Intermediate step to beginning of life uncovered

[*rfaulk34*]

(06-15-2015, 08:34 AM)WhoDeyWho Wrote: So as a parent if you knew your child was going to kill himself and you had the power to prevent it would you comfort yourself knowing you let your child exercise "free will"?

This falls way short of an apples to apples comparison as God's job and my job as a parent aren't the same. 

Quote:The notion of free will coupled with an all knowing God who knows every thought and action you would take before you were even born seems absurd.

You only have the illusion of free will.  Like those human batteries in the Matrix.

If God doesn't exist then "free will" makes sense.

Apparently free will doesn't exist because a parent who loves their children, protects them, feeds and clothes them, gives them everything they need to be safe and thrive in this world will never have that child reject them or harm them because every experience they've ever had has been good and they have no bad reference  to influence them and their decision. It was all laid out from the beginning. 

Since things like DNA, peers and any number of outside influences shape how a person reacts, we both know the previous paragraph isn't true. 

The good a parent does isn't always enough to guide a child to treat them in a way they should be treated. After all things are considered, a decision is made based on all inputs one has experienced and that child may choose to react negatively against the one who doesn't deserve it. Because...free will. 

In the same way, someone who has been mistreated may still choose to love the person mistreating them, for various reasons. Because...free will.

Positive does not always lead to positive and negative does not always lead to negative. All things come into play and a choice is made. That choice hasn't been made for you just because someone has knowledge of it. I don't know how else i can explain that.

'Free will' vs 'free choice' and 'there's no such thing as free will because of omniscience' is BS. OMG, here comes a rant...

I've seen too many times where someone says, 'religion is for weak-minded people who need strength in numbers' or 'religion is for people that are afraid to face the unknown without help'...or just pick your favorite quote. The truth of the matter is, while organized religion can easily be bad due to the fallible nature of man, faith in God is rejected by the 'highly intelligent' because they don't want to believe there is someone, unseen, more intelligent than themselves. Superior intellect is a roadblock to faith when empirical evidence is the basis for every belief,even though it's clearly known that a belief in God is based in faith--belief that is not based on proof. And that 'intelligent' person's rationale that, "if it can't be observed, i reject it" is as valuable is a pile of dirt because they've chosen to ignore seeking, the way it was meant, the very real truth that is out there and provable when it's sought in the proper way. 
"Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered." Proverbs 28:26
/rant

Quote:Christians use it as a catchall for excusing God for his obvious intentional creation failures.

No.