I read this argument from a brilliant poster named Brian Sodding Boru, an instrument-maker residing in New Zealand; on the recently exclusive board (now closed to all but actual customers) at Insight Broadband.
Christians often give free will credit/blame for man's choice to reject god and perform evil. God, we are told, wanted to make certain that our belief and our worship was genuine. He didn't want a race of sheep.
So,what happens in Heaven? Heaven is the ultimate reward, is it not? And those who make it past the Pearly Gates will be there a very, very, very, very long time. Will they have free will there? Could they commit evil? Could they reject god? Lucifer did? If we have free will, what would prevent us (and this is an editorial "us") from having differences of opinion about god, his rules and the nature of the universe he created?
And if we do not have free will, have we not lost something of immense value; something so valuable that god would rather see 99 of 100 of us burn in eternal fire, torment and damnation for the next trillion^trillion years rather than see us do without it? Surely it is something humans have PAID for.
So... what gives?
Christians often give free will credit/blame for man's choice to reject god and perform evil. God, we are told, wanted to make certain that our belief and our worship was genuine. He didn't want a race of sheep.
So,what happens in Heaven? Heaven is the ultimate reward, is it not? And those who make it past the Pearly Gates will be there a very, very, very, very long time. Will they have free will there? Could they commit evil? Could they reject god? Lucifer did? If we have free will, what would prevent us (and this is an editorial "us") from having differences of opinion about god, his rules and the nature of the universe he created?
And if we do not have free will, have we not lost something of immense value; something so valuable that god would rather see 99 of 100 of us burn in eternal fire, torment and damnation for the next trillion^trillion years rather than see us do without it? Surely it is something humans have PAID for.
So... what gives?
