Can We Really Exercise Free Will?

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studier said:
The sheer volume of go-to's is quite the thing. The never-ending repetition after correction worse. Tribes and traditions.
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Give us one verse that articulates free will. Oh, you got none? Didn't think so.

You have nothing to repeat, just your usual bloviating and blowing hot air.

That is why you must complain about the dozens of verses we repeat that y'all are
sick of hearing. You contradict and deny them when you are not busy rewriting them.

Correction, LOL. Yeah, you try to correct what the Holy Spirit has written.
 
studier said:
After you made typical and false deterministic claims about non-determinists. Fess up. It'll do you good and provide some credibility.
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You asked what I believe. I told you. It has nothing to do with being deterministic or anything else. It's simply what I believe to be true. If you don't like honest answers, don't ask questions. As far as caring whether you believe I'm credible or not, I live for an audience of One. You are not that One.
 
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Magenta said:
It is not in the Bible. Man is a slave to sin until Christ sets him free. I already told you this.

Which parts of the Bible have you read? Where would you place yourself in reference to coming to believe?
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I have read most of the Bible. The last question of yours I do not quite understand.
 
studier said:
The sheer volume of go-to's is quite the thing. The never-ending repetition after correction worse. Tribes and traditions.
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It's TDS, Truth Derangement Syndrome. Loyalties to men in disguise as loyalty to the Truth. It's very much a beloved pet doctrine, for whatever reason, and it's guarded with such a bulldog determination as if it'd starve if it was taken away.
 
the_seeker said:
I have read most of the Bible. The last question of yours I do not quite understand.
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I looked at your profile and saw that your Spiritual Status says unsure, which does kind of go with your user name. People who are unsure could be in any number of camps. We have people join who say they want to believe for some reason, maybe their wife does, but they just can't overcome all their intellectual objections, and just choose to believe like the free willer would say they can. Then others who might say they were unsure would not in any way be desirous of believing. Like agnostics might say they are not sure because they do not know, but the agmostic is also defined as believing that nobody can know, and this contradicts Scripture. We can know God. There are believers here who deny this also in the way Jesus says we come to know God. But I was wondering what your seeking entails, how long have you sought, how would you describe your spiritual journey if you would call it that? Do you attend church at all?
 
About free will:

If one is to consider if something exists, or do not exist, the first thing to do is to define "something". If a clear definition is available, we can start the consideration and research if this "something" really exists.

Now, I have not here seen a proper definition of the concept "free will". Since such a definition is not given, it's impossible to conclude with anything else than "We do not know". So the conclusion is: We don't know what "free will" is, or if it exists. Interesting.
 
Cameron143 said:
You asked what I believe. I told you. It has nothing to do with being deterministic or anything else. It's simply what I believe to be true. If you don't like honest answers, don't ask questions. As far as caring whether you believe I'm credible or not, I live for an audience of One. You are not that One.
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Sure, it has to do with deterministic beliefs, which are Calvinistic, which are Reformed, which you've acknowledged you are. And yes, you believe the things you acknowledged, and based on this, yes you claimed the same nonsense about non-Reformed beliefs that your Reformed and admittedly Calvinistic friends here claim constantly. You try to claim honesty by trying to shroud yourself in some self-perceived sense of mystery or uniqueness, but your beliefs are Reformed which are not at all mysterious and very easy to identify.
 
Magenta said:
But I was wondering what your seeking entails, how long have you sought, how would you describe your spiritual journey if you would call it that? Do you attend church at all?
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Well Magenta, I am an agnostic. However, if you or anyone else can give me a proof of God's existence, then I will no longer be an agnostic. So where is the proof ?
 
the_seeker said:
About free will:

If one is to consider if something exists, or do not exist, the first thing to do is to define "something". If a clear definition is available, we can start the consideration and research if this "something" really exists.

Now, I have not here seen a proper definition of the concept "free will". Since such a definition is not given, it's impossible to conclude with anything else than "We do not know". So the conclusion is: We don't know what "free will" is, or if it exists. Interesting.
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Incorrect. According the the Bible, the unregenerated man is a slave to sin incapable of obeying God because he is under the power and influence of the wicked one, blinded to the truth, opposed to the spiritual things of God which he can neither receive nor comprehend, and said to be taken captive to do the will of the devil. Taken captive to do the will of the devil cannot be called free to chose to believe in God no matter how hard you squint your eyes and squeeze your butt cheeks.
 
the_seeker said:
Well Magenta, I am an agnostic. However, if you or anyone else can give me a proof of God's existence, then I will no longer be an agnostic. So where is the proof ?
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You are seeking empirical experience and that is personal. So if you really are sincerely
seeking truth and being humble then God has said He will reveal Himself to you.
How set against God are you?
 
Magenta said:
Incorrect. According the the Bible, the unregenerated man is a slave to sin incapable of obeying God because he is under the power and influence of the wicked one, blinded to the truth, opposed to the spiritual things of God, and said to be taken captive to do the will of the devil. Taken captive to do the will of the devil cannot be called free to chose to believe in God no matter how hard you squint and squeeze your butt cheeks.
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You seem to have a special kind of hobby, referring to the Bible, which is a huge collection of texts written by bearded men some 2-3000 years ago. That is so sweet, but it does not impress me. I have to ask: Why should I trust these bearded men's thoughts to be the so-called truth?
 
the_seeker said:
You seem to have a special kind of hobby, referring to the Bible, which is a huge collection of texts written by bearded men some 2-3000 years ago. That is so sweet, but it does not impress me. I have to ask: Why should I trust these bearded men's thoughts to be the so-called truth?
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I believe the Bible, yes, and it is a road map of sorts to God and a blue-print for life.

People make a lot of assumptions. Erroneous, I might add. For instance some people (like non-believers) have assumed
I believe in God because I believe the Bible but it is the other way around. I believe the Bible because I believe in God.

If you are gong to mock it you will not last long here.
 
the_seeker said:
Well Magenta, I am an agnostic. However, if you or anyone else can give me a proof of God's existence, then I will no longer be an agnostic. So where is the proof ?
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Why would you look to common people to prove the existence of the Most Uncommon? These can only tell you of their own experiences and, if you don't believe even the sincerest of them, what can they do to convince you?
 
the_seeker said:
How set against reason, critical thinking and a sceptical mind are you ?
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Yeah, you are so smart, I get it. I was quite set against the Biblical God myself.

You are toeing the non-believers' party line. How original!

You are smarter and more logical and more rational than millions and millions of people who believe in God.

Yeah. Heard it all before.
 
I am a newcomer at this site christianchat.com

But I have to ask: Who is behind this site? Who is drifting it? I suppose it's some christian movement in US. Which congregation, which movement, which church ?
 
Magenta said:
You are smarter and more logical and more rational than millions and millions of people who believe in God.
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I have never said that I am smarter than people believing in God. If you think I have said that, I want a reference to a comment from me confirming that you are right about me.
 
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