2007-09-22 11:30:24 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
"Free Will" is the power to choose your own destiny. It is the mortal or human half of the Choice/Destiny paradox. You are not prevented from doing anything you choose to do and there will be no divine intervention unless you ask. If you choose to do good or bad, it is of your own will and not out of obligation or coercion. Basically it means, you choose.
additional:
The other half of this paradox is Destiny or Predestination. From God's viewpoint, outside of the universal time-line, all decisions have already been made that will be made. To God past, present and future are all Now and time is of no consequence. To us however who exist consciously only within the universal time-line, the decisions we make are still being made. So, whether we have free-will or are predestined depends on the point of view. From our point of view, we have choices towards our destiny. From God's point of view, the choices we will make are known and have already been made therefore we are destined.
For those who find fault with the Choice or Free Will vs. Destiny or Fate paradox, they are both true by perspective.
2007-09-22 12:08:04 · answer #1 · answered by TheNewCreationist 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's a paradox which undermines completely the idea of an omniscient and omnipotent creator. If your destiny is known completely, then by definition you have no control over your fate. This is called logic which is a result of employing the faculty of reason. Sorry for labouring an obvious point- or is it a case of 'abandon all rationality all ye who enter'? What concerns me is that the pseudo-justifications people use on here should 'leak' into their otherwise normal transactions and dealings with life. Would you trust a doctor, engineer or judiciary representative (or even politician) whose judgement and actions were totally dictated by a fundamentalist dogmatic mindset??
2007-09-22 12:32:46 · answer #2 · answered by alienfiend1 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The ability or discretion to choose; free choice: chose to remain behind of my own free will.
The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.
2007-09-22 11:45:49 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
What's it all about? It's about who man is before God. If we have the capability to believe on our own, then that's free will. If man is totally depraved and has no ability, then no free will. God must do the choosing.
2007-09-22 11:40:57 · answer #4 · answered by ccrider 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at the consequences of all the choices humans have ever made. That is freewill.
In other words, do as you please. You should know, however, that there are consequences to everything. This is the law of cause and effect that God built into the universe so that things would not get too out of control. The consequence is who and what you are right now!
2007-09-22 11:41:09 · answer #5 · answered by Starte Christ 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Having the ability to make decisions on your own, God doesn't control your every move, and you are responsible for your own choices.
God's trans-temporal omniscience (knowledge of everything, including the future) is not the same as predestination (everything is already planned and cannot be changed). God sees every moment in time as "now", including all possible futures but doesn't make our choices for us.
2007-09-22 19:59:52 · answer #6 · answered by Nebulous 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is about God not wanting us to be robots. If you made a man, would you want Him to love you because you had programmed him to, or because he was responding to the love you give him? God allows us to make mistakes, but we are separated from Him by our rebellion. We are free to choose Him or eternal separation.
2007-09-23 03:10:26 · answer #7 · answered by good tree 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its what Christians by definition of their beliefs cannot have.
Their God is all powerful and all knowing, he also created humans. Consequently he by definition must know the instant he creates a person exactly what they will do... so what element of freewill do they have? None.
This is one of many irrational issues that the God Squad pass of with idiotic statements such as God is beyond normal logic, or he guides but lets you choose, he ... blah blah blah.
Freewill is what we, as perfectly self sufficient individual sentient beings, all have - if some people want to invest it in superstition and religious nonsense - Good luck to them...
2007-09-22 15:20:10 · answer #8 · answered by dust 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It is a concept the US government use to justify their warfare on other countries, they either want to control or tap of natural resources.
2007-09-22 11:44:36 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ability to choose to make the right decision or the wrong decision.
GOD bless
2007-09-22 11:38:58 · answer #10 · answered by Exodus 20:1-17 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋