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Something that has always bothered me about the Christian faith (or any faith that characterizes God as an all-knowing creator) is how free will can exist in such a system. It seems to me that if at the time of creating the universe God could predict everything that would happen, which involves a lot of ‘free choice’, then it seems that people would have been unable to make a different choice. I think a potential solution could be that God knows all things present and not future, but I think that that’s an admission that God is not all-knowing but alot-knowing.Essentially, God created everything and God knows everything, therefore God created people and knows what choices they’re going to make, free will can not exist.
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This question also lacks logical consistency.
This argument follows the logic of the late Dr. Stephen Hawking, but the wisdom God has given me to refute it is this:
If God predetermined that someone would steal, and that person steals because of that determination, then there would be no reason for them to go to hell. However, this would eliminate the very purpose of human life.
If stealing or committing robbery were entirely determined by divine predestination, then it would be forced upon the person, making life one where justice and righteousness could not be realized. However, from a human perspective, a person steals or commits robbery by their own choice. If God already knew and predetermined that this person would steal or commit robbery, then from God’s perspective, it is predestined, but from a human perspective, the person made their own decision. This is what we call free will.
From a human standpoint, this concept seems paradoxical and difficult to understand.
In other words, regardless of how we exercise our free will, if God already knows and has set it in place, then from a human perspective, it is free will, but from God’s perspective, it is predestined.
For example, imagine placing an ant in the middle of a space spanning 1,000 kilometers. Now, imagine building a fence 1,000 kilometers away to prevent the ant from escaping. Can the ant ever reach the edge of the 1,000 kilometers? No, it will likely perish before getting there.
Even though the ant is confined within the 1,000-kilometer boundary, within that space, it has the freedom to move. From the ant’s perspective, it has free will. However, from the perspective of the one who set the boundaries, it is predetermined and restricted.
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