This is a question thst still ponders in my mind. A question of absolute free will or "partial"
207109
He gave us free will, but He can intervene in our actions if he feels it necessary.
96188
We need to distinguish between Mind and Soul.  The mind is indeed a function of the brain, and the Soul is mostly indistinguishable from it while the brain is functioning.  We therefore leave open the question of whether the Soul is something quite apart, which can exist without the physical "housing" of the brain.  I personally think it is something different, and does exist apart from any physical structure, but my reasons are all spiritual/religious, and not in the least scientific.  The most scientific analogy is an idea or a concept, perhaps an archetype.  They clearly exist outside of any physical structure, and I believe the soul does, too.  My real question is whether it is an individual soul, and therefore there are billions of them, or whether we share souls at a higher dimension/level than we normally perceive.  The jury is still out on that one.
616000
You've forgotten that God exists outside of Time.  He never sees the "past" or the "future". . . all times are the present for Him.  In a sense, He doesn't know what you're going to do until you actually do it, but He isn't looking into the future. . . He knows what you'll be doing next week because He's watching you do it right now.  Satan is the same way.  God created him with free will, but God didn't know what he would choose to do with that free will until he actually did it.  There was no intrinsic necessity that Satan become evil- he could have chosen to remain in heaven as an angel, if he'd wanted to.  Apparently God thought it was worth the risk, and He still seems to think so.  Perfect love can never be wrong about the end to be attained, and perfect wisdom can never be wrong about the methods best suited to reach that end.  God can do anything which is not intrinsically self-contradictory. . . . but it may well be that allowing some creatures to choose evil is a completely unavoidable price to pay if you're going to have creatures with the free will to choose good.
417004
Now there is a truly original thought!  How refreshing.  I will make that my question to ponder as I go to sleep tonight.\n\nThank you.
503682
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?
81971
No.\nHeaven is supposed to be the eternal paradise reward for a life well lived. It's meant to be the eternal harbor of joy for the soul. If there's nothing to do but enjoy divine grace, why would you need free will? Free will is for deciding when faced with choices, and deciding often leads to conflicts (internal as they may be). This leads to affiliation, taking sides, which leads to individualistic tendencies and result in social separation.
89480
I agree with ya man. That is the question of all questions. If God is truely the supreme being, then why?
583345
Never thought of it that way, but your philosophy is quite accurate in my world, deep too...  Hmm, makes me wonder!
574002
It is my belief that God simply knows the end of each possible path in your life. He knows if you choose road A where it will lead, and if you choose road B where it will lead...but the choosing is up to you.\n\nNo one knows what God's plan is, we can only do the best we can with what we've been given.
620983
In a fallen world (which this is) free will is almost equated with sin - you can't eradicate sin and still have free will.
617749
I like your question -- it is very difficult to answer, because there is no simple response!  This is the first challenging question that I've been asked before concerning my religion -- I just don't have all the reasons behind the answers.\n\nSome of your question I can answer, though.  The philosophy of the soul does not pertain to the idea that it has a quanitfiable existence.  It is the ego and spirit of a person, something intangible yet certainly present.  As far as the theology behind this concept, you're right, it's difficult to say when a "soul" would be created.  I couldn't say when the "second soul" comes into the picture, but it certainly wouldn't be "half" of the first.
176167
We've all been through different life experiences.  My experiences are different from my fellow Christians.\n\nWe have free will.  We may not be able to choose our experiences, but we can choose what we think about and how we react to those experiences.\n\nGod holds us accountable for what we can control.
589285
God doesn't make mistakes lol! Think about this... would you want someone doing something for you or in your name if they didn't want to be doing it?? \nAlso, if we didn't have free will we would pretty much just be robots. Where is the beauty in that?
616162
Personally I don't reject the idea, but I don't exactly embrace it, either.  \n\nLet me pose this to you:  If there are an infinite number of universes, and let's say, just for now, that there is a Divine Creator, did this ONE being create the infinite universes you describe?  Or are there in infinite number of this Creator?\n\nNext thought:  If, for every action/thought/possibility there is a separate universe, on how many of them would you actually exist?  On how many universes did life on Earth actually form (assuming evolution)?  \n\nLastly:  Take the statement that there are an infinite number of possibilities and that what we perceive from instant to instant is merely what we have CHOSEN to perceive at that instant, is there a separate universe created for each of those possibilities which are not perceived, or, because they aren't perceived (therefore not "real") do they fail to "launch" a separate universe?\n\nIf you haven't noticed, I find the ideas of possiblity incredibly fascinating. \n\nI hope I didn't make your brain explode!
248763
if god is all knowing he cannot possibly contradict himself\nrev. pick
121781
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.
641447
I'm sure free will exists , but for many people the responsibility of having to make their own choices is too much , that would mean accepting the results and consequences.  So many people use the " fate" clause for this , to have something to blame .\nWe all have free will , no one can make us do, say, think , feel anything unless we make a conscious decision to