If you’re reading this on a Monday morning, it might not be something you want to think about, but…here it goes: I just had a discussion with a friend of mine after reading Scott Adams’ post about free will. I have already blogged about my view of free will towards the end of my About Religion entry. My friend apparently found my view quite scary.
Essentially, my question is: If God already knows the choice(s) you’re going to make given that He’s omniscient, is the “choice” really yours? Or is it an illusion? If it IS an illusion, why does that matter so much? Why is free will such a big deal? I’ve come to terms with the possibility that it might just be an illusion and everything is really in God’s hands. That’s fine with me. I live as best as I “choose” to, but in the end, God knows what’s going to happen with me.
Let me give you a situation and tell me what you think: If you offer a child a portion of their least favorite food (e.g. liver) and one of their favorite chocolates (e.g. a Snickers bar) and you ask them to choose. You’re almost positive that the child will choose the Snickers. Are you really giving them a choice? Yes, because we’re humans, there’s that .0000001% chance the child will choose the piece of liver, but an all knowing God is 100% certain the child will choose the Snickers. Did the child still have a choice? Or was the choice an illusion? If I’m asking you to “choose” between a bomb that’s about to go off in 10 seconds or a billion dollars, is it really a choice? (Don’t answer if you’re suicidal!
)
I’d like to know your thoughts about free will. I know there are a few people from my church who read my blog, so similarly to my “About Religion” entry, please don’t be shy and tell me what you think (anonymous comments are always fine).