Gods Nature vs. Mans Free Will Essay -- Philosophy Religion Essays

God's Nature vs. Man's Free Will The reconciliation of God's nature and Man's free will has long been a subject of debate for philosophers and theologians. Christianity rests upon certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe. The Bible speaks of God as eternal, all-knowing, and as the very author of reality. The concept of God as a benevolent, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent entity is rooted in thousands of years of church tradition. This tradition is so ingrained in Western culture, that, when one mentions "God", these ideas almost invariably come to mind. The idea of Man's free will is also a well-established tradition in Christianity. The very need for Christian redemption is based upon the choices made by Adam and Eve at the very beginning of history. There is an idea that Man either chooses to sin against God, or chooses to obey Him. This ability to choose between two options allows good and evil to exist as opposites on the spectrum of morality. This in turn necessitates a need for an atonement process by which Man can be redeemed for the evils that are committed. Without this doctrine, Christianity is unnecessary. Redemption is not required for those who commit no wrong. The above ideas seem relatively straightforward when presented as independent beliefs. A great deal of confusion does arise, however, when the ideas are brought together as a system of beliefs. Some parts of God's nature seem to disallow the possibility of free will. How can God's knowledge of all actions - past, present, and future - allow any human to make a choice of his own volition? By its very nature, omniscience is infallible, therefore it seems that one is not free to choose anything other than that which God knows. Th... ...sions in order to be 'all-good', and He chose to allow us to choose. In conclusion, I suggest that there is a big difference between saying, "God can't do X and be consistent", and, "I don't know how God can do X and be consistent." As common sense suggests, ignorance of a solution does not take away from that solution's existence. Soli Deo gloria. Works Cited Augustine. "Divine Foreknowledge and Human Free Will." Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. 259-261. Mackie, John L. "Evil and Omnipotence." Ibid. 186-193. Pike, Nelson. "God's Foreknowledge and Human Free Will Are Incompatible." Ibid. 261-271. Plantinga, Alvin. "God's Foreknowledge and Human Free Will Are Compatible." Ibid. 271-275. Plantinga, Alvin. "The Free Will Defense." Ibid. 194-212. Pojman, Louis P., ed. Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. New York: Wadsworth, 1998.