The Problem of Free Will, A Theological Problem. Options

[NoSex]

Alright, the purpose of this thread is to discuss the theological Problem of Free Will. So, under common christian theolgy, God is described as being all-knowing (omniscient) and all powerful (omnipotent). Men are also described as having free will. This is at the heart of the reality of theological fatalism. Solving this issue is vital to christian theology as it becomes an inherent contradiction as well as threatening to the christian conception of salvation and damnation.

I hold that God's infallible foreknowledge makes impossible man's free will. If god knows the future, how can we choose our own path?

Discuss.

[sadolakced acid]

i don't think i'm doing a good job of explaining this...

let's try again.

if you know something's about to fall, and you have the power to stop it from falling, and choose not to, you have actively decided its fate even though you have done nothing.

maybe a specifc example will do better.

god knows faustus will go to hell. god has the power to stop faustus from going to hell. god chooses not to stop faustus from going to hell, and thus decides faustus's fate.

the logic is: god has a choice to make, and if he chooses one way, faustus will go to hell. if he chooses the other way, faustus will go to heaven. therefore, when god chooses, he seals faustus's fate. faustus has no free will, because after god has decided, nothing faustus can do will save him. if something could, god would not be all-knowing.

an all-knowing and all-powerful god cannot exist in conjuntion with free will. an all-knowing god, sure. an all-powerful god, sure. but not one that's both at once.