then I am not free to choose otherwise. Therefore my life is predetermined and I don't have free will. Either God is omnicient or I have free will... both can not be true. Right?
NOTE: If you say "knowing how you will choose is not the same as making someone choose that way" didn't understand the question.
2007-09-11 06:54:52 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
there's a diffence between "accurately" knowing your friend (meaning: being right 86%) of the time... and God knowing what you will do (100% of the time, for 86 years!)
2007-09-11 07:03:15 · update #1
There is no difference. Knowing what someone will do does not change what they will do. Knowing that with 100% certaintity that yoru friend will CHOOSE vanilla over chocolate does not take the choice of Chocolate off the table. From your perspective there was no choice whatsoever, but from your friend's point of view there was always a choice: Vanilla or Chocolate.
2007-09-11 07:06:05 · answer #1 · answered by a_talis_man 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ok then, I don't understand the question.
When my wife got a new puppy not long ago, I knew the thing would pee on the carpet...but I did not MAKE it pee on the carpet. Did I remove the puppy's free will? Did it not decide for itself that it was going to pee there? Did my understanding of how certain events were more or less garunteed to play out somehow force the puppy to pee?
When I watch a movie I have already seen, I know what is going to happen, but I had nothing to do with making it happen. Since God can see the past, present, and future all at once, He is truly omniscient....but He didn't make your choices for you. Your life is pre-known, not pre-determined.
2007-09-11 07:10:00 · answer #2 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People have an issue with this question all the time. If God is all knowing and all powerful and knows what you are going to do before you do it then why tell me right? You already know.
1: God is all powerful and almighty which I believe!
2: He also created free will!!!! which means he doesn't know what you will do before you do it! But he has a good idea! He knows us better then we know our selves. He gives us advise on how to live, act and treat others...if we ignore it then we face the consequences.
3: But to your point...at Genesis 6:5 it said that God regretted making man. He felt hurt at his heart because man was bad all the time. Funny how if God new we were going to be bad then why put yourself through that pain?
He didn't know. Because he created free will and he respects it. He told Cain to get control of himself...he didn't he warned so many people to change...they haven't...
also at 1 Peter 3:8-13 he said he desires none to be destroyed but ALL to attain to repentance...Funny if he already new who was going to repent why would he say I'm patient with you?"
All powerful yes! Free will Yes! can we choose?...Yes!
2007-09-11 12:31:29 · answer #3 · answered by bigislandbatman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, your "NOTE" is exactly what is true. Knowing does not equal planning or predetermining.
God does not "see" the future, God sees the past, present and future as one. He does not live in our world of time limits. He knows you before you are born and he knows that you will or will not choose him in your life. He sees after your death into generations and generations.
He knows because he is God and can see what you will choose. This does not mean he causes you to choose these things, only that he knows you will.
2007-09-11 07:29:57 · answer #4 · answered by Misty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are all born of Free Will and we also come into each life with a purpose. No matter what choices we make in life, we will still find the same ends. All roads lead to us fulfilling our purpose, no matter how great or small. All we decide is how we get there.
2007-09-11 07:20:29 · answer #5 · answered by Jylsamynne 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He knows what you will choose, but he does not force you to make that choice. lets say that you have the option of two paths, well you can choose either good or evil, ok so far we have to equal but opposite paths, and God sees this, but he sees time from all angles as well he sees our future so he know what we will choose, but he can not force us to choose that choice so you have the choice but the answer can only have a known outcome.
here lets look at a more understandable answer:
if you have a brook flowing down stream, and the water has two paths, wich will it choose? the answer is the one with the least resistance, and and you have predetermind its course with out influncing its decission.
2007-09-11 07:18:17 · answer #6 · answered by Zero Cool 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The analogy I liked best was the one about a cowboy watching a cow approach a train track. He sees the cow, he sees the train acomin' and he knows the cow is too darn dumb to get out of the way.
Problem is, nobody claims cows have free will in the sense that humans do.
2007-09-11 07:41:12 · answer #7 · answered by auntb93 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess the real question would be whether we can go against fate.
If we are fated to live a certain way and cannot go against it because it is predetermined and written in stone, then you have a valid point.
2007-09-11 07:07:24 · answer #8 · answered by pixie_pagan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a believer of reincarnation, I believe that many people and circumstances in our lives are preplanned but that does not mean that they will necessarily happen because of our free will.
Some people deny the existence of free will and I just cannot grasp that idea at all.
2007-09-11 07:24:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever heard of those kinds of stories where there is more than one 'possibility of outcome' for the ending? That's kind of what it is like. You do have the freedom to choose, however God knows what the end result will be, for your choice. He wants you to choose wisely, Yet, He will not force you, to trust and lovingly obey Him. You wouldn't want Him to anymore than you would want Him to be forced into loving you.
2007-09-11 07:10:55 · answer #10 · answered by God's Fountain Pen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋