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Better reasons to quit Christianity
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RE: Better reasons to quit Christianity
September 2, 2012 at 8:37 am
(This post was last modified: September 2, 2012 at 9:15 am by spockrates.)
(September 2, 2012 at 5:12 am)KichigaiNeko Wrote:(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. Yes, you've found me out! It's illogical, I admit. But tribbles are so--alluring. (September 2, 2012 at 4:51 am)Godschild Wrote:(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. Thanks, GC. Good to hear from you again, my friend! I believe the argument is this: Since God knew ahead of time that Eve would choose to take a bite, she could never choose to not take a bite. For if she did instead choose to abstain from biting, then what God saw would happen would actually not be what happened. So our idea and that he is omniscient would prove to be not real, but imagined. GC: So there was quite a bit of discussion about what omniscience means. It turns out that several believed the word to mean this: Omniscience ( /ɒmˈnɪʃəns/[1]), mainly in religion, is actually knowing everything that there is to know. But the definition I found many thoughtful Christians hold is this: Omniscience ( /ɒmˈnɪʃəns/[1]), mainly in religion, is the capacity to know everything that there is to know. Having the capacity to know is not the same as actually knowing. You know? So let us apply the second idea to Eve taking a bite out of sin: It is possible that God might have known ahead of time that Eve would have the choice to bite, or not to bite. It's also possible God would have had the choice to see, or not to see Eve's decision. So God, abstaining from knowing ahead of time would not know ahead of time whether she took a bite, or abstained. Thus, Eve's decision was still free. Now, Rhythm tells me I'm wrong, and says that God's knowing she might bite, or might not bite is all he needs to know to destroy her freedom to choose. I'm still waiting for him to explain why he believes this. It seems to me that if I'm understanding him correctly, then no one is free--whether God exists, or not. For one does not need to be omniscient to see when someone has a choice to make.
"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains (no matter how improbable) must be the truth."
--Spock
So it seems like God is benevolent. He knew we would fall but he did nothing to avoid that even though he's omnipotent.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle
(September 2, 2012 at 8:03 am)spockrates Wrote:(September 1, 2012 at 11:25 pm)idunno Wrote: Sure my pointy eared Christian friend but I need a break from the computer so I'm logging off after this post. If you're still hazy I encourage you to take a look at the thread I started which may clear up other questions you have before asking another here. I'm glad to answer them. Do you understand why Theological Fatalism fails, or that my brain was tired? RE: Better reasons to quit Christianity
September 3, 2012 at 1:49 am
(This post was last modified: September 3, 2012 at 2:18 am by Godscreated.)
(September 2, 2012 at 9:48 am)FallentoReason Wrote: So it seems like God is benevolent. He knew we would fall but he did nothing to avoid that even though he's omnipotent. Please show me where in scriptures you find that God is omnibenevolent. @ Spokerates, that's interesting, but I'm pretty sue it can not apply to God. I see a couple of problems with having the capacity of omniscience and not using it. First we need to go back a little farther than Adam and Eve, we need to go back to Lucifer's fall. When this took place and God did not see it coming, do you believe God would not have used His omniscience to defeat Lucifer, and once used He would know all. Second why would God decide not to use one of His attributes, if He had to make a decision not to use it would He not have to use it to make that decision. I can not see anyway He couldn't use His omniscience if He had to make a decision not to use it. For man to have complete free will through out his life, God could never use His omniscience and the scriptures show that He does. Prophecy proves this. God would also have to use His omniscience to create a universe. Good to be back my friend, though I will not be as active as I have been, life just woks out things sometimes, actually it's God who works out things in my life.
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.
(September 2, 2012 at 8:23 am)Napoléon Wrote:(September 1, 2012 at 11:36 pm)padraic Wrote: No he hasn't;that is just a facile ad hominem. Oh,how was I meant to know? RE: Better reasons to quit Christianity
September 3, 2012 at 8:15 am
(This post was last modified: September 3, 2012 at 8:28 am by spockrates.)
(September 2, 2012 at 9:48 am)FallentoReason Wrote: So it seems like God is benevolent. He knew we would fall but he did nothing to avoid that even though he's omnipotent. Good suggestion! What should God have done to keep Adam, Eve, you and I from doing anything immoral? (September 2, 2012 at 3:33 pm)idunno Wrote:(September 2, 2012 at 8:03 am)spockrates Wrote: Yes, I understand, idunno. Thanks for taking the time to explain. I think the difficulty I have is seeing how the analogy applies. Watching someone who is about to make a decision in the present is not the same as seeing what someone will do in the future, I'm told. (September 3, 2012 at 1:49 am)Godschild Wrote: @ Spokerates, that's interesting, but I'm pretty sue it can not apply to God. I see a couple of problems with having the capacity of omniscience and not using it. First we need to go back a little farther than Adam and Eve, we need to go back to Lucifer's fall. When this took place and God did not see it coming, do you believe God would not have used His omniscience to defeat Lucifer, and once used He would know all. Well, I suppose it could be inaccurate for some atheists to say that seeing what decisions we will make in the future will eliminate our freedom to make those decisions freely in the present. It's a concept I don't quite understand, but was willing to accept for the sake of discussion. Do you think their premise that omniscience and freewill cannot coexist is correct? If so, do you consider yourself a Calvinist?
"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains (no matter how improbable) must be the truth."
--Spock
Spock, it's really quite simple so you're most likely over thinking it
The two scenarios are similar in that they both remove the possibility to choose otherwise. Mr. White's device removes the possibility of voting republican. Likewise God's omniscience removes the possibility of voting republican (if He foreknew that you would vote democrat). Since, in Frankfurt's scenario, Donald votes democrat of his own free will without the device being activated, we realize that free choices can be made in the absence of multiple choices. Therefore, God's omniscience of our future choices doesn't remove free will. RE: Better reasons to quit Christianity
September 3, 2012 at 1:40 pm
(This post was last modified: September 3, 2012 at 1:47 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
(September 2, 2012 at 8:37 am)spockrates Wrote: Now, Rhythm tells me I'm wrong, and says that God's knowing she might bite, or might not bite is all he needs to know to destroy her freedom to choose. I'm still waiting for him to explain why he believes this. It seems to me that if I'm understanding him correctly, then no one is free--whether God exists, or not. For one does not need to be omniscient to see when someone has a choice to make. I've already explained this to you dozens of times. If one's actions -can be known- regardless of whether they are known (or how they can be known, or by whom they can be known, or from what vantage point they can be known) then the events of the future are predestined, and not subject to choice, no matter how compelling the illusion may be to we mere mortals. Precognition, even in principle, requires knowledge. Not a guess, not a really good chance, knowledge. If anything knows what you will do, or could know what you will do, then your actions are set, fixed, determined, -not subject to choice-. When presented with even a simple "choice" between A or B it will go one way only, and it could go no other way. Correct, once we invoke precognition, by anyone, anything, anyhow -even in principle- "no one is free". Your constant requests to have this explained are extremely disingenuous. I'm done with you, enjoy talking to yourself. I know I have /sarcasm.
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(September 3, 2012 at 8:15 am)spockrates Wrote:(September 3, 2012 at 1:49 am)Godschild Wrote: No, they are not correct, God is omniscient and we have free will. Like I said, the only decision we make that is of complete free will is to accept God or reject God. The rest is up to God, sometimes He will allow us to chose what we desire and other times God will sway our decision for His will. This is why God's omniscience is so effective for all man kind. and why He has chosen to work through man. It doesn't matter whether God knows the future, we can chose sometimes and sometimes God sway us to make certain decisions and in both cases we do not know whether God intervened or not. Again let me say the only chose that we make of our own free will is salvation. No I'm not a Calvinist.
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.
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