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R&S: If God breathes life into people..?
..does that make them his surrogates, and
thus incapable of truly possessing free will?
I'm using the following definition for "free will": The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/free+will
A surrogate is: a person or thing acting as a substitute.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/surrogate
A substitute being: to serve or cause to serve in place of another person or thing.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/substitute
This leaves us with: bodies we didn't choose, personalities (whatever you want to call them) we didn't choose, and a lot of propaganda about "free will" where none is granted by said God or where a lack of evidence exists to back up the assertion that God has given us "free will." If we can't choose to stop being the property of "God" without some unnecessary threat of punishment involved for doing so, this is a *limited will*, not a "free will."
"MOMMAH": I didn't ask if Jesus is Lord or not.
"Just very special balloons."
For some reason, I love this answer. :)
"This is simply a twist on the old saw "the devil made me do it", only, in this
case..you choose to blame god. Tell THAT to a judge and see if it works!"
Firstly, this isn't a twist on any claim of "x made me do it" (x being anybody else).
Secondly, this isn't "blaming god" - it's asking when he'll
let us use our "free will" and stop using us as surrogates.
Lastly, I can't take responsibility for myself if God keeps me as his puppet to use and abuse as he pleases, someone needs to cut the strings so I can do just that. Otherwise, I'm a slave to his will and that's nowhere near being "free will."
6 Answers
- pat zLv 71 decade ago
It also -- apparently -- leaves some with a very convenient "excuse" for not taking personal responsibility and accepting the consequences of their actions or inaction.
This is simply a twist on the old saw "the devil made me do it", only, in this case...you choose to blame god.
Tell THAT to a judge and see if it works!
Source(s): I don't know about "free will"; I DO know about personal responsibility. No ducking that! - neilLv 41 decade ago
Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we have 'free will'; it just says we have the ability to choose. There is no such thing as 'free will' in this world; things like peer pressure and the media all influence us, we are drawn or pushed in different directions all the time. However, we have the ability to choose how we will respond.
- MythosLv 71 decade ago
Your question would make sense if free will was actually taught anywhere in scripture.
It isn't. Free will is a man-made construct designed to inject confusion into the matter of man's responsibility to respond favorably to God, and to introduce ambiguities surrounding the reality of man's responsibility for his freely chosen actions.
It seems to be working like a charm, yes?
- Anonymous1 decade ago
We have free will, but we also have a path. You're free to roam, but stay in this forest.
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- ?Lv 71 decade ago
NO
@ ASKER: JESUS IS LORD ANYWAY!!!!
FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER AND EVER!!!!!
Source(s): JESUS IS LORD!!!