Does the maze called life change with our choices or is the outcome fixed.?

We'll never know, since we cannot instant replay anything, and run scientific experiences to see what else could have happened. My gut feeling is that God (or the Quantum Foam) would not want a planned, fixed and predestined outcome, because that would be "no sport". And free will is an illusion because our choices are all blind, with no guarantee of what the outcome will be, as you point out.

BTW, it has been scientifically shown that we have TWO systems of consciousness, and the unconscious one makes our decisions, before our conscious one even knows about it. Basically, consciousness rubber-stamps what we are going to do anyway.

You are a really good thinker, you know that?

Free will is no illusion. If a person considers what is written in scripture to be the literal truth, even only so far as salvation goes (i.e. that by believing that Christ died on the cross for your sins, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God, justifying you to the Father; you will not stand in the White Throne judgment of the wicked, but rather will stand before the BEMA seat of Christ), then the simple choice that you made, just to believe this truth has changed your very eternal destination! How could that in any way be irrelevant??

Even in setting aside eternity, and considering only this life on earth, although often we don’t get to choose the situations life presents to us, our actions surely can change the course of our lives. There is not even an argument there. Suppose, for a simple example, that chance or whatever you want to call it...... a situation, as it were, befell you, and you found yourself suddenly jobless, with no money in the bank, and hungry. Days pass.... a week, then two. Your pride will not allow you to depend on the "milk of human kindness", and accept from others what you have thus far been able to provide for yourself. Then, you see a chance to change all of that by victimizing an easy target. What do you do? Give up your pride, and seek food and temporary shelter from say, the Mission, or Salvation Army, and hope that an opportunity presents itself to allow you to stay honest; or do you commit the act that victimizes someone else, perhaps destroying their very survival, to fill your own needs? Who else might that decision affect? Some sick, elderly person that depends on your victim? A small child? No, I can not agree with you on this point. Sort of reversing your own example, and placing you as the robber, yes?

My point here is that there is always the right thing to do, and the wrong thing to do. The robber in your example had that same choice to make...... to do right, or to do what he was doing. How did his decision affect others? How did it affect him? Does he take the life of the lady that can't afford to just hand over her purse?

Right and wrong. Making the right choices or making the wrong choices..... I tend to believe that THAT is what free will is all about. No way it could be irrelevant.

This should probably be in the philosophy section. I disagree with you, however, and I see the importance of free will all the time. It is what we choose to do with the circumstances that we're given that matters, not the circumstance. Many people rise above their circumstances and limits all the time through their own free choice. People who had all the opportunity and gifts in the world make poor choices and end up ruining their lives. I can see your point of view, but no, ultimately it's all about choice and free will.

you could look at that anothe way. The robber had free will to rob the store ot not, but since he did, he took away part of your free will. :-) that is why it is called criminal. where a person takes away another person's free will. As for the people who put the boat in the water, there is nothing about not being freewill, as they put it in at their own choice and surely hope to find a shore somewhere. And then there is the hope in the Crhistian heart that when crossing the ocean They have the Father's Son aboard and a safe haven in sight.

events are not chosen, responses to them can be, but dont have to be. We are not completly autonomous from the world around us, as we are animals living out scripts in the form of past choices to events that have become automatic and habitual, but education and learning new ways to respond to events, to implement them at the last final step we must see that we have a choice and realize that we really do, then we can choose are new response and start a new script to follow. even beyond this programmable response characteristic we are still animals, and can respond as such, deep natural sadness perhaps your parent or brother has died. You dont always have a choice in your reponse i dont think but it depends on the event i guess. Lets pretend your face was burnt off in a fire and you had to live that way the rest of your life, i dont think you can really choose how you respond to this fact, something about your life has TRULY changed and you will respond to that in an immediate and negative way. I dont think anyone will ever intitially and conciously choose to be happy with this fact, but they may eventually accept it, so somethings we have no choice but to respond according to the real meaning of that event.

There us a suing that says, "sometimes you find you're destiny on the road you took to avoid it,"

So, Meybe you're answer is yes.

But another saying, "Fall in love or fall in hate,Get inspired or become depressed, ace a test or flunk a class, make babies or make art, tell the truth or lie and cheat, dance on the table or sit in the corner, life is divine Chaos, embrace it, forgive yourself, breathe, and enjoy the ride," Don't worry about what we don't understand. Life is short. Live it up!

Life changes with your choices. The choices lead to what happens in the future whether it is the immediate future or 20 years down the road, so choose wisely.

Don't you think free will, is allowing humans to choose badly in the omniscience presence of a good God who knows the future, and is therefore a theological paradox? Free will seems to be about morals, whereas the term determinism might be applicable to your question, which seems to be about cause and effect.

Did not see where you addressed the religious/salvation implications of your position. Would love to hear your thoughts re the religious/salvation implications of your position. In other words, a person born and raised in a different part of the world/culture/religious tradition and yet is expected to believe another's god and religion or burn in hell forever.

i think our choices will change depending on how our lives will end