Since the Jehovah's Witnesses believe we have no indwelling immortal spirit, are we like robots programmed with a special code called "free will"?? Since robots have no indwelling immortal spirit, they can be programmed to do whatever man wants them to. Nice control tactic.
Did Jehovah program us to have a free will? If so, how free are we?
by I_love_Jeff 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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yadda yadda 2
JW's dont teach that humans have no soul; they teach that a human or the breathing creature IS a soul, ie, that the soul is not separate from the living, breathing flesh and blood creature.
And why do you presuppose the absence of Christendom's version of a soul means there must be no free will?
The Bible says we are made in God's image - hence the idea we have free will.
Free will is a mental function.
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NAVYTOWN
I agree with the JW idea that humans don't have a separate 'soul' which inhabits the body and somehow survives after bodily death. There is absolutely no concrete proof that a 'soul' exists at all. Humans are strictly biological organisms, the same as all other living things. A person lives for a period of time and then eventually dies. Just like all other living creatures. There is no 'soul' that somehow magically survives death and then 'goes to heaven'. Folks, it's all a convoluted fairy tale dreamed up in the fevered imaginations of Bible writers. Strictly Magical Thinking. We live. We die. The bottom line is: You're alive NOW......make the most of the life you have. This is it!!!
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yadda yadda 2
Agree with you Navytown. But am curious: do you think the paranormal, like 'ghosts,' shaking beds, moving objects, etc, that untold people swear they've seen/experienced are just tricks of the mind or something otherwise explainable in scientific terms?
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I_love_Jeff
It is not impossible to program a robot with free will. It will make decisions based on certain parameters that are determined by the programmer. There can even be random data thrown into a robot's thinking to cause it to be spontaneous so that it seems to have a mind of its own. From the Jehovah's WItness viewpoint, individual personalities are generated by fancy "meat computers". The implication is that Jehovah wants devotion and respect from Siri and others like her. It's ridiculous, because neither Siri nor a fancy talking toaster could ever show genuine love for anything or anybody.
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NAVYTOWN
Yadda yadda 2: As far as paranormal experiences go, I can't comment on a personal level. I do have instances when I happen to think of a person, and then minutes later that person calls me. But I have no explanation for it. IF ghosts exist, I think they are likely visitors from another parallel dimension, NOT the spirits of dead humans. The human mind is very powerful, so it can undoubtedly manufacture seemingly supernatural experiences that are beyond our normal everyday senses. I think there is far more to life and the Universe than we currently know, but I don't think the churches have the answers to it.
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yadda yadda 2
IF ghosts exist, I think they are likely visitors from another parallel dimension....I think there is far more to life and the Universe than we currently know, but I don't think the churches have the answers to it
I strongly agree on your second point Navytown.
Re the first point re visitors from another parallel dimension: the sheer abundance of anecdotal evidence for the paranormal does give me real pause to wonder if there's not something strange and other worldly going on. I do find it hard to believe it's all just a figment of people's imagination or psyche.
But I'm getting off the free will topic the OP started.
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EverApostate
If Jah truly respects free will, why did he punish Adam and Eve for making their own decisions, based on Free will?
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nicolaou
If we are the created product of a superior intelligence, how can it possibly be called 'free' will if we have no say in the matter? Something imposed is not 'free' in any meaningful sense.
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Kalos
It is neither totally free-will nor totally predetermination, but in between. Once an action is chosen, its results are fixed—that is—thought is the father of all actions, and you have the freedom to change your thought, hence your actions too. But you have no freedom to choose the results which are arranged by forces of nature—visible and invisible, perceivable and imperceptible!
People have freedom to choose. Hence you have people acting differently in same situations. In poverty some may turn into stealing, suicide, prostitution… etc., yet not all poor people choose to do so, where as some rich people may choose to do those things! Among those who go deep into Science and Philosophy some may become atheists and others may find their faith in God reinforced. Those who work as Air Hostesses and work in the Customer Care Services choose not to get angry even at the face of provocation while on duty, but may choose to get angry with their family members at home! This is true of all other vices! It means virtues are intrinsic to our nature, hence come naturally to us, but vices are performed out of choice, hence come with effort and planning! All these go to show that people CAN change into any direction—from virtuous to vicious and vice versa!
However, results do not seem to be universal and uniform, and duration between action and fruition varies from person to person. Hence many people find it difficult to accept principle of “sow and reap” in religious setting (though everybody accepts it in physical world). Yet it seems to be the only logic to explain this whole creation, its existence and whatever happens. The more one understands it the more amazed and responsible-minded he becomes. One feels inspired to take charge of himself, and to do good that attract good, and finally to avoid doing bad thus avoiding bad results!