On 2/22/2003 9:45:29 PM, Penny Peters wrote:
God IS
>omniscient, He has the ability
>to see all paths available to
>us no matter what path we
>choose. He knows the outcome
>of whatever decision we choose
>to make of our own free will.

A problem described in Palmer is that even if we
say that God does not determine our actions but
simply knows what they will be, it seem to imply
that they are not free.

Consider, for example that God knows you will
mow your lawn tomorrow. When tomorrow comes
along, you can't do anything different than God
has forseen. Imagine God sent a message to your
neighbor and had him write the answer and seal it
in an envelope. After the day is done, what is in
the envelope must agree with what you did, do
how do you have a "real option" of either mowing
nor not mowing? If it says "You mowed" then you
must have mowed, otherwise God would be
wrong, which is impossible, since he is by
definition an omniscient being. If it says "You didnt
mow" then that would have to be what you did.

This hypothetical case has application in the
phenomena of predictive prophecy in the Bible. If
God, through Jesus, prophecies that Peter will
deny him or Judas will betray him, then it seems
as if they would have to do these things,
otherwise they would make Jesus and God into
liars, which would be impossible (assuming the
Biblical stories are accurate, Jesus was the Son of
God, etc.). So then, how could God hold Peter or
Judas responsible for their acts of disloyalty?

Prof. Borrowdale
borrowdalej@lanecc.edu