| mhsube |
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| Joined: 27 Feb 2007 |
| Posts: 11 |
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If you view god as an omnipotent, all-powerful being that, as Islam/Christianity and many other religions imply, has all power, how can free will exist? How can we possibly be responsible for our own fate?
Explained- If God is omnipotent, upon the moment of conception when god creates you, he creates everything about you. However, at that moment, he also knows what your fate will be based on his creation. He knows whether you will go to heaven or hell, he knows everything that will ever happen in your life, and he knows all of this as he is creating you.
So, in essence, he's responsible for everything that ever happens to you, all of your actions as well as the end-result of your life.
There are a few different ways to avoid this paradox, but both counteract commonplace Islamic/Christian doctrine.
The first is to assume god is not omnipotent and simply can't see into the future. This would be the easiest answer if you find yourself on the receiving end of this argument, however this suggests that god isn't an all-powerful being at all but rather a higher power. A life-form similar to us (you can call ‘m an alien if u like), but more advanced. This goes against common religious belief.
The second is the "Divine Plan" theory. This accepts that omnipotent god knows what will happen, and that it all happens for a reason. If this is the defense, however, it only eliminates personal responsibility.
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