free will defense

created by Saige

(idea) by Saige (1.3 y) (print) ? (I like it!) Sat Nov 13 1999 at 10:01:37

A common rebuttal to many arguments against the existence of god.

Basically, it states that god made a perfect world but that people screwed it all up by sinning, but that god found it more important to let people choose freely than to fix the problems with his powers.

See Problems with Free Will Defense

(idea) by pingouin (4.3 y) (print) ? (I like it!) Sat Nov 13 1999 at 10:01:37

I think the argument goes something like this: God created us "in His image"; he has free will, so do we. Satan suckered Adam and Eve into the Fall; God could surely coax us back into union with him by means of coercion, but if He had to, say, keep us in line by tossing lightning bolts at us every time we sinned, our obedience wouldn't be out of love, but out of fear. He took it upon Himself to reverse the Eden Calamity, and we, with our free will, can choose to accept or reject it.

printable version
chaos

Argument from Non-Belief	What I do with my philosophy degree	Omniscience and free will are contradictory	Problem of Evil
Does free will exist?	Why didn't Jesus remind you	Quantum free will	Gore Vidal
Adam and Eve	The problem of logical fatalism	epistemic distance	Arguing About God
free will vs. free won't	no means no	The free will 'pseudo-problem'	Kyrie eleison
On the Sublime	free group	Free Will Baptists	Alvin Plantinga
U.S. Atmospheric Nuclear Tests	licking a nine volt	mix'n'match ideology	Uncle

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