Religious debate about God
That means that in advance he knows what we will do.
If He knew yesterday that today I will do the laundry - am I free to NOT do the laundry today?
There is a conflict between our assumption that we have free will, and God's all knowing nature (as seen by Christian and Muslim theologians).
So, what do you think... is God all knowing?
Does God know all, everything, the future, the past, your innermost thoughts?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, of course. Being omniscient is one of the divine attributes of God
dcarrington says:
Yes. I believe He also has what philosophers call "middle knowledge" which encompasses all knowledge of what WOULD have happened had circumstances been different.
Posted November 25, 2009
j blechle says:
Anything is possible, but you can't change the past.
Posted November 22, 2009
Happy to be weird says:
To Chicco, lord worshipper, and all whom it may concern:
God doesn't cause our wars and hardships. There are tragedies because man is fallen. God created a perfect world and man corrupted it. It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to remember that our God, the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in whom I have entrusted my life, is beyond our understanding. He is perfect and just and loving, and we will never be able to grasp His character, justice, or unconditional love completely in this life. And how glorious is that? What would it be like to have a god you could completely understand? Why couldn't you be god then? What would qualify him to rule the universe over you? But God is beyond our understanding. I am uncertain about this topic, but I will not doubt my Lord and Savior. He is just, the Bible says He is just and that He will never forsake me. I hold to that truth, and I will not be shaken. Hebrews 13:5, Revelation 2:4, Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 40:11
Posted November 10, 2009
lord worshipper says:
it's true and extremely sick. God knows all, God created all... Think about that for a momment. God created brain cancer in newborn babies and knows there going to die. God created the gas chambers so millions of Jews could be murdered. God created serial killers knowing some would ask forgiveness, therefore he already forgave them after they slaughtered some helpless victom. I don't want to be apart of this cult that believes this. i'm out!!
Posted October 15, 2009
Nathaniel says:
God knows everything and what is going to happen, whether it is good or bad, but he has given us free will and has stuck to his guns by letting us decide. Which is the same answer for "Chicco", God knows that there will be wars, and God also sees the bigger picture that we can't. If he did want to stop something he would place it in someone's heart to do so but it is that persons choice whether to follow through on what they are feeling as it is still there free will.
Posted September 27, 2009
John says:
Absolutely, and without question. God is the creator and sustainer of all things. There are many prophecies in the Bible.......Some have been fulfilled, and some are yet to be fullfilled. God has told us what will occur toward the end of times, in the books of Daniel, Thessalonians, Revelation, Matthew, etc. A belief in Christ is 100% faith based. All I ask is that you read the entire Bible, ask God to reveal himself to you in the process, and put it to the test. Until then, please don't question what God can do and will do.
Posted September 16, 2009
pete leleifua says:
God knows the future that we choose it. We just experience time differently.
Posted August 16, 2009
Tim Short says:
If God knows Himself, He should know all the things He created. If God has a choice, the eventual outcome is incapable of being avoided or evaded. Nevertheless, if I am truly rewarded according to my own works, I have a certain amount of freedom about that destiny.
Posted August 15, 2009
Sloan says:
well im gonna have to sit in the middle on this, because lets say god does know all the possible paths. if he is truly all knowing he will know what path your going to take regardless or your choices. In this sense we dont have free will. To cope with this i actually believe that god chooses not to see the future to give us free will. But at the same time i believe he wanted to see the future he could, but that would take our free will away.
Posted August 12, 2009
joshcowell says:
You are free to do whatever you want to do, God just knows which decision you will make. Another way to look at it is God knows the outcome of all of the decisions you will make, yet knows which one will occur.
Posted July 25, 2009
Fearlessf8h says:
If I have already seen a movie and I know how it ends that does not mean I forced any actor to make a choice or impacted the outcome of the movie. I believe God is not limited by time and space and therefore can view the past,present and future simultaneously. It is something akin to an ariel view with a road below.
Posted June 20, 2009
Alyssa says:
I agree with peaceinjesus. When most of us talk of an all knowing God we try to fit "all knowing" into our perception of the term. Maybe all knowing is like what Pastor T said, that he just seems to know all the possibilities we will choose. Frankly, I think of it as God gives us opportunities we can choose from but He knows which one we will choose. Now how does that interfere with free will? Our choice may not be what He wanted, but He will let us do it because we have free will.
Posted May 27, 2009
peaceinjesus says:
How stupid we are to try and understand the mind, emotion, feeling, and knowledge of God. If we say we understand God, we may as well BE God. That's not possible though. We are unmistakably human beings who make mistakes. Is it not possible that just maybe God "knows all" but doesn't interfere with our choices unless we allow Him to? After all, God doesn't force you one-sidedly; you have the choice.. He just knows what choice you will choose, but it's not by His doing necessarily.
Posted May 14, 2009
Farah says:
Yes because God iss without time...he does not see it as "what you will do...or what you did". By saying this, we restrict God to the natural laws that we as humans are bound by...
Posted May 10, 2009
Tracy says:
Faith does not require proof; that's called Science. Funny thing...Biblical Christianity (not the twisting and pulling out of context, but scripture in its entirety, in context, and taking into account history and culture, just like atheists and pagans do), supports itself completely. The Bible is the Bible, yet there is a plethora of scientific THEORIES that contradict each other. Hmmm, and people have trouble wrapping their minds around an all-knowing, eternal creator. Well, of course; that's because we are human, limited. No one argues with that, right? While non-believers make the claim that Christians are irrational, illogical, and unthinking, we can safely say that LOGICALLY, even in our every day lives we encounter those who know more than we do. Just because we don't know it or can't see it, does not mean it doesn't exist or isn't possible. It's not a matter of proof. If we depended on proof, this means that we rely on our own understanding. Since we can all acknowledge that our understanding is limited, why is it so difficult to accept that an omniscient being is in control? Those who KNOW God, who have relationship with him (Lia, we pray because we speak with those with know and love; we don't neglect those we know and love because they already know us) understand that God is a loving father, not a sadistic mischief maker who enjoys making us uncomfortable. It is a comfort to know that HE knows all. He don't have to hide. His omniscience is a blessing, not a curse. Just like with anything else, please be sure to know your "facts" before attempting to discredit. Truth is truth, whether we believe it or not. Your disbelief does not change God. Lack of understanding is not a automatic disqualify God's omniscience. People used to believe the world was flat; did our lack of understanding change the characteristics of the globe?
Posted April 21, 2009
Pastor T says:
vbrigt 105 - of course you can't actually know your daughter will go to work tomorrow because she has her own freewill to make that decision. What you know, by knowing her, is that she is most likely to go BUT she could be taken ill, have an "issue" at work today and become depressd tomorrow - & many other possibilities that only she can know. So, does God know exactly what happens tomorrow or just the infinite range of probabilities & possibilities. And, if God knows that your daughter is going to work tomorrow and that there wil be a gas explosion in the building, will he stop her going?
Posted April 18, 2009
Dany says:
By God knowing everything from the start. Only means that he know things. By us doing things through free will doesn't mean that, just because God knew what we would do doesn't mean that he caused us to do them. If I know you like ice cream doesn't mean I caused you to like ice cream by knowing that.
Posted March 18, 2009
Donna says:
Even if you waiver between doing the laundry and watching TV God sees that! God is not limited by time, he has already seen all the moves you will make and the fact that you will eventually do the laundry (or not!)
Posted January 19, 2009
sandoy says:
God is all knowing and all powerful. God is not in anyway carnal in which a reason why science can't prove his existence. We have free will, we make our own decisions and choices in life and it has nothing to do with His greatness. He has wondeful plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and for us to make the right choices and achive the plans that He has for us, we have to make a choice to give our lives to Him (Romans 12:2).
Posted October 20, 2008
No, who can be all-knowing?
Kyle says:
If God is all knowing, then he knew from the moment he created this world there would be people that didn't believe in him, people who wouldn't follow the 'path' set by him. However he still put the steps for that to occur. An analogy that springs to mind is someone putting a trip wire up and KNOWING it will make this poor old lady fall over, then when she falls over subsequently accepting no responsibility for this happening; because she had other choices, but I would have known she would fall over, therefore it would be my fault.
Isn't it therefore Gods fault that certain people won't believe in him, won't follow his path, and many will end up in eternal damnation because of this.
Posted December 02, 2009
Chicco says:
If God is all knowing,knows everything about future, past, is brave, good and so on why does he accept wars in his creation which is our world? If he has the power to predict, why doesn't he tell anybody in order to prevent it? My opinion to this: God is a paradox , in other words, he's just an idea was made up by some guy thousand years ago to scare other people by pretending that there is some god spying on you!
Posted July 29, 2009
Anti-Christ says:
Your God does not exist anymore, therefore he cannot be all-knowing/omniscient.
Posted July 11, 2009
kit says:
Just to add
"If I have already seen a movie and I know how it ends that does not mean I forced any actor to make a choice or impacted the outcome of the movie. "
True, but if the actor is simply following a predetermined script, he then had no choice in his characters actions and it would be unfair to punish the actor simply because he had to play a character who god didn't like. If Brad Pitt plays the part of a murderer in a film, that does not make Brad Pitt a murderer.
Posted June 23, 2009
kit says:
to use my favorite example, if god already knows the story of my life, even before all the events have happened to me, then i am simply a character trapped in it, and if it says "he will watch a film tonight" or "he will sin in such a way" then i am have no choice but to do the as a simple character in the "story" and have no way to disobey it
Posted June 23, 2009
Joey says:
Who are we to claim to know anything of the nature of the All?
Posted June 04, 2009
Lexie says:
I understand that one of our assumptions of God is that he is all-knowing. However, i am a firm believer in free will and dont want to say that we dont have free will. I would rather say god is not all-knowing. I believe that God knows all of our possible choices, and all of the options open to us, an dteh consequences of each choice we could posisbly make, but he doenst know which decision we will ultimately make. that decision is ultimately our own, that we make of our own free will
Posted May 27, 2009
Jordan says:
I believe I have free will. If I am right, than an omniscient god does not exist (see above argument). If an omniscient god does exist, than I have no choice but to believe that I do have free will and that there is no such thing as an omniscient god.
Posted May 08, 2009
Chris says:
Look, the Judeo-Christian God couldn't exist! Its logically impossible! A more Hindu idea of God is best/probable. (The many Gods are ways of relating to the true God: Brahman-The Universal Soul). As for omniscience, the many Gods can only know the past, present and possible futures. Still, Brahman only really counts and has no 'mind' or even attributes that can be described.
Posted March 13, 2009
Lia says:
if God is all-knowing, and knows our innermost thoughts, then why do we pray?
Posted February 03, 2009
Alan McDougall says:
If god knows everything about everything he must get bored out of his mind
He is a creator and a creator creates new things
Alan
Posted November 19, 2008
Lee Young says:
if God is all-knowing, then he should now how is he going to cause rain later. But this means that he can't change his mind to not make rain later because if he changes his mind, initially (now) he doesn't know whether he's going to make rain or not. Thus, he's not omnipotent!
Posted September 22, 2008
Chris says:
If God knows the future perfectly, then life is 100% fatalistic. We are only free to do exactly whatever it is that God knows that we will do. Logically, the Calvanists have the upper hand in this; however their theology portrays God as a monster who has already decided which of us to spare and which of us to torture forever.
Lucky for me I'm not a Christian so I don't have to wrangle with it!
Posted September 15, 2008
The_Homeopath says:
I don't think "all-knowing" really has any meaning to our limited minds.
Posted July 06, 2008
kephrira says:
I don't think an all-knowing and all-powerful god would have made such a flawed world. But then again maybe there are reason that I don't know. Or maybe God is an all-knowing and all-powerful sadist.
Posted May 22, 2008
Logical fatalism
a definition
Logical fatalism is the idea that because we can say something about tomorrow that might turn out to be true, the future is already determined today.
Theological Fatalism
Theological fatalism is the idea that an All knowing omniscient God knows today what will happen tomorrow - and so the future is set. Because the future is determined in advance, we as individuals can't do anything about it.
The Divine Attributes... Who or What is God?
More religious debate
-
What is God? IT is male and Female!
-
I'm not personally invested in believing in a personal God. For me God is something impersonal, all encompassing and in everything. But what do YOU think? This is a religious debate with room for all points of view.
A philosophy lens
So: If you don't understand, don't worry: I made this lens precisely because I didn't understand the topic just yet. Philosophy is meant to make you ponder and think - that means confronting stuff you didn't understand at first.
I try to keep things as simple as possible in this lens, but I can't guarantee that everybody can understand what I'm talking about. Do ask any questions you might have in the comments. I will try and answer them.
The Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction (Fundamentals of Philosophy)
by Linda Zagzebski
The Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction (Fundamentals of Philosophy)
Amazon Price: $28.25 (as of 12/23/2009)![]()
This is the book that started me on this lens. We read it in our 'philosophy of religion' class at Leiden University - and this subject is one of the ones Linda Zagzebski tackles very well.
Philosophy books are never easy, this one isn't either. Still, it is very interesting.
God knows us - solution no.1
Middle Knowledge / Molinism
This leaves my laundry up to the certainty that I will be doing them - even if I didn't know I would in advance. It means that it has been determined in advance what I will do - and that means my free will is effectively an illusion.
God outside of time - solution no.2
Boethian Solution (Boethius and Acquinas)
But some philosophers say: God doesn't know in advance, because he isn't in time. He just knows - looking at our path from outside of time. He sees where we were and where we are going all in one glance - as if from a mountain top.
In philosophy every solution creates its own problems. In this case:
- If God is outside of time, can He interfere with us at a certain time?
- If God is outside of time, does he know what time it is?
God gives up some omniscience so we can have free will - solution no. 3
I like this solution, but I do think it's a bit strange.Some modern theologians say that God is in time, just like us. And because He wants us to have free will, God freely gave up his omniscience so that we could have free will.
This leaves God in the position to have a relationship to each of us, answer prayers, and act WITHIN TIME.
And if God is alknowing, does that mean we don't have free will?
Omniscience implies the future is set. Does this mean we don't have free will?
If God knows all, does that mean our actions are determined in advance and we don't have free will?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, our free will is an illusion.
SeventhDay says:
I believe that we can not make a choice without some persuasion or cause. The fact that we are even making a choice requires a cause to come to that realization. God being omnipotent knows before hand what choice we will make. Also God being our creator is sovereign and is in control of every situation that we encounter. God is the untimate cause in every aspect. He also creates the situation. Never the less we can make choices but not with out a cause. Also we are accountable for the choices we make so that we will understand that God is fashioning us according to his will. Why would God create us if we could not ultimately acknowledge and appreciate his workmanship?
Posted October 07, 2009
Alph4d0g says:
If I'm playing chess with myself and know my own next move, I have created that outcome haven't I?
Some say "God knows all possible outcomes but chooses not to know which outcome will be chosen". There are at least three problems with this conclusion:
1. it has no explicit basis in the Bible itself
2. it contradicts the definition of omniscient: knowing all (rather than merely having the *ability* to know all)
3. God is also omnipresent (having limitless presence through space and time) and therefore has already observed the outcome
Posted March 19, 2009
Paul says:
If God knows all, then He'd have known before He created anything at all what would follow as a consequence of His creation. So each of us would be predestined to go to one of Heaven or Hell irrespective of choices we might make in our lives. So what is the point of creation in that case? Why all the evangelism?
My view is that God know's all the possible paths each of our lives may take through space and time, and all of the possible interactions, but He doesn't know which choices we will make.
Posted January 27, 2009
bgamall says:
I believe that God is the one with free will. I believe that all of us are fallen and therefore we are subject to the wrath of God. Therefore grace and mercy is selective, that is, God chooses who to save. This is both a merciful and disturbing truth. It is merciful because it could be that God would have saved none. It is difficult because family could be lost, loved ones could be lost. That is exceedingly difficult. But what has been written has been written.
Posted November 10, 2008
spirituality says:
I agree with Whiteoak that there are consequences for our actions - whether one believes in God or not. In theosophy, Buddhism and Hinduism this is called: Karma. Whether that impacts our free will is debatable and goes beyond the subject of this lens. Maybe something for a future lens?
Posted May 18, 2008
WhiteOak50 says:
But is "free will" really free when there are consequences?
We have the free will to do what we want, but if we do something against the grain (so to speak) there are consequences of the action.
Posted May 18, 2008
No, God knows what we will be doing. We still have free will.
john says:
If God knows the future perfectly, then life is 100% fatalistic. If an omniscient god does not exist, than I have no choice but to believe that I do have free will. But if I do have free will, does that stop him from knowing what I will do?
Posted December 04, 2009
dcarrington says:
Knowing what will happen is not the same as causing that thing to happen. A barometer may indicate a change in weather and predict it accurately, but it is not causing the weather to change.
Posted November 25, 2009
Harry says:
How could we judge God using our mindset, our thoughts, whatever we thing is right??? The most important thing in our life is to fill and use the freedom from God to fulfill what he wants us to do, and to maximize the potential that he gave to us.
Posted July 24, 2009
Joel baller says:
No god just knows what we are going to do, he knows our hearts; that's it
Posted June 19, 2009
Tiddledeewinks says:
We have our free will to decide what choices we want to make, but there are laws of the universe in place if we break those laws we must suffer the consequences. For instance, if you kill someone or steal, commit adultery etc. that is your free will, BUT you have taken away someone elses free will in doing so. Then it is only fair you should suffer some consequence, or the other persons free will was in vain. What goes around, comes around (karma). I still just don't understand why God does not always intervene for the helpless (like hurting animals and children). But, justice WILL be done eventually, even though the offender thinks at the time he/she thinks they got away with it.
Posted May 21, 2009
John says:
Yes we do have free will, God sees the choices we have and he knows the choice we will make, but even if it is wrong he wont stop you from making it unless you ask him to, we know right from wrong and good from bad. God is all knowing, lets put it like this: God is a barameter(measure humidity to tell the weather) he can tell the weather but he doesnt make it happen, he knows it will rain but doesnt make it rain(this is just an illustration).
Posted March 08, 2009
Shawna P says:
We do have free will... I think that all this questioning of God is stupid. When it comes down to it, its about faith. When God created us, he gave us free will.. In order to give us free will got created us morally good & morally evil to give us free will because if he took away us performing in a certain matter, then we wouldn't be free.. GOD IS all knowing.. HE KNOWS You more than ANYONE! He doesn't "plan" what we are going to do, he just knows us so well that he knows the choices we will make in EVERY situation. I AM A FIRM BELIEVE OF GOD! And If you are too, and letting people interfere with your beliefs, then you need to go back to church and just pray because the DEVIL got a hold of you! GOD BLESS!
-sHAWNA
Posted November 20, 2008
Alan McDougall says:
Yes god can be allknowing and still llet us have afree will. God can do anything yes? Then he cancreate us and look away and look at what we are doing behind his back from time to time
And then if he does not like what he seen burn us in the refining fire
Posted November 19, 2008
SadieCope says:
We know our own children and what they will do and what path they will take. Yet we don't determine their actions for them. I think it's the same with God. He knows us very well, better than we know ourselves. Just as we know our children better than they know themselves.
Posted September 29, 2008
futurmajic says:
Before saying there isn't a god out there "God" must first be defined. And then remember, there "is" something out there. We are here for free will. The difference between here and where we truly are, is great. Don't veiw God or even our true selves as someone next door, it is more like in a different universe.
Posted August 13, 2008
PositiveChristian says:
The omniscience verses freewill argument seems very silly to me. Why should my freewill stop God from knowing what I will do? It is possible to know about something without controlling it. God's omniscience and our freewill are perfectly compatible.
Posted August 06, 2008
a thought says:
If you've seen a movie before, just cuz you know what happens next doesn't mean you're controlling the action.
Posted July 30, 2008
The_Homeopath says:
We have free will, even if *something* already knew the *future*, it wouldn't matter how we came to our choices because they would still be ours.
Posted July 06, 2008
jacquelinestone says:
We have free will AND God is all-knowing. The problem is in thinking of the source of all that is in terms of human attributes. We are, all is, part of God, the One field of life.
Posted May 18, 2008
spirituality says:
Personally I believe we do have free will - so probably there isn't a God out there.
Posted May 18, 2008
So - free will or not?
This is for those of you who don't want to type into the duel boxes.
More philosophy of religion links
- Metaphysics Philosophy > Modern Theosophy
- A selection of articles on metaphysics, by authors like H.P. Blavatsky, W.Q. Judge and many others.
- Buddhist Philosophy
- Articles on Sunyata. The terms Sunyata (or Shunyata), void and emptiness are synonyms in Buddhist philosophy. They are ways of expressing the sense that all we see, feel and observe is relative, in fact non-essential and not self-sustaining.
Terminology
I have tried to keep philosophical terminology to a minimum. Still, I have to learn it, so here are the terms I feel are necessary for me to talk about this subject at the level expected at university.Counter-factuals of freedom
The premise that in a certain circumstance each being will freely do what God knows they would do. If something else were to be done by a being - God would have known that too (counterfactually true).
God choose to create that creation in which the total result of laws of nature plus choices of beings is the best of all possible creations. That must be the creation we are in - apparently God cannot choose a better creation than the one we are in. Free will combines with evil directly, apparently (if there is a loving, all powerful God in the first place).
[Zagzebski, p. 116]
Fatalism versus Determinism
Determinism is the idea that there is no freedom from the law of cause and effect: the future is determined by the past and the present or other causes (like God or Gods).
Fatalism is a common attitude amongst those who don't feel they can influence their life. It's a case of self-fulfilling prophecy: if we don't think we can change our lives, our lives are obviously not going to change.
Determinism can easily become fatalism. If you think that drinking problems are caused by genes, for instance, you are more likely to just give up trying to fight alcoholism.
It's another story if determinism includes the choices we make, and the impact those choices have on our options. After all: working hard leads to results - there is a law to that as well.
On the gender of God
More about Christianity and Christian philosophy
-
God in the Bible - quotes
-
People have their own image of God - yet God presents himself in the Bible in a variety of ways. I thought I'd go back to what's in that book to see the way God is portrayed there.
-
There IS an afterlife
-
I think there IS an afterlife This lens records various religious beliefs - and gives you the option of really deciding which is best. From Ancient Egypt and Plato, to Christianity and Buddhism... most religions I know of have an afterlife of sorts -...
-
Christian Spiritual Quotes and Inspirational Sayings
-
Yours and my favorite quotes from the Christian tradition & links to more Christian and Spiritual quotes. Submit your favorite Christian quotes in the guestbook.
-
2010 Christian Calendars, Bible Organizers and Year Planners
-
Diaries and Biblical Engagement Planners, Calendars and Christian Date Books. If you want your daily reminders of your faith in your date book. If you want your kids to grow up with bible verses literally on the kitchen wall. If you want your year...
-
Christian inspiration, facts, philosophy and debate
-
You'll find Christian quotes from the Bible and from Christians here. You'll meet some unique people who interpreted Christianity in ways that may make you look differently on your own life and faith. You'll find books and calendars to further inspir...
Related question: what's the best religion?
-
What's the best religion in the world?
-
Do you agree? Share your thoughts on this lens about what the best world religion is. I'm sticking to the world religions, for the sake of brevity, but have included an up and coming contender: the Bahai. Aside from that, these are the world rel...
Did this lens make you think about the nature of GOD?
Tell me what you thought of this lens. Too hard? Too simple? Did it make you think about the nature of God - (if you believe in a personal God at all, that is)?
-
Reply
- aaron_smith aaron_smith Aug 28, 2009 @ 8:37 pm
- You go a lot deeper than I do and I appreciate you making me think a bit. Unfortunately, I couldn't participate in your polls as my answer was usually "C" but I enjoyed reading the results anyway.
-
Reply
- Tiddledeewinks Tiddledeewinks May 21, 2009 @ 11:52 pm
- If we have free will to take someone elses free will (murder or theft for instance) then shouldn't there be consequences?
-
Reply
- spirituality spirituality Apr 30, 2009 @ 1:18 am | in reply to Starkman
- That's interesting - whose definition is that?
-
Reply
- Starkman Starkman Apr 29, 2009 @ 4:22 pm
- Omniscience is classically defined as follows: God knows all things that are true and believes nothing that is false." Note: there is nothing (not even a hint) in the definition of "omniscience" that either mentions or suggests that God must have knowledge of everything we will ever think, say and do. In other words, God doesn't have to know that kind of knowledge in order to still be omniscient. He must only know what is true and believe nothing that is false.
So if God made the world in such a way that it would be impossible for Him to know every thought, word and deed--this He did when He created us with free will--then a) that doesn't create a problem at all for God's omniscience, and b) He would isn't the least bothered by this!
I Just wrote my first lens on this very subject. It won't show up for another day or so, as I understand here's the link if you'd like to read more: http://www.squidoo.com/OpenTheismAndReality
Thanks,
Starkman
-
Reply
- e_barrett e_barrett Mar 25, 2009 @ 4:36 pm
- Definitely a good lens. And I think does a good job presenting the various sides of the arguments. What always strikes me is how charged up people get about this issue. I think it's an interesting discussion, but I'm not convinced the answer (one way or another) ultimately proves (or disproves) anything. I tend to believe God exists outside of time. But I also admit, I am looking at God from a finite frame of reference with very, very, very limited knowledge. What I do know is important is how we live our lives, and what we believe. So while I think it's useful (and very interesting) to have viewpoints on topics such as these, for me, I'm not so sure it's the be-all and end-all of questions.
-
Reply
- dustytoes dustytoes Mar 8, 2009 @ 3:44 pm
- Great lens and made me think about something I find unexplainable. But God is God and his ways are not ours...I don't think we always have to understand. I love your lens!
-
Reply
- Margo_Arrowsmith Margo_Arrowsmith Jan 1, 2009 @ 10:41 am
- Interesting thread, but its hard to answer either/or questions about God and free will.
I am not sure my dual answer showed up so here it is again. "Well, in no way that we could understand, however, we have much less free will than we could imagine. That we ever break out of the progression of history, even for a moment, I think is proof of free will and God. "Free will is the ability to do gladly that which you have to do." Carl Jung" ***** to you>
-
Reply
- vbright105 vbright105 Sep 12, 2008 @ 5:31 am
- Very interesting and thought provoking lens! Thanks!
-
Reply
- futurmajic futurmajic Aug 13, 2008 @ 8:59 am
- Yes. If there was a God who controled everything, all would then be Gods life, of which we are a part and we are all.
-
Reply
- PositiveChristian PositiveChristian Aug 6, 2008 @ 1:37 am
- An excellent lens highlighting a very common but, in my opinion, flawed argument. God's omniscience and our freewill has never been a problem to me. Why should the two not be compatible?
- Load More
More religion and spirituality lenses
For more religion resources and spiritual inspiration, see my website: http://www.katinkahesselink.net/ or my spiritual blog.-
Religion, Science and Spirituality Debates
-
I love religion. I love spirituality and I especially love discussing it. From any angle. Below you will find links to the debates I've hosted here on squidoo relating to science, philosophy, religion and spirituality - and any mix of those I co...
-
Spiritual Presents and Christmas Gift Ideas
-
My collection of gift lenses: web pages with spiritual products. Browse at your leisure. In time I will also list the most popular products here. You will find spiritual books, cards, quotes, jewelry, posters and calendars.
-
Spiritual Lenses - Katinka Hesselink Net: religion and spirituality
-
A lensography of my best spirituality lenses as well as a summary of my website. I feature information from various religious traditions like Buddhism, Sufism, Fourth Way and Theosophy. I also pay attention to various spiritual teachers, whether the...
-
John Hick - philosopher of religion
-
An introduction into the philosophy of John Hick a noted religious philosopher using quotes. Philosophers of religion know John Hick's pluralistic hypothesis for it's daring solution to conflict between religions. The basic idea: religion is based o...
-
The best spiritual books EVER
-
Gathering all my spiritual book reviews together. Religion and spirituality fascinates me no end. I also love to read books - this lens combines both fascinations. I've reviewed quite a few spiritual books by now. Here you'll find my reviews...
Omniscient God? Discussed online
- The Ark and The Dove: The Whole Shibang (Sp?)
- So this gets me thinking, why should a skeptic have a problem with an omniscient God? For that matter, think of all the data that is streaming around the Internet at any one given moment in time. If you take the Internet as a whole and ...
- Argument against God's existence from the impossibility of ...
- Refutation of an argument from the impossibility of omniscience and free will that knowing the future means choices are not free.
- Spiritual Illumination: Some thing to tkink about
- Some assume that, because God is omniscient and knows what men will do, there is no possibility of free will. God's omniscience does not preclude men's exercise of choice any more than children are deprived of freedom because their ...
- Atheism is Fun: Conversing with Kanisha
- And how do you reconcile that claim (if your answer is yes) with an omniscient god? For instance, there are people who are brain dead, cant in their minds think/function normally...are those people condemned because they cant say Jesus ...
Thanks for all your support!
A big thank you to all of you who've supported my online work by:
- linking to any of my web projects
- voting on my lenses
- buying stuff from my lenses
- asking questions
- giving constructive feedback
- ... donating money :)
- and being generally supportive :) ;)
by 13 people |




