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Who Caused Job’s Suffering?
Was it Job’s own free will? Check out this interesting analysis and then update your theodicy, if your theodicy depends on “free will.” UPDATE: The link seems to be broken. This is the chart that I thought was interesting: Who Caused The Death And Suffering In Job Ref. Who Inference Text Job 1:11 God Implied…
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Simple Argument Against Libertarian Free Will from Foresight
1. Libertarian Free Will has, as a core element, the ability of a person to do otherwise. [def.] 2. The ability to do A means the power to bring A into existence. [def.] 3. The ability to do A given B means the power to bring A into joint existence with already-existent B. [def.] 4.…
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Benedict XVI, Parables, Perspicuity, and Freedom
The Vatican Information Service provided the following partial account of Joseph Ratzinger’s (aka Benedict XVI’s) remarks from 10 July 2011: “Yet this Gospel narrative also highlights the ‘method’ of Jesus’ preaching; in other words, His use of parables”, the Holy Father added. “His disciples ask Him: ‘why do you speak to them in parables?’ Jesus…
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John Knox on Free Will (Old Spellings)
Before I answer to the absurdities which of our doctrine ye collect, I must, in few wordes, put you in minde, that very foolishely ye joyn the free will of Adame with the free will of Christe Jesus, and with the libertie of God. For Adam’s will was never so free but that it might…
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The Potter or the Carpenter
God is the potter and we are the clay. He sovereignly determines who to form as vessels of wrath and whom to form as vessels of mercy. Both in some sense show forth the love of God: while the former show his patience and longsuffering, the latter show the forth the full richness of his…
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Determined Choices
Paul Manata at Triablogue has a fascinating post on Determined Choices (link). He provides a reasonably concise explanation of how God’s declaration that he decides when we die (John 14:5) and the fact that people sometimes choose to kill themselves are compatible, not contradictory. Thus, he reasonably concludes that the nature of free will is…
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Response to Beowulf2k8 on Calvinism
I noticed that Beowulk2k8 had commented over at Triablogue on the topic of Calvinism (link to comment). B2k8 writes: You guys are so ridiculous. When Calvinism is ridiculed, it is funny because the Calvinist system is truly stupidity and Satan worship. When Arminianism is ridiculed it is just asinine lame Calvinists trying to look cool…
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Arminianism and Natural Birth
Joshua Lim at Reformed Blogging has an interesting post on Arminianism and Natural Birth (link) (Mitch has pointed out that there is something wrong with the link. The post can be found via the following link, about 3/4 of the way down the page – backup link). He states fairly succinctly this particular problem that…
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Science Rejects Free Will
This article (link) is not going to convince anyone, and perhaps it shouldn’t. The article basically says that a team of scientists have discovered that they can determine people’s decisions (at least some simple ones) before the people themselves can determine their decisions. That suggests something to the effect of determinism. While I enjoy the…
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Divine Determination – More in Discussion with Godismyjudge
Some Clarification and Discussion of the Topic at Hand God, in decreeing all that would come to pass, was acting freely: he was not necessitated and he was uncaused. That is to say, there is no preceding cause for the effect of God’s decree of Providence, including the special instance of Creation. One can view…