rtris (04/08/83)
Response to Cal (watmath!cbostrum) & Don (utcsrgv!donald). Don first: How can God create beings with free will? Because he is omnipotent, obviously :-). No, seriously, we get into the question here of what free will is of course. I don't think it requires a mental block on God's part. I think it involves VOLUNTARY relinquishing of CONTROL on His part. Thus WE choose, and although he can KNOW what we will choose, it is OUR choice and thus responsibility. And this is where I think your analogy with the LISP program doesn't hold. You are in full control at all times. Cal: God IS satisfying himself. His motivation for creating was not to make perfection. His motivation was for FELLOWSHIP. If he had wanted perfection He would indeed have made something quite different (maybe he was bored with perfection, He must have lived an awful long time already). The logical impossibility David was referring to was: Give man free will, and thus the choice to mess up. Not let things get messed up, thus necessitating the revoking of free will. -------------- I think one of the cruxes of our differing viewpoints that underlies many disagreements, is our conception of God. Keep in mind that we believe God is a Person. Thus he possesses Personlike attributes (seems reasonable to me, why else call Him a person). That may be anthropocentric, but it is what Scripture teaches. (This doesn't prove anything of course. I'm just explaining what we believe). (Yes, Dave is a friend of mine). (So is Don, by the way). (No, Dave and Don have never met). (And none of us know Cal personally). (Glad to clear it all up for you). Next? Ralph.