Uncle Davey wrote:
> A participant on www.usenetposts.com/forum asked a
> riddle, as follows:
>> This is what just came to my mind which I would like
>> to discuss with all of you:
>>
>> Is human will free? If it is not free, then people
>> cannot be held responsible for their sins, as they
>> don't have the capacity to abstain from sinning. But
>> if human will is free, then God is not all-knowing and
>> almighty, as people might choose to behave this way or
>> that.
>>
>>Now, what is the solution to this?
> And my reply was the following:
>
> First you would need to define "free".
[snip]
> There is freedom to make choices between possible alternatives.
[snip]
> That's how I would answer your riddle
I see you didn't really trouble your answer with the conflict between
our free will and God's omniscience.
If God already knows what we're going to pick at any give choice, how
are we free to choose any of the possible alternatives? Either:
a) We can choose any of the alternatives, including those different than
what God *knows* we're going to pick -- thus invalidating his omniscience.
b) We can only choose the alternative that God has forseen for use, thus
making free well an illusion.
I've outlined this conundrum a dozen or so times to theists who hold
that God is omniscient, yet we have free will. So far, I have only
received complimentary dance lessons.
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