd have the choice to sin & go to hell, or not sin & go to heaven...NO. As for the curse, I don't believe it's a curse to make our own decisions & choices. It's definitely not a curse to the lone thinker, many of whom have been the most creative, & contributed the most to others. Additionally, not only humans make choices. The cat is the most independent choice maker of any animal I know. (I think I referred to this in another question you asked..) A cat chooses to love you or not love you, & no, this isn't just to be fed. A cat will "choose" to leave you if he/she isn't happy with you. I don't think the freedom to choose is "premeditated," this is the way creatures evolved. Even elephants grieve over the death of one of their herd, & "choose" not to leave an injured one behind. I don't believe God would have given us an "accidental" gift, or played this "prank" that caused (& is causing) people to suffer, just for the prank of it.
2007-07-20 01:50:08 · answer #3 · answered by Psychic Cat 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My way of thinking is that if we have freewill as you say.I do think that God did give us freewill, because if Eve committed the first Sin, than it was her own fault, she could have said No! to the serpent when he offered her the Apple, if she took it than it was her own freewill that did it. We all were given common sense to think what is in the best interest for us, so, it depends on us what is right or wrong.
2007-07-19 14:23:58 · answer #4 · answered by a.vasquez7413@sbcglobal.net 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well...if freewill didn't exist...you wouldn't be able to ask questions. So its no curse of nature. And God does not make mistakes...its not accidental.
Let's just say it's was an Experiement of God's and now he is watching the results.
2007-07-19 15:55:13 · answer #5 · answered by Stargirl 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Freewill exists in Some aspects of life.
it's a Gift from God, that we chose to have and bear responsibility for before we came to this life..
God does nothing 'accidental'..
2007-07-19 06:57:50 · answer #6 · answered by black fox 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
eve had already been given free will from god! it was not accidental! so, i think it is a premeditated gift-curse from god!
actually, this is the theological definition.
2007-07-19 03:50:17 · answer #7 · answered by elenik 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whether we are reliving some archetypal creation myth, or stumbling around trying to find our own way in a cosmic experiment between two forces whose depth and breadth we can't even conceive, we still have a choice from day to day. Do we go with the flow of the Universe and try to make things a little better and get a little farther from day to day, or do we pollute the planet with our presence and live only for ourselves. It's all about pride, no matter what face you put on it. Do you give in to pride, or do you try to find your place in the great jigsaw puzzle of life? It isn't just Biblical, it's one of the great truths bridging all religion. Call it Heaven, Call it Nirvana, Call it life. You're either part of the solution, and you can take that either way, or you are part of the problem!
2007-07-18 23:24:43 · answer #8 · answered by MUDD 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The scientist in me says that freewill is an illusion, a by-product of the functions of the brain. . . .
The romantic in me. . . .would like to think that I am not completely ruled by past actions and past behavior. That I do have the ability to choose. . . .but then maybe it is all a trick of the mind after all. . . .
2007-07-19 11:20:57 · answer #9 · answered by AthenaGenesis 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
it was a gift from god but not an accidental one. the bible says that the lord knows that we will all sin that is the reason Jesus died on the cross so we can be forgiven of or our sin, if we CHOOSE to ask that is. freewill was in the master plan from the beginning. there are Meany examples of God testing peoples choices this in the bible, if you want to know more e-mail me and i would love to share more.
2007-07-18 23:27:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋