Do you believe in free will?

[chasm]

If you are not a naturalist what are you? Do you believe in some sort of supernatural power or spirituality?

No, I don't believe in supernatural powers or spirituality (I'm an atheist don't you know?). I don't really have any thoughts on the subject.

I never set out trying to prove God in this post I'm simply saying that atheism almost necessarily subscribes to the naturalist or materialist world view.

Dude, I'm telling you. Read the Satanic Bible or something. They are the group of atheists involved with materialism. Just because I don't believe in a divine being doesn't mean I have to believe in naturalism. That's like saying all believers have to like the color orange.

and I think we've shown that free will is not possible with such a view. So if you believe in free will I think it should make you think twice about believing in only a natural universe with nothing beyond it.

It is possible. But I can see I won't be able to sway you. You don't listen. Er, read.

No, I don't think free will should/would make me think twice about God existing. He's not real. There is no evidence.

That's like a Christian saying "I just believe it because the Bible says so and that's that!"

And they do say that! And that's fine with me. If someone wants to believe in God and it's because the Bible says so, that's on them. Now, if they want to talk about it with me, then I can tell them why I don't believe the Bible, but that's not going to sway them any. And if you ask me about "not knowing", I'll tell you the same thing. I don't know. I can admit that. As I said, I'm not going to believe in God because I can't find the answer to something.

Our belief's should be in accord with reason and I don't think believing in free will and naturalism can go hand in hand so you either decide you don't believe in free will or you don't believe in naturalism.

Everything, including the issue of "free will vs. naturalism", is not black and white.

But as you say you don't believe in a purely material universe, so what kind of atheist are you, how do you believe the universe got here?

I don't know if you could say I'm a specific type of atheist. I don't believe in God, or anything for that matter, if there is no evidence.

As I've said a lot, I don't know how the universe got here. I'm not an all-knowing being. That said, I don't believe in a purely material universe, but that is not proof or evidence of God nor will it ever be.

How do you think the universe got here?

---

But that's defining mere "Will" as "free will". "I can choose everything" and "I can choose everything freely" are different. How are your choices not entirely dependent on the natural order of things? We, as humans, can make complex decisions. But that's not at all the same as free decisions. How is our "will" itself any more free than gravity when it comes down to it?

Then what is our will if it's not free?