Do We Really Have Freewill?
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Do we really have Freewill?
The topic of freewill vs. determinism has always been something that has interested me. I follow the Christian faith very strongly but my views on the subject vary almost daily. The concept of freewill and determinism is something that, as a Christian, I often struggle with. By no means do I think that I have all the answers or that I am right. I believe that in order to find the truth or what is right you have to be willing to accept that everything you believe could be false. This is a topic that I have asked about and debated with many different Christian leaders including pastors, missionaries and youth ministers, as well as other people belonging to different faiths. No answer was the same which shows that peoples view on the subject are vastly different. My view tends to be on the side of the Christian Bible. I believe that we have freewill but what we do in life has already been determined.
According to the Bible God is all-powerful and God is all knowing. Therefore God knows everything that has happened, is happening and what will happen. God knows everything what each and everyone of us will do. The decisions and the choices we make are all things that God already knows. To me this means that the things in our life are already determined. But, if everything is determined, than how do we have freewill? Again I turn to the Bible, which preaches that God is so great because he lets us make our own choices in life. At first it seems as if the Bible almost contradicts itself. If there are two paths, one to the left and one to the right, and God knows that we are going to take the path to the right, is it possible for us to take the path to the left. If it is possible than the Bible contradicts itself because then God is not all knowing. But, if it isnt possible to turn left then did we really have a choice to turn left? I say we do have a choice.
As a Christian I am taught to believe in everything that the Bible says because it is the word of God. Therefore I believe that we always have a choice in the world. God may know that we are going to take the path to the right but he still gives us the choice to take the path to the left. Is it possible to take the path to the left? No, but we still had the choice to go left. God gives us the choice to do what we want but he already knows what we will do. God is not controlling us like a puppet because he gives us a choice even if he always knows what we will choose. We always have freewill but what we do is already determined. To some this is hard to accept but it all lies in faith, which is a whole other ball of wax.
I have clearly stated that I believe we always