If this is the case, then how in the world can there be free will?
2007-09-19 16:09:42 · 17 answers · asked by beatlemaniac 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Good question for the Philosophy Section. They discuss the matter frequently
2007-09-19 16:14:33 · answer #1 · answered by Jack P 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Free will is how the believers get around the concept that their omniscient, omnipotent and allegedly loving god allows horrible things to happen. Like the people in the trailer park chose for the tornado to blow through, for example.
And how very egomaniacal to think that if there weren't free will, everyone would be Christians. Why? Because that's what god would want? Wow. Nice to be that sure of yourself, isn't it?
Rick--god's a person, is it? Isn't god supposed to be much more than a "person"?
2007-09-19 23:19:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Quite easily.
God exists outside of time and space in 'eternity'. As God is not within the realm of time and space he is not bound by the constraints of time.
So God is able view time in a completely different way to us, he can see time from beginning to end, whereas we who are bound by it can only see what is happening at this moment.
Pretend that time is a ruler, we are on the ruler and can only see and experience what is happening where we are. God however is not on the ruler, he is seperate to it, he can see the full length of the ruler from start to finish. So he can see what the people are doing now, and an inch further down and an inch further down and so on.
So the fact that God knows all that we will do, and what we will choose, and how the world will end, isn't because he is taking away our free will, but because he can see all of time at once, and thus can see everything we choose.
2007-09-19 23:23:02 · answer #3 · answered by ozchristianguy 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I trust GOD.
GOD will not force or change who I am, because GOD does not do this to any of the beings/creations (well I can't say those next to the big bang - they may have been singed, I do not know.)
GOD so far has let everything run by the laws that GOD started everything with. Gravity, time, food chain, atomic, biologic.
Without interfering.
That's what "found it good" means - GOD found everything good and so let things as it is, to go along the course by the laws set up.
Remember GOD is not human - so actually has patience, and time - for the plan to reach it's end.
2007-09-19 23:28:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Being all powerful means He isn't worried about what you or I choose, why should He be?
Fidel Castro once explained the harsh censorship of Cuban media; He admitted his government was not as secure as the US, so had to squelch all threats immediately, whereas the US sat in a much more comfortable level of security, relatively strong and able to absorb public statements that would threaten the Cuban public order, if allowed to air unchecked.
2007-09-19 23:22:56 · answer #5 · answered by Ebby 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dont forget he is an eternal and an omnipresent God as well. Free will is the only way love can truly be love. If God made us robots so that we would automatically love him it would not be real love. Therefore he gave us the choice to either accept or reject him. He also has so much mercy that he prepared the Bible to tell us the consequences of that choice. And he also gives most of us many many almost unlimited chances to love him. In fact you can accept him right this minute if you truly want to. We love him because he first loved us. Come to Christ
2007-09-19 23:24:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The question is not really "is there free will" but "does there need to be free will" and "why are people subject to punishment if they were created knowing that they would fail"
An even better question is "why is evil/sin needed for free will". Followed by "couldn't there be a choice that didnt lead to punishment... i.e. could we choose god or just a pleasent life?"
But for your question, foreknowing doesn't negate free will, it just makes it useless.
2007-09-19 23:22:22 · answer #7 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think this section proves beyond doubt that everyone has free will. The kind of things get written here I doubt I would have tolerated if I were God (that's the reason I'm not).
2007-09-19 23:20:20 · answer #8 · answered by Andy Roberts 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't actually believe in God, but if I did, my answer would be along the lines of:
Omniscient means he can see everything. Cool, but knowing doesn't mean he can control us.
Omnipotent means that he can do anything, including control us. But it also means he can choose not to control us, and has chosen not to control us so we could have free will.
2007-09-19 23:24:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The answer to that lies in the nature of God; there is one thing that God cannot do. God cannot do anything unfair or unjust or evil. Implicit in this, He cannot take back that which He has given. He gave man the ability to choose, and to choose between good and evil; if man chooses evil, God cannot override that choice without violating His own word, His gift of the freedom to choose; nor can He eliminate the consequences of that choice, as that is what we have chosen. The free will of man does not fly in the face of the omnipotence of God; all it says is that God has chosen to limit Himself and His power by giving man the right to make choices which God will not overrule.
2007-09-19 23:18:35 · answer #10 · answered by thundercatt9 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
All knowing (omniscient) doesn't cancel out free will. I may know that my daughter is lying but that doesn't stop her from exercising her free will to choose to lie. And God uses His "all powerfull" character to give us free will.
2007-09-19 23:17:36 · answer #11 · answered by mel 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋