Why did god create free will if he did not want people to exercise it? Have we been set up to fail? By who?
548526
didn't; god is fictional, the people made him up as well as that other crap to try to guilt you in to conforming to their beliefs. Yes they set you up to fail.
382675
Ah but is it a gift or a curse just to be able to ask that question? Free will is a concept not an actuality. Does it exist or is it an illusion? Either way...what should we make of it? (Nothing like answering a question with more questions.)Perhaps if we transposed the words---will free---we would be happier with the choices we choose to make.
599568
This is an excellent question. If God created life and He is all powerful, why do people go to hell for disobeying his commands? Surely God would create us with a pre-ordained destiny if he is all powerful, hence no freedom of choice. Either God created us to go to hell or he is not all powerful, in which case he is not really God.\n\nAll our decisions are formed by our genetic code and past experiences, it is God who decides this. The laws of nature (including quantum mechanics) are controlled by God. In that sense there is no 'I'. \n\nTherefore, either God does not exist and free will does,\nor God exists and some people were destined from the dawn of time to disobey Him. Which leads us to conclude that if hell really does exist, then it is not the fault of the person but a fault of God that sent him there. He is chastising himself. This again invalidates the law of God being all powerful.\n\nIf freedom of choice does not exist, and God does, then judgement can not. If God doesn't hold judgement over his own creation, he can not be all powerful.\n\nWe must have free choice for God to exist. But God controls the life we have! Its a circular argument.\n\nDoes God not exist, then?\n\nHis ultimate wisdom allows us not to know the truth.
852976
God created mankind for relationship with Him. Yet in order to gain genuine relationship with us He had to allow mankind free will to decide for ourselves, otherwise we would be reduced to unconscious automotons mindlessly doing his every bidding yet with no desire to do so, and no choice.\n For God to genuinely be our Father we had to genuinely be children with minds of our own. And like any other Parent He had to risk our rejection to achieve our Love.
267991
He may know what we are going to do with our lives or what might be the choices we'll make but we don't, so our free will is to conitue to choose.\nGL and GQ Thanks\n\nGod is not what you imagine or what you think you understand.  If you understand you have failed.  ~Saint Augustine\n\n\nPerhaps history is a thing that would stop happening if God held His breath, or could be imagined as turning away to think of something else.  ~Herbert Butterfield, Christianity and History\n\n\nGod enters by a private door into each individual.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
158427
The answer you'll get from most religious people is that they chose to disobey him. In doing so, they turned against him, and it is their own fault. Or something like that.\n\nWhat I'd really like to know is, if God is all-powerful, and knew what we would do before creating us, and due to the way he created us, is it not he who is ultimately responsible for all of our actions? How can you claim to have free will and at the same time say that all that happens, including all that we do, is part of his divine plan? Moreover, how can one attempt to justify an eternity of any magnitude of suffering as a fitting punishment for any acts committed over a finite period of time?
1067573
I am not exactly sure if the Bible says " you do or do not have freewill" specifically. But I believe that we do not have freewill, and the definition of freewill is "lack of internal compulsions". it talks in Romans nine how every intentional act is predestined to happen by God, and how even the evil doers, are used to accomplish his plan. this is why we "End up doing what God wants anyway." I believe that bad things happen for a reason as well and that they are Gods plan for our life. We may not be able to see the reason and we may never be able to, but that does not mean it was not his plan. And any suffering we endure is Gods will, and it may not seem fair or just to us, but Paul says in Romans who is the clay to question the potter, I fully agree with this, who are you and I to question the creator of the universe, and our heavenly father? I encourage you to read, "The Christian view of Man",  I cant remember the authors first name but his last name is Machen. Also Romans Chapter Nine, and parts of Hebrews.
434239
If the destiny is already written then where is the free will.\n\nWe make our own destiny.
917231
Wow, talk about looking at yourself.  That was me not too long ago.  The problem is that God can only interfere on a limited basis with out obscuring "free will".  The hard truth is that rapists and murderers have free will also.  It's complicated, and hard to justify. but I guess the better questions would be, why didn't  we do something about it?
56894
If you buy into Judeo-Christian mythology, God is the author of free will.  Satan is not a creator, but a perverter, and thus could not give to Adam and Eve an inherent quality that they did not already possess.
1129311
I believe that, no, God did not "plan" it this way.  But, I think that God knew that humans were going to be weak.  Yes, I know that that sounds like a contradiction, but, honestly that is the best that I could come up with.  I cannot speak for God, but I know that He knows best.
1159472
you are posing the same idea that Lucifer did to Eve. That God had some evil intent in His edict. Why or why not eat of the tree is not the issue. God could have just as well of said "Do not pee where the grass does not grow" The real issue is whether to obey God or not. The exercise of free will as according to Gods plan was initiated here so that after the full consequence of self interest is evident and the world is impacted as it has been God could then show that the exercise of the will by choosing to Love God through Christ would be possible, to the intent that the manifold wisdom of God might be known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places.
817786
Free will is an amazing thing.  People forgot they need to act responsibly.
292992
In my opinion, true free will is choosing what to do with the influence of what you have learned in life. Whether it be from parents, friends, or God. Just because it is free will, it doesn't mean that decisions made will be right or wrong. The point is that you chose it, without a gun to your head or any other type of direct influence. For example if someone, who is familiar with religion, and God and knowing right from wrong decides to rob a bank, that decision is made with free will. God is not going to come down and slap the person to stop them. If the person decides not to rob the bank, a decision made with free will, it may have come from their conscience or a memory instilled from there parents about right and wrong. Or maybe from a sermon in church. Basically, we all have free will whether God is with us or not. It is those that use the free will to do bad things that makes it tainted. But free will alone is just that, free will, it is not good or bad until an action stems from it. Does that make sense. Sorry if I rambled.
461159
well i think is a  nice poem and i don't think it is a contradiction but a consistency through all of it . i also think that it is important for God to be chosen and not imposed this is what free will is all about . let those who chose Him to do so and let those who reject Him to do so too . i see not problem whit that . at the end we will get what we look for .\n plz let us know where u get it from .
919158
Yes, God has the power to predestine or not predestine our lives as He so chooses.  I agree with you in that I believe we have free choice.  I don't understand so easily how you come to know the mind of God.  Everyone is selected for His service, and everyone is blessed.  We need not seek Him, since He is already knocking on the door of our hearts.  All we must do is let Him in.  Yes, because of our freedom of choice, if we choose to follow God, we will be with Him forever in heaven.
162881
Because God gave us the beautiful choice of free will. He will never force Himself upon anyone. \nPeople are scared of something they can not see or touch. They don't want to open their eyes and accept the Lord into their hearts. \nThey want to be able to do whatever they want and not have any accountability.