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For Christians who agree with the free will defense?
The Free Will Defense, of course, refers to the reply to the Problem of Evil which proposes:
1) that god prefers people to have free will over not having free will
2) that having free will implies the necessity for at least the possibility of evil.
My question for Christians who accept the free will defense is this:
Is there free will in heaven?
If your answer is "yes," then what prevents evil from taking place in heaven since evil cannot be in the presence of God and free will, according to the Free Will Defense, necessitates the possibility of committing evil?
If your answer is "no," then how is heaven a better place to be than earth since all Christians I know of presume that heaven is a better place but a premise of the Free Will Defense is that god prefers people to have free will over not having free will.
Please explain how your position does not either: makes heaven a place that is worse than earth because humans lose their free will, or makes heaven a place where evil can occur, or negates the basic premises of the Free Will Defense.
@krazy Please clarify your answer. You said that you agree that free will does exist in heaven. That's fine. You also said that people will know more than they do now so they will not commit evil. However, you did not address my point. Could evil potentially occur in heaven even if no one ever chooses to? Likewise, why would God, who doesn't want us to commit evil, not set up a similar system here on earth so that we would know to avoid it like, as you suggest, we would in heaven?
Why does God set up a system on earth where people would choose to commit evil because they lack knowledge but set up a system in heaven where people would always choose not to commit evil? Why not make both systems where people will never choose to commit evil?
@Robert You said that evil is only part of free will because humans made it a part of free will. So, humans designed their own version of free will that overwrote God's version of free will? How are you not implying that humans are more powerful when it comes to designing free will?
@R J I find the Lewis quote cute, but ultimately false. If someone only gives me a swallow to drink when a full cup is necessary to quench my thirst, I am most definitely free to be thirsty even while drinking. I may not have the right to exclaim, "I have nothing to drink!" but that's not the same thing.
6 Answers
- R J LongLv 59 years agoFavorite Answer
As C. S. Lewis put it in the Great Divorce, a man is not free to still be thirsty while he is drinking.
Consider this a sort of Christian koan.
- KarlLv 79 years ago
Free will exists in heaven. But the bible also says we will know as we are known. Meaning we will have abundantly more knowledge then now. And with this knowledge we will no longer want to do evil or anything bad to another.
God knows the very number of hairs on our heads. We will have that kind of knowledge, thus you point is not valid. For with knowledge comes not doing evil/bad/wrong things. With true knowledge anyway.
When we know so much we will not do evil or want to do evil things. In our current state we do not realize the evil we do and how much it affects others.
email if you wish to learn more.
- 4 years ago
you have some great solutions via Sensei Scandal, Pugpaw, SiFu Frank and Stillcrazy. some different did nicely too. i will't point out the names of the others. i'm uncertain why some even worry to respond. i assume it is going returned the Sensei Scandal question. because there are this manner of great style of great answer i will shop my comments short. Martial Arts - Like Possum mentioned it grow to be designed for conflict or throughout the time of the time of martial regulation. Self protection is blanketed in it. Self protection - that's a term that human beings use to define something resembling a crash path on martial arts. you do no longer learn the full curriculum you learn some ideas on a thank you to flee if attacked or grabbed. in many cases that's a class for women human beings and or infants. some use this as a thank you to industry the actual instructions. the pupil could understand that the training that they have is sufficient and that they could understand extra and that they choose extra prepare. regrettably there are those that circulate away a self protection class and have faith that they are geared up to shelter themselves if mandatory. Martial game - that's no longer a term. in actuality that's in basic terms a game. that's no longer budo. This a game or contest wherein the athletes use a constrained quantity of ideas with a view to win a contest or to construct their ego. It has regulations and a referee. Can a style be extra? interior of martial arts it would incorporate self protection. yet there is lots extra repetition and training than is a uncomplicated self protection class. you will nice some ideas taken from martial artwork interior the sport, yet you lose the motive of the training. activities motive is to win a trophy, medal, or contest and build your ego. Martial arts the motive is to proceed to exist via any mean mandatory. Self protection class is to optimistically proceed to exist and sell your actual martial arts class(recruitment). that's in basic terms a pattern of the artwork.
- ?Lv 49 years ago
There is free will in heaven, but evil is only part of free will if you sin. It was not there until humans put it there. If evil happens in Heaven, God will exile the evil being to hell like he did with Lucifer/Satan to preserve the sinless environment. In heaven you also have no reason or desire to sin, as there is no temptation and it is perfectly peaceful.
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- 9 years ago
I really suspect that evil is not what we think it is.
Isaiah, in speaking of the hereafter we're looking for, said, "the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." Isaiah 35:8
For me, the consummate clutz, that means that a compassionate spin will be put on all my attempts to do right. Evil just won't be able to take root in a universe where people already know from soup to nuts what it's like.
- Anonymous9 years ago
Free Will doesnt exist... Heaven doesnt exist... Sorry
