Re:

Submitted by salman (United States), Jan 8, 2007 at 16:53

>> Salman, have you given the idea of free-will any serious thought? Consider this. You are given several alternatives to choose from. And if I have a giant computer which can always predict accurately BEFORE you made the decision which alternative you will choose what would be your reaction be? And this computer can do it time and again whatever situations you are confronted with. Do you have free will? Think about it.

Can you spot any difference between this computer and Allah? <<

I'm not really sure what you're attempting to say. Are you saying there isn't a difference between God and a, theoretical, super-computer that can do a billion trillion equations a second and take into account all sort of randomness that comes with being human and predict the choice of billions of people correctly every single time?

I rather doubt that any machine, anywhere, can accurately predict what you, I, or anyone else would do the next second. Much less make the prediction accurately for 6 billion people.

>> Also you say 'free-will' has been bestowed on humans for a reason. Could you elaborate a bit more?

God isn't asking anyone to kill anyone else (matters of war, self-defense not withstanding). In addition to that, to answer you question about why God doesn't just turn people's hearts, humans have been given free-will for a reason. <<

People have been given free will to choose their own end. Yes, God knows what you will do when you come to a fork in a road, but he won't make you go down one path or another. Even though your fate may be written, it's not because a decision was pre-decided for you, it is because God does know what was, what is, and what will be and, does accurately know, what having to 'predict', what a person will do when faced with a choice.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".