(September 1, 2012 at 11:05 pm)spockrates Wrote: But regarding the voting illustration, please explain how it is analogous to omniscience and freewill. I'm not sure I see the connection, yet.
I do not think there is a connection, the answer to the free will problem was answered in Genesis, the answer came when Adam and Eve chose the fruit over obedience to God. The only true free will man has is to chose to love God or reject Him, this is the example that was laid out for us in Genesis when Adam and Eve rejected God and chose knowledge to be God's equal. When they acquired the knowledge, they understood they could never be God's equal and for the first time feared God because they understood His true greatness and righteousness. This is why they were hiding from God and God called out to them in compassion, He knew (omniscience) what had happened, He knew even before they made their choice. Anything outside our choice to love or reject God we have only limited freedom, God is in control of His creation. With the free will to chose or reject God, we have many choices to make during our lives and the closer we grow to God the less those choices become, necessarily. So God can be and is omniscient and we have the free will He intended for us to have. If we had total free will God would not be in control of His creation, the example of that is Adam and Eve, they in one moment screwed it all up, what would happen if God continued to allow man to do as he please, flood the world?
God loves those who believe and those who do not and the same goes for me, you have no choice in this matter. That puts the matter of total free will to rest.