Would Jehovah create something He could not control or convince?

by DavidChristopher 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Jeffro

  Terry's analogy of the 'free-willed light switch' attempts to reduce the concept of free will to someone doing something that their master finds to be undesirable. Supposedly humans have free will but animals do not. Anyone who has owned a cat knows otherwise.

  Terry does correctly point out that we really do not have free will in a complete sense, since our options are bound by physical laws.

  Our thoughts and actions are bound by preset biological processes and the concepts that we are introduced to. Free will may therefore be defined as an appearance of randomness due to an abundance of unknown factors. If the exact state of a person's biochemistry (which intrinsically includes their memories and perceptions) was known, their actions could be predicted as precisely as can astronomers predict where a planet will be a hundred years from now.
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  RichieRich

  Would Jehovah create something He could not control or convince?

  I'm here...
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  DavidChristopher

  I wonder what Jehovah enjoys more, people like Richie above, or mindless unquestioning, obedient JW's?

  Guess it would be like comparing your computer to your "bad" 5 year old son.

  I am with Richie, I want to challenge Him, even if He does win all the time. If He desired me to be a JW "slave" I am afraid I have let Him down. I will try to give Him a good game of chess though.

  It would be nice if we knew exactly what HE wants us to be.

  Anyone have the ability to expand on this, with simple term and words I can understand. I am no philosopher, scientist, or bio chemical engineer. Can you translate down to a 35 year old mechanic please so I can understand better?
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  Terry

  Terry's analogy of the 'free-willed light switch' attempts to reduce the concept of free will to someone doing something that their master finds to be undesirable.

  Attempts?

  T.
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  DavidChristopher

  Is that what free will is? the ability to question, or disobey God, or earthly authorities.

  Seems to me though....If you make a law to look out for the best interest of someone, you should have no problem explaining it to them, and no problem with their questions about it.

  You can then choose to obey, or refuse.
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  Jeffro

  Terry's analogy of the 'free-willed light switch' attempts to reduce the concept of free will to someone doing something that their master finds to be undesirable.

  Attempts?

  Yes, 'attempts'; the analogy does not sufficiently describe free will. A light switch with bad wiring may also produce the same affect as that described in the analogy, but it doesn't mean it has free will just because it only sometimes produces the desired result of the 'master'. The concept of free will is broader than simply whether an individual submits to an authority figure. A trained pet may not always submit to an authority figure, but is not considered to have free will in the same sense as humans.