Free Will Research Paper

Submitted By EdGodfrey
Words: 841
Pages: 4
Open Document
Free Will - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This past Sunday, April 29, we spoke during our second hour concerning the issue of the “free will” of man. This discussion was not recorded and was handled more as a spontaneous explanation as opposed to a well-delineated lesson. I had prepared to share some simple definitions and thoughts and I share them here now for your reflection and edification.

At its core, the term “free will”, when used by theologians who embrace it, means that a person is fully able to perform some other action in place of the one that is actually done, and this is not predetermined by any prior circumstances, desires or even affections. In other words, a person has to be “free” to choose against his own nature, desires and inclinations, uninfluenced by anything in himself or even outside himself. This presents both a logical absurdity, for I may will to fly like a bird, wanting to do something other then simply walk, but since it is not in my nature to do so, as soon as I jump of the roof and flap my arms, I am going to come down with a crash. It is also contrary to the teaching of the word of God.

The only way in which a person can claim to have free will is be redefining what is meant by the choosing of good or evil. Since the bible teaches that no on does does (Romans 3:10) and it is impossible for a person to go against this nature (Jeremiah 13:23), humanity and even some Christians specifically, must redefine what is meant by good.

Definitions

Good, humanly speaking, is anything that is not harmful or hurtful and is relatively helpful to someone.

Evil, from a human perspective - is defined as anything hurtful, harmful and not helpful to another person.

However, such a definition of “good” does not live up to God's standards.

Good, from God's perspective, is anything done by the power of God for the glory of God. Such a definition of good leaves out any human good that seeks to serve a neighbor if that good is not done in the power of God for the glory of God, but is merely for the benefit of the other person or perhaps for the accolades that come as a result.

Essentially, humanity defines good as anything that is less evil than those things which are deemed clearly evil. Thus, the philanthropist is seen as good when he gives his money to a worthy cause, even though he has no desire to do it for the glory of God, which, by definition, is an evil act. Adolf Hitler is seen as bad because of all the harm he did to millions of people.

By way of example concerning the human condition as bound by sin, prison guards on Alcatraz knew that every one of their prisoners were “bad” and evil people for the crimes they had committed. Yet, some of those men were “good” in comparison to others and were allowed certainly privileges that other bad prisoners did not get. This is humanity's condition. We are all condemned as criminals, we are all
Show More

Related Documents: Free Will Research Paper

Free Will and Free Wont Essay

“Free Will and Free Wont: Motor activity in the brain precedes our awareness of the intention to move, so how is it that we perceive control?” By: Sukhvinder S. Obhi and Patrick Haggard PSYC 370.01 INTRODUCTION TO BIOPSYCHOLOGY Department of Psychology Fayetteville State University April 1, 2015 Are our lives predetermined from birth or are we able to control our actions and in the end our fate? That is one of the questions that researchers have been debating amongst themselves for decades. However…

Words 2327 - Pages 10

Free Will Frankenstein

Free will is the ability the chose good or evil. The power of free will is an ability that is often taken for granted and abused. However, without the ability to have free will a person loses the sovereignty of choice. The use of free will in Paradise Lost by John Milton and Frankenstein by Mary Shelly demonstrates the nature of evil. As a creator, there are an endless number of possibilities of things to instill in their creation. In Milton’s Paradise Lost, God is the creator of everything. “God…

Words 1332 - Pages 6

The Concept Of Free Will

views, God is claimed to be omniscient, thus in possession of perfect foreknowledge, and God is supposed to have granted humankind free will. As a result, a clear contradiction ensues; how can human beings possess free will when an infinite, omniscient God knows every action in the universe, both past and present? The answer is that the supposed exercise of humanity's free will is ultimately an illusion. Attempts to solve the apparent contradiction often involved attributing to God special properties…

Words 1843 - Pages 8

Essay on Free Will

distinguished artist in the Italian Renaissance, philosophically proclaimed that he lived “in sin, to kill myself I live; no longer my life my own, but sin's; my good is given to me by heaven, my evil by myself, by my free will, of which I am deprived” (Brainyquote.com). The constant battle of free will resonating inside Michelangelo’s head correlates within the troubled central characters in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood and Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood. Daniel Plainview and Hazel Motes are…

Words 1059 - Pages 5

Essay on Free Will

Free Will The problem with free will is that if karma really exists then the subject of free will is in question. Free will is having the ability to make all decisions in your life and that you choose what to do. There are many different opinions about if free will is a real thing or is everything in your life predetermined by past events. Examples of these are determinism, libertarianism, and fatalism. Determinism as a whole is defined as believing that things that happen to you is directly…

Words 1131 - Pages 5

Essay on Free Will

Free will has been a topic that has been widely discussed by many of the worlds greatest minds. Many different people have brought their theories regarding free will while other simply say that it is not possible to discover. For discussion sake we will lay a generalize belief of free will. We can say that free will describes how we are able to control our actions (Ingram). There are different criteria for free will that have been developed as well. They state that the person must of had the option…

Words 3535 - Pages 15

free will Essay

Free will exist but it is limited. Compatibilist Free will does exist and every choice that we have at our disposal is proof of that. I will never deny that, however, it has a limit. Ultimately our paths have been written. The lessons we are supposed to learn will happen regardless of the path we take. With that said free will allows us to choose in sense weather we want to learn the hard way or the easy. Weather that knowledge that will open our minds and allow us to set back is there of not it…

Words 404 - Pages 2

free will Essay

From the beginning of time, thinkers have puzzled over the paradox of fate vs. free will, or predestination vs. free choice. In theological terms, this leads to the struggle between Calvinism and Arminianism. As we explore this paradox, we find that examining the fruit of each position reveals that the River of Life seems to flow between these two extremes, and that once again, truth involves a careful balance. At the heart of the controversies between Calvinism and Arminianism is the emphasis…

Words 672 - Pages 3

Free Will Essay

to eat the forbidden fruit, so that they can sin. After succeeding in his quest, Satan finds out that not only does he himself not possess free- will, but that God’s plan the whole time was for man to fall so they may have eternal life in heaven. However, Christianity and free-will do not go hand-in-hand; so this question arises, how does Milton prove free-will exists? John Milton was born London on December 9, 1608, into a middle-class family. He was educated at St. Paul’s School, then at…

Words 1592 - Pages 7

free paper

have a better life themselves not for the blacks to have a better life. Others wanted to keep slavery just for the family tree. (I can not think of a thesis here) The north also had opposing views on slavery. The north was free states and most wanted new states coming in to be free mainly in the west. The west was the white man’s 2nd chance for wealth and glory. If slaves came in and took work in the west, there went his chance. One main pro abolitionist was William Garrison, who stated that the…

Words 1022 - Pages 5