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Free will in theology

2007-03-15T16:07:36Z

J3one:

== In Christian thought ==

In Christian theology, God is described as not only [[omniscient]] but [[omnipotent]]; a notion which some people, Christians and non-Christians alike, believe implies that not only has God always known what choices individuals will make tomorrow, but has actually determined those choices. That is, they believe, by virtue of his foreknowledge he knows what will influence individual choices, and by virtue of his omnipotence he controls those factors. This becomes especially important for the doctrines relating to salvation and predestination. Other branches, such as Methodists, believe that while God is omnipotent and knows the choices that individuals will make, he still gives individuals the power to ultimately choose (or reject) everything, regardless of any internal or external conditions relating to the choice. For example, when Jesus was nailed on the cross, the two murderers, one on each side, were about to die. Only one asked Jesus for forgiveness while the other, even at the end of his life with nothing else to lose, mocked Jesus. In the view of Methodists and others who believe in free will, this was a free choice of everlasting death over everlasting life.

== In Calvinism ==
Calvinists embrace the idea that God chose who would be saved from before the creation. They quote Ephesians 1:4 "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight" and also 2:8 "For it is by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." One of the strongest defenders of this theological point of view was the Puritan-American preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards.

Edwards believed that indeterminism was incompatible with individual dependence on God and hence with his sovereignty. He reasoned that if individuals' responses to God's grace are contra-causally free, then their salvation depends partly on them and therefore God's sovereignty is not "absolute and universal." Edward's book Freedom of the Will defends theological determinism. In this book, Edwards attempts to show that libertarianism is incoherent. For example, he argues that by 'self-determination' the libertarian must mean either that one's actions including one's acts of willing are preceded by an act of free will or that one's acts of will lack sufficient causes. The first leads to an infinite regress while the second implies that acts of will happen accidentally and hence can't make someone "better or worse, any more than a tree is better than other trees because it oftener happens to be lit upon by a swan or nightingale; or a rock more vicious than other rocks, because rattlesnakes have happened oftener to crawl over it." [1]

It should not be thought that this view completely denies freedom of choice, however. It claims that man is free to act on his moral impulses and desires, but is not free to act contrary to them, or to change them. Proponents, such as John L. Girardeau, have indicated their belief that moral neutrality is impossible; that even if it were possible, and one were equally inclined to contrary options, one could make no choice at all; that if one is inclined, however slightly, toward one option, then that person will necessarily chose that one over any others.

Non-Calvinist Christians attempt a reconciliation of the dual concepts of Predestination and free will by pointing to the situation of God as Christ. In taking the form of a man, a necessary element of this process was that Jesus Christ lived the existence of a mortal. When Jesus was born he was not born with the omniscient power of God the Creator, but with the mind of a human child - yet he was still fully God. The precedent this creates is that God is able to abandon knowledge, or ignore knowledge, while still remaining God. Thus it is not inconceivable that although omniscience demands that God knows what the future holds for individuals, it is within his power to deny this knowledge in order to preserve individual free will.

However, a reconciliation more compatible with non-Calvinist theology states that God is, in fact, not aware of future events, but rather, being eternal, He is outside time, and sees the past, present, and future as one whole creation. Consequently, it is not as though God would know "in advance" that Jeffrey Dahmer would become guilty of homicide years prior to the event as an example, but that He was aware of it from all eternity, viewing all time as a single present. This was the view offered by Boëthius in Book V of the Consolation of Philosophy.

Loraine Boettner argued that the doctrine of divine foreknowledge does not escape the alleged problems of divine foreordination. He wrote that "what God foreknows must, in the very nature of the case, be as fixed and certain as what is foreordained; and if one is inconsistent with the free agency of man, the other is also. Foreordination renders the events certain, while foreknowledge presupposes that they are certain."[1] Some Christian theologians, feeling the bite of this argument, have opted to limit the doctrine of foreknowledge if not do away with it altogether, thus forming a new school of thought, similar to Socinianism and Process Theology, called Open Theism.

Will (philosophy)

2007-03-15T16:05:38Z

J3one:

Will is a philosophical concept that is defined in several different ways. Most commonly as the ability to "choose" or make a decision.

Nietzsche defines will similarly to the "any internally motivated action" usage, but more narrowly. In this sense, will is more a "creative spark," a certain independence and stubbornness. A person who chooses not to steal because the Ten Commandments said so would not be exercising their will; neither would someone buying some music because their friends recommended it. Someone who independently forms their own moral system or who composes a musical composition pleasing to themself, however, would be exercising will.

== Free Will ==

see [[free will]] for more on the non-theological aspects of free will. See [[Free will in theology]] for more on the debate on free will in general. This article discusses the doctrine of free will as it has been, and is, interpreted within the various branches of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

Will (philosophy)

2007-03-15T16:05:22Z

J3one:

Will is a philosophical concept that is defined in several different ways. Most commonly as the ability to "choose" or make a decision.

Nietzsche defines will similarly to the "any internally motivated action" usage, but more narrowly. In this sense, will is more a "creative spark," a certain independence and stubbornness. A person who chooses not to steal because the Ten Commandments said so would not be exercising their will; neither would someone buying some music because their friends recommended it. Someone who independently forms their own moral system or who composes a musical composition pleasing to themself, however, would be exercising will.

see [[free will]] for more on the non-theological aspects of free will. See [[Free will in theology]] for more on the debate on free will in general. This article discusses the doctrine of free will as it has been, and is, interpreted within the various branches of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

Will (philosophy)

2007-03-15T16:04:47Z

J3one:

Will is a philosophical concept that is defined in several different ways. Most commonly as the ability to "choose" or make a decision.

see [[free will]] for more on the non-theological aspects of free will. See [[Free will in theology]] for more on the debate on free will in general. This article discusses the doctrine of free will as it has been, and is, interpreted within the various branches of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

Alcoholic drink

2007-03-15T16:01:37Z

J3one:

Alcoholic drinks are beverages which contain ethanol (CH<sub>3</sub>CH<sub>2</sub>OH). Ethanol is an addictive psychoactive depressant. Alcohol has been found in society for thousands of years and in some cases was used in a medicinal capacity. Alcoholic drinks come in a multitude of varieties. Beer is a drink produced throught the fermentation of malted grains and the addition of hops. Hops give beer its distinctive bitter taste. There are also many types of beers available, each with its own unique brewing method and history. The most popular type of beer in America is the pilsner, noted for its light golden color due to the use of lightly roasted grains. Gaining in popularity are other types of beer such as porters, lagers, wheat-beer, and ales. Liquor is fermented grains that are then distilled to increase the alcohol content. Liquors are aged for years to improve flavor. Wines are produced through the fermentation of various fruits. Wines, like beer, come in a variety of types with different bouquets and flavors.

According to Proverbs 31:6-7 the Bible recommends giving alcohol to those who are dying or depressed, so that they can forget their misery, although in nearly all other places drinking is heavily discouraged.

The [[Bible]] speaks of consumption, or over-consumption, multiple times.

It is written:

''"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God"'' (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

And similarly:

''"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar, about which I tell you in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God"'' (Galatians 5:19-21).

The bible is not clear in these point whether Heaven would be closed to all who became drunk, or only those who drank regularly. However, further Biblical evidence points to the sinful nature of the demon drink:

''"The Lord instructed Moses: '…When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the Lord, he is to abstain from wine and beer… He is not to eat anything produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin, during his vow'"'' (Numbers 6:1-4)

''"Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself"'' (Daniel 1:8)

''"But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb" (Luke 1:13-15)''

Most biblical scholars agree that occasional wine is not spiritually harmful, but drunkenness, and certainly regular drunkenness, constitutes [[sin]]; as it takes you out of your normal state of mind and alters your [[will]] and ability to make good decisions.

Fertility

2007-03-15T15:53:17Z

J3one:

Fertility is a term used to describe something which is fertile and has the ability to grow or reproduce.

[[Human Fertility]] is more and more commonly associated not just with women but with men as well. The reproduction ability of humans has factors extending to nutrition, sexual behavior, culture, instinct, endocrinology, timing, economics, way of life, and emotions.

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== Fertility in religions ==

One good example of the role fertility played in religion is the Israelites. Many times they turned to pagan gods like golden calves, that were to bring fertility to the lands and their women. In most of Mesopotamia, the land was your life line and as such most pagan gods were devoted to such things as fertility and growth.

Fertility

2007-03-15T15:52:54Z

J3one:

{{stub}}

Fertility is a term used to describe something which is fertile and has the ability to grow or reproduce.

[[Human Fertility]] is more and more commonly associated not just with women but with men as well. The reproduction ability of humans has factors extending to nutrition, sexual behavior, culture, instinct, endocrinology, timing, economics, way of life, and emotions.

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== Fertility in religions ==

One good example of the role fertility played in religion is the Israelites. Many times they turned to pagan gods like golden calves, that were to bring fertility to the lands and their women. In most of Mesopotamia, the land was your life line and as such most pagan gods were devoted to such things as fertility and growth.

Human Fertility

2007-03-15T15:44:42Z

J3one:

Both women and men have hormonal cycles which determine both when a woman can achieve pregnancy and when a man is most fertile. The female cycle is approximately twenty-eight days long, but the male cycle is variable. Women ovulate at about the fourteenth day of their cycle, this obviously being the most fertile time for females (The 14th day is considered a common myth: [1]). Men can ejaculate and produce sperm at any time of the month, but their libido dips occasionally, which scientists guess is in relation to their internal cycle. A study done in Mexico suggests that men's libido levels are also sometimes correlated to their partner's monthly cycle.

During the fourteenth week of fetal growth, the eggs (or ova) form in the ovaries of a female fetus, where they will remain until puberty. At puberty, the eggs will eventually start to mature one-by-one. At ovulation, the egg bursts from the ovary sometimes causing a small, sharp pain called mittelschmerz (German for "middle pain"). If the egg is not fertilized by the male’s sperm, the egg will break down within twenty-four hours into its components (mostly protein) and be reabsorbed by the body.

A study suggests that women dress more provocatively when they are at their most fertile.