Intermediate step to beginning of life uncovered

[Benton]

(06-15-2015, 01:27 PM)WhoDeyWho Wrote: Your analogy with your daughter is weak because you aren't an omnipotent all-knowing god.  If you had absolute knowledge of your daughter's actions before she made them it would be completely futile to provide her various options (you already know what she is going to do already).  I doubt you would allow her the option of leaving the house if you KNEW that the consequence would be death.  You'd probably lock her in her room to prevent it from happening.  

Moreover if God already knows the story of your life before you were even born to live it, then your only real "options" are to act precisely in the way he foresaw you acting.  You only have the illusion of "options".  It's like watching the Titanic and thinking the boat has the option to not hit an iceberg and sink.  

The all-knowing God renders the notion of "free-will" illogical.  

Eh, not surprisingly, I'll disagree.

I (along with her mom) made my daughter with the hopes that she will be perfect. I know she won't be. Not because I didn't give her a perfect template to work with, but because she won't make perfect choices.   That didn't stop us from making her.

 The only way for us to know something for sure is going to happen is after the fact. Hindsight. I'm fortunate in that nothing too bad has befallen either of my kids (my son is adopted). But if something did, I wouldn't look back with hindsight after and say I shouldn't have had them. God doesn't see someone who makes mistakes and say "well, guess I shouldn't have made him." That wouldn't really be love. With that, you want the best and lament the bad.

People have a hard time with a God that lets bad things happen to those He loves. I don't have an answer for that, outside of bad things happen. And sometimes they happen because of our free will, things we do to ourselves. Sometimes its things done because of someone else's free will. And sometimes it's just something bad that happens. It doesn't change the way you feel for someone when they make a mistake, or when they become the victim of one.