Tom Capuder
Graeme Arthur@tomcapuder Your analogy misrepresents the biblical view. Humans aren’t “products” but free beings, capable of love and growth. God doesn’t abandon us to "fix ourselves"; Christianity centers on grace and redemption, not punishment. Jealousy in the Bible reflects protective love, not pettiness.
Then how can we be "free beings"? Can you do anything *other* than what God has forever foreseen you doing?
@tomcapuder Interesting question! Foreknowledge doesn't necessarily negate free will. A common analogy is watching a recording: knowing the outcome doesn't mean the people in it were coerced. Omniscience means God knows every choice you will freely make, not that you're forced into it. Thoughts?
If God has forever known that tomorrow at noon you'll do X, then when the time comes, you can *only* do X. You can't not do it, and you can't do Y instead. You can only do what God has foreseen.
If you make what you feel is a free choice, and God has always known what you'd choose, then the "freedom" is just an illusion, as you made the only decision you could have made. If you could make another choice instead, then the god isn't omniscient.
Druid (MOVED TO SHRINE.MOE)@tomcapuder @graemearthur And what if God sends us a test of character? Isn't that generally the main thing in just about any religion?
@tomcapuder @druid for Him or for you?
What would be the point (for anyone) of your running a test when you already *know* (absolutely and unchangingly) what the results will be?