How can an omnipotent god and freewill coexsist?

Question

If god is all-knowing, then he knows what we are going to do before we do it, so how can we say there is freewill when our choices in life are predetermined?

Answer 1

As a creation of primitive human minds, gods are almost by definition illogical concepts. Gods were invented by pre-rational minds to serve a number of purposes, such as explaining the creation of the world or what happens to our consciousness after we die. Science has pretty much completely answered these, but humans, being emotion-controlled and fantasy-prone animals, still cling strongly to the notion of gods despite their inherent irrationality and self-contradictions.

And it's not just that omniscience (being all-knowing) is incompatible with free will. It's also incompatible with the very existence of any true randomness in nature. It is simply impossible to know something in advance when its outcome is random. Furthermore, we know for a fact from quantum mechanics that true randomness does, indeed exist. Thus, omniscience cannot.

The logical impossibility of omniscience is just one of many reasons why the whole notions of gods are themselves logical impossibilities. I can construct similar arguments against gods based on omnipotence (being all-powerful), morality (supposedly being all-good), omnipresence (being everywhere at once), as well as the impossibility of a supernatural entity ("outside of nature") being able to affect things in the real world. Still others in science, philosophy, ethics and metaphysics have come up with other reasons why the very existence of a god or gods simply makes no sense whatsoever. The only reasonable conclusion is the one supported by reason, evidence, psychology and history, namely that gods are nothing more than human inventions.

Answer 2

evaluate a demonstration. think of that a instructor is telling his scholars the thank you to remedy a complicated subject. A sensible yet rebellious pupil claims that the instructor’s way of fixing the subject is misguided. Implying that the instructor isn't able, this insurrection insists that he understands a a lot greater advantageous thank you to remedy the subject. some scholars think of that he's robust, and so as that they grow to be rebellious. What could desire to the instructor do? If he throws the rebels out of the class, what would be the end result on the different scholars? Will they no longer have self assurance that their fellow pupil and people who joined him are suitable? all the different scholars interior the class might lose admire for the instructor, thinking that he's terrified of being proved incorrect. yet assume that the instructor facilitates the insurrection to teach the class how he might remedy the subject. Jehovah has completed something comparable to what the instructor does. bear in mind that the rebels in Eden weren't the only ones in touch. tens of millions of angels have been staring at. (pastime 38:7; Daniel 7:10) How Jehovah dealt with the rebel might a great deal impression all those angels and at last all sensible introduction. So, what has Jehovah completed? He has allowed devil to teach how he might rule mankind. God has additionally allowed people to manage themselves decrease than devil’s instruction.

Answer 3

That is a good question. Check this out...

God could change everyone’s personality so that they cannot sin. This would also mean that we would not have a free will. We would not be able to choose right or wrong because we would be “programmed” to only do right. Had God chosen to do this, there would be no meaningful relationships between Him and His creation.

On a more personal note, I think that God gives us free will to make the right decisions before all the witnesses (those seen & unseen).
**Check out the link below for other interesting info.

Answer 4

When you take a pencil and drop it from six feet, you know it will fall.

Suppose time travel were possible (right? if science is valid and theology not, then why shouldnt time travel be possible?). Suppose you used you science to discover future events.

Or mystically, precognition, if you believe in that.

Just because an event, or all of events, are predictable, doesnt mean they are manipulated or forced to come true. God doesnt dictate. He doesnt even interact. He lets us play out our own lives.

This is true even from a scientific perspective. Newtonian physics illustrates that if you know the location and energy state of every particle in existence, then all events for all of eternity are predictable and can be reduced to equations. God set things in motion, but has no need to interfere now.

If God did intervene in the attempt to manipulate our world, then free will loses its meaning. Furthermore, the world becomes more unpredictable for God, since he and his influence is an added variable, and outside variable, to the universal equation.

Free will isnt negated by predictability. In fact, its predictability that allows us to make decisions. Not just the fact that the brain operates predictably enough to permit the existence of decision-making processes... but from a more philosophical perspective, our ability to make decisions are only necessary in a predictable world. Why make decisions at all if those decisions have no predictable outcome?

An omnipotent God only understands us and our decisions better.

Answer 5

1st of all, omnipotent means all pwowerful, omniscient means all knowing.

Imagine you're watching TV with a family member and u see them choose a channel. Suddenly u are 5 mins in the past and u know what channel they are going to pick. Does that mean they have no free will? I would say no.

EDIT: the post below mine is entirely correct, I was trying to stick to the question asked, but i agree wholheartedly.

Answer 6

The b ig map of our life is already done when we arrived here on earth BUT all the details is our decisions Example ;; You decide to go dancing instaid of staying home This free will But if you got in a car accident and stay paralyse for the rest of your life .. Well it was in your blueprint or you can call it your map UNderstand

Answer 7

In everything we do, we can take road a, b, or c. God leaves us to choose on our own a, b, or c. He did not make us robots, he left us with free will. However, He DOES know what the result will be if we choose a or b or c. Our choices are not predetermined. The result of which road we choose is. That is my belief. Thanks for listening!

Answer 8

God is a gentleman. Unlike ppl, God never forces anyone to believe in him, worship him, ect.
Satan loves force. But God wants free will.
Just because he knows what will happen, is NOT the same as making it happen.

Answer 9

he knows what we are going to do, but will not do anyhting to change it.. we do it, even if the best christian that existed decided to commit a mass murder it would happen. tht's free will. i but i mean, for me, the foundation of free will is to accept God or not. by the moment you commit to Him, then you accept that he guides your life.. but he will do nothing if you try to push him away...

Answer 10

These two concepts are incompatible, just like this question and the philosophy section.