RE: Theistic Inclinations
May 10, 2017 at 7:19 pm
(This post was last modified: May 10, 2017 at 7:20 pm by Catholic_Lady.)
(May 10, 2017 at 5:55 pm)Alasdair Ham Wrote: Nah. Because Neo doesn't like atheists. God doesn't forgive dead atheists!
Even though Neo used to be one himself and he in theory could have died before he became a Christian.
...of course in practice God already predetermined him to stay alive and become one
That's just it... if God truly does exist and is all knowing then he predetermines people to either fail or succeed at coming to believe in him.
Not to mention the fact that even if free will were possible... honest belief is still not a voluntary action.
(May 10, 2017 at 5:46 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: It would be nice if this were the case. But I do think there are some truly bad people out there.
I think the biggest reason why someone would choose to turn away from God/goodness is pride. They want to have it their own way, and don't want to humble themselves to anyone/anything. They don't want to accept that some of the things they did were bad, and they don't want to feel remorse for them.
Again, this is my personal opinion.
But pride is not a choice. Not wanting to feel remorse is not a choice. Being a psychopath is not a choice. Having no empathy is not a choice. Being ashamed is not a choice. Not wanting to accept something is not a choice. These are all brain states.
I would disagree.
When my husband and I have a disagreement and things get heated and turn into a fight, my initial response is to shut myself away and give him the silent treatment until he makes the initiative to come to me first and apologize and see things my way. I have a strong personality and it's in my personality to react that way with those closest to me. I have to work at swollowing my pride, at trying to see things from his perspective, and of having the humility to apologize... or even to "let him win" sometimes.
It may be harder for some people than others. We all have our flaws and our struggles to overcome. But we do have the ability to choose how we act.
Psyocopathy is a mental illness, but the person can still choose to not go around treating people horribly, even if they don't feel empathy for them. It may be harder for them, but that's still no excuse. Because we all have our struggles.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
