Where does the doctrine of Free Will come from?

[Zzyzx]

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Where does the doctrine of Free Will come from?

Does the Bible state that man has a Free Will? If so, WHERE is that term used?

If not from the Bible, where did 'Free Will' doctrine come from?

Is 'Free Will' the teaching of MAN (and not 'God')?

[tam]

Peace to you Z!




He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right,... Isaiah 7:15

Choose. If we did not have free will, how could anyone reject the wrong and choose the right?


This particular passage is speaking of Christ, but there are other passages, stories, choices that make the same implication. If we did not have free will, how could we choose anything? What is the point of a choice if we don't actually have a choice?


Peace to you!
your servant and slave of Christ,
tammy

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

Interesting question, I came across this extract

The belief of humans possessing free will and self determination has been debated since the times of great philosophers like Homer, Aristotle, and Plato. This has evolved into a more traditional western philosophy which involved moral decision-making and linking the decision making to humans as having free will and responsibility for their actions. For example, during the Homeric period, which occurred in ancient Greece, individual free will was not believed to exist . This was primarily due to the thought of outside influences being the sole factor of an individual’s decision making. This concept was also heavily influenced by the belief that the concept of self was not prevalent and that the existence was between gods and humans themselves

Tancredi, L. R. (2007). The neuroscience of “free will�. Behavioral Sciences & The Law 25(2), 295-308. doi:10.1002/bsl.749
http://psychrod.com/free-will-vs-self-determination/

[1213]

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Where does the doctrine of Free Will come from?

I think it come indirectly from the Bible and from our existence. We have ability to freely want whatever we want. If God created us, it must mean, God intended us to have free will. Also, if we read the Bible, it shows people have had freedom to reject God, so I think it is obvious that God wanted us to have that freedom.

[Zzyzx]

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Where does the doctrine of Free Will come from?

I think it come indirectly from the Bible

'Indirectly from the Bible' translates to 'make the Bible say whatever you want' -- as indicate in the last sentence of my signature.

and from our existence.

Yes, everyone's experience is different -- so they can credit the Bible with whatever they want.

We have ability to freely want whatever we want. If God created us, it must mean, God intended us to have free will.

Dogs, cats, parrots, gerbils are free to want whatever they want. That must mean that 'God intended them to have free will'. Right?

Also, if we read the Bible, it shows people have had freedom to reject God, so I think it is obvious that God wanted us to have that freedom.

Freedom to reject the gods appears to be a human characteristic that does not apply to any one 'god'. Thousands of proposed 'gods' are rejected. Does that mean the 'gods' involved gave humans that ability?

[Tired of the Nonsense]

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Where does the doctrine of Free Will come from?

I think it come indirectly from the Bible and from our existence. We have ability to freely want whatever we want. If God created us, it must mean, God intended us to have free will. Also, if we read the Bible, it shows people have had freedom to reject God, so I think it is obvious that God wanted us to have that freedom.

If God didn't create us, if in fact the entire concept of God is simply a figment of the imagination, we would have free will naturally, wouldn't we! So you have created the concept of God in your imagination, and then declared that God, in his mercy, has given us something that would be our birthright if no God had ever existed to begin with. And thus have you established that God is real, praise the lord.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

FREE WILL [Index]

Definition & Origins

The belief of humans possessing free will and self determination has been debated since the times of great philosophers like Homer, Aristotle, and Plato. This has evolved into a more traditional western philosophy which involved moral decision-making and linking the decision making to humans as having free will and responsibility for their actions. For example, during the Homeric period, which occurred in ancient Greece, individual free will was not believed to exist . This was primarily due to the thought of outside influences being the sole factor of an individual’s decision making. This concept was also heavily influenced by the belief that the concept of self was not prevalent and that the existence was between gods and humans themselves

Tancredi, L. R. (2007). The neuroscience of “free will�. Behavioral Sciences & The Law 25(2), 295-308. doi:10.1002/bsl.749
http://psychrod.com/free-will-vs-self-determination/

Regarding the origins of the idea, an entry in Wikipedia states

Free will in antiquity was not discussed in the same terms as used in the modern free will debates, but historians of the problem have speculated who exactly was first to take positions as determinist, libertarian, and compatibilist in antiquity.[1] There is wide agreement that these views were essentially fully formed over 2000 years ago. Candidates for the first thinkers to form these views, as well as the idea of a non-physical "agent-causal" libertarianism, include Democritus (460-370), Aristotle (384-322), Epicurus (341-270), Chrysippus (280-207), and Carneades (214-129).

INDEX

Free will = a capacity/abiliity [analysis of CARM definition]
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 90#p816690

Free will =/= freedom from consequence
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 98#p816498

Free will & Omniscience (scroll down)
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 31#p381431

Foreknowledge =/= causation
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 50#p850450

Go to other posts related to...

FREE WILL, PREDESTINATION and ...SELECTIVE FOREKNOWLEDGE

[Tired of the Nonsense]

[Replying to post 1 by Zzyzx]

FREE WILL [Index]

Definition & Origins

The belief of humans possessing free will and self determination has been debated since the times of great philosophers like Homer, Aristotle, and Plato. This has evolved into a more traditional western philosophy which involved moral decision-making and linking the decision making to humans as having free will and responsibility for their actions. For example, during the Homeric period, which occurred in ancient Greece, individual free will was not believed to exist . This was primarily due to the thought of outside influences being the sole factor of an individual’s decision making. This concept was also heavily influenced by the belief that the concept of self was not prevalent and that the existence was between gods and humans themselves

Tancredi, L. R. (2007). The neuroscience of “free will�. Behavioral Sciences & The Law 25(2), 295-308. doi:10.1002/bsl.749
http://psychrod.com/free-will-vs-self-determination/

Regarding the origins of the idea, an entry in Wikipedia states

Free will in antiquity was not discussed in the same terms as used in the modern free will debates, but historians of the problem have speculated who exactly was first to take positions as determinist, libertarian, and compatibilist in antiquity.[1] There is wide agreement that these views were essentially fully formed over 2000 years ago. Candidates for the first thinkers to form these views, as well as the idea of a non-physical "agent-causal" libertarianism, include Democritus (460-370), Aristotle (384-322), Epicurus (341-270), Chrysippus (280-207), and Carneades (214-129).

INDEX

Free will = a capacity/abiliity [analysis of CARM definition]
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 690#816690

Free will =/= freedom from consequence
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 498#816498

Free will & Omniscience (scroll down)
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 431#381431

Foreknowledge =/= causation
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 450#850450

Excellent post. The implicit promise of free will is not found in the Bible though, is it!

[liamconnor]

[Replying to post 5 by Zzyzx]

'Indirectly from the Bible' translates to 'make the Bible say whatever you want' -- as indicate in the last sentence of my signature.

This is what scholars call the "Word/Thing Fallacy". Just because the Word one is looking for is not present, does not mean the idea is not present. Numerous answers have given places where the "thing" is present in the Bible.

[bjs]

The fact that the term “free will� is not found the Bible does not mean that the idea is not present in scripture. An idea can be present without the specific term we call it being found in the text.

However, in this case free will is a philosophical doctrine, not necessarily a biblical one. Not all Christians accept free will. Some are determinists. After all, the problems solved by the doctrine of free will were originally created by the assumption of free will.