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What's your take on the second sentence in the article?
I am not really sure, but I think the Dimension God is from had no evil in existence, but that God himself personally knew that evil was a way of life that could exist, if he allowed it to. And I think when he created humanity, he wanted us to know about it as well. Not as a possible choice, but to only be exposed to it so we can be aware of it and its results. To experience it first hand I think. And compare it to his goodness and know which way is best.
That's as best as I understand it.
It appears to me that the author is assigning a pejorative to the definition of God.
It makes God responsible for evil.
God has given us free will, and intellect to consider the results of our actions.
Those are the blessings of the Judeo-Christian faith, and the most significant difference from the religion of submission...Islam.
Hence, God doesn't 'allow' evil, He allows his creations to choose.
In my view, God is not a Judeo Christian, and their beliefs are not his. In Isaiah 45:7 God claims that he created evil; cased closed in my view of this. God said he did all the choosing, not humanity. Free will is an illusion.
Is Man a Free Moral Agent - J. Preston Eby
I've seen translations that say 'disaster' rather than 'evil.'
"Free will is an illusion."
I suggest that you re-examine your life.
Free will means a mind is unaffected by any outside influences; no such thing. Hey, but to each their own views. Nothing in the human consciousness is free. Our minds are so heavily influenced its often pathetic.
I am not really sure, but I think the Dimension God is from had no evil in existence, but that God himself personally knew that evil was a way of life that could exist, if he allowed it to. And I think when he created humanity, he wanted us to know about it as well. Not as a possible choice, but to only be exposed to it so we can be aware of it and its results. To experience it first hand I think. And compare it to his goodness and know which way is best.
That's as best as I understand it.
It appears to me that the author is assigning a pejorative to the definition of God.
It makes God responsible for evil.
God has given us free will, and intellect to consider the results of our actions.
Those are the blessings of the Judeo-Christian faith, and the most significant difference from the religion of submission...Islam.
Hence, God doesn't 'allow' evil, He allows his creations to choose.
In my view, God is not a Judeo Christian, and their beliefs are not his. In Isaiah 45:7 God claims that he created evil; cased closed in my view of this. God said he did all the choosing, not humanity. Free will is an illusion.
Is Man a Free Moral Agent - J. Preston Eby
I've seen translations that say 'disaster' rather than 'evil.'
"Free will is an illusion."
I suggest that you re-examine your life.
Free will means a mind is unaffected by any outside influences; no such thing. Hey, but to each their own views. Nothing in the human consciousness is free. Our minds are so heavily influenced its often pathetic.
"Free will means a mind is unaffected by any outside influences; no such thing. Hey, but to each their own views. Nothing in the human consciousness is free."
free will
ˌfrē ˈwil/
noun
- the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion. Google
"Our minds are so heavily influenced its often pathetic."
I always appreciate autobiographical posts.
It appears to me that the author is assigning a pejorative to the definition of God.
It makes God responsible for evil.
God has given us free will, and intellect to consider the results of our actions.
Those are the blessings of the Judeo-Christian faith, and the most significant difference from the religion of submission...Islam.
Hence, God doesn't 'allow' evil, He allows his creations to choose.
In my view, God is not a Judeo Christian, and their beliefs are not his. In Isaiah 45:7 God claims that he created evil; cased closed in my view of this. God said he did all the choosing, not humanity. Free will is an illusion.
Is Man a Free Moral Agent - J. Preston Eby
I've seen translations that say 'disaster' rather than 'evil.'
"Free will is an illusion."
I suggest that you re-examine your life.
Free will means a mind is unaffected by any outside influences; no such thing. Hey, but to each their own views. Nothing in the human consciousness is free. Our minds are so heavily influenced its often pathetic.
"Free will means a mind is unaffected by any outside influences; no such thing. Hey, but to each their own views. Nothing in the human consciousness is free."
free will
ˌfrē ˈwil/
noun
- the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion. Google
"Our minds are so heavily influenced its often pathetic."
I always appreciate autobiographical posts.
Oh my respects to a good thread. I guess its that " Ability to act at one's discretion" that kind of bothers me. I think that is a very thin line. In my view, if anything, I think we at times can exercise a " Limited will", but I would not define it as free.
I recall my mom telling us we can play inside the back yard but not go out of it; had a fence. We were free to play inside, but not outside of it. That is how I view human will, we can only go so far, but no further. Do you kind of get the sense of what I am saying?
Need I list the constraints on human will? Hey, our own emotions constrain us at various times, and that comes from the inside of human consciousness. All our freedoms have their limitations. I am free to speak to you, but I limit myself on " How I have speaks with you", you know, trying to be respectful I constrain any foolishness. I was free to raise my children, but I had to constrain myself on how I did it many times. In my relations with women during my life, I could claim I was free to treat them as I wished, but the more mature I got, the more constraint I learned.
And I hope I make some sense on some level to you, I am not trying to be picky. I think as long as evil exist, we cannot be free from it in our will. Its just going to be there ; like a germ.
Well thank you. The free will topic does interest me, and even some scientist;
Scientists might just have proved that free will is an illusion
Well I have other sources that convince me, such as certain biblical concepts. In Jer.10:23 it states " The way of man is not " In Himself", its not IN man that walks to direct himself." Which blows free will out of the water in my view of the verse. And Phil. 2:13, " For it is God, ( not the human), which works in you BOTH to WILL and to do his pleasure." Here its God that guides the human will , its not self generated.
But to top that even is the biblical concept in Acts 17:28, " For IN HIM, ( not in ourselves , which is our will), we live, and move and have our being." God controls the total picture here as far as I can see. IN HIM is the complete cycle of human will. Romans 11:32 adds to this;" For God has shut them all in unbelief." Good grief, can it be any clearer?
But here again I understand even biblical concepts are just understood by us as how we are just able to interpret them. We can only be conscious of, those things we are conscious of. I don't think we are autotoms or mindless leaders of ourselves, no. But God has revealed himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is a complete cycle in my view, not much room for this so called human will.
We see through a glass darkly, another biblical principal, which I think means we just don't understand all these things like we would like to think we do. Because we are just limited beings who think we are not. In Eph. 2:8 another stunning biblical concept suggesting salvation itself is not a result of free will, " For by grace you are saved, " Its NOT of yourself, ( or your will), its a gift from Gods will."
Not of yourself means its not your will. Not to remove the individual desire of believers from the total picture, but the concepts are there to study for anyone who looks at it objectively. In 1Tim. 6:13 it is God who " Quickens ALL THINGS", which means HE stimulates and arouses belief in us toward him. The grace of God brought salvation into this world, not the will of man, Titus 2:11.
I think we just like to credit ourselves with far too much.
Peace.
Well I have other sources that convince me, such as certain biblical concepts. In Jer.10:23 it states " The way of man is not " In Himself", its not IN man that walks to direct himself." Which blows free will out of the water in my view of the verse. And Phil. 2:13, " For it is God, ( not the human), which works in you BOTH to WILL and to do his pleasure." Here its God that guides the human will , its not self generated.
But to top that even is the biblical concept in Acts 17:28, " For IN HIM, ( not in ourselves , which is our will), we live, and move and have our being." God controls the total picture here as far as I can see. IN HIM is the complete cycle of human will. Romans 11:32 adds to this;" For God has shut them all in unbelief." Good grief, can it be any clearer?
But here again I understand even biblical concepts are just understood by us as how we are just able to interpret them. We can only be conscious of, those things we are conscious of. I don't think we are autotoms or mindless leaders of ourselves, no. But God has revealed himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is a complete cycle in my view, not much room for this so called human will.
We see through a glass darkly, another biblical principal, which I think means we just don't understand all these things like we would like to think we do. Because we are just limited beings who think we are not. In Eph. 2:8 another stunning biblical concept suggesting salvation itself is not a result of free will, " For by grace you are saved, " Its NOT of yourself, ( or your will), its a gift from Gods will."
Not of yourself means its not your will. Not to remove the individual desire of believers from the total picture, but the concepts are there to study for anyone who looks at it objectively. In 1Tim. 6:13 it is God who " Quickens ALL THINGS", which means HE stimulates and arouses belief in us toward him. The grace of God brought salvation into this world, not the will of man, Titus 2:11.
I think we just like to credit ourselves with far too much.
Peace.
Which of your actions do you feel were dictated by forces outside of yourself?
Well I have other sources that convince me, such as certain biblical concepts. In Jer.10:23 it states " The way of man is not " In Himself", its not IN man that walks to direct himself." Which blows free will out of the water in my view of the verse. And Phil. 2:13, " For it is God, ( not the human), which works in you BOTH to WILL and to do his pleasure." Here its God that guides the human will , its not self generated.
But to top that even is the biblical concept in Acts 17:28, " For IN HIM, ( not in ourselves , which is our will), we live, and move and have our being." God controls the total picture here as far as I can see. IN HIM is the complete cycle of human will. Romans 11:32 adds to this;" For God has shut them all in unbelief." Good grief, can it be any clearer?
But here again I understand even biblical concepts are just understood by us as how we are just able to interpret them. We can only be conscious of, those things we are conscious of. I don't think we are autotoms or mindless leaders of ourselves, no. But God has revealed himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is a complete cycle in my view, not much room for this so called human will.
We see through a glass darkly, another biblical principal, which I think means we just don't understand all these things like we would like to think we do. Because we are just limited beings who think we are not. In Eph. 2:8 another stunning biblical concept suggesting salvation itself is not a result of free will, " For by grace you are saved, " Its NOT of yourself, ( or your will), its a gift from Gods will."
Not of yourself means its not your will. Not to remove the individual desire of believers from the total picture, but the concepts are there to study for anyone who looks at it objectively. In 1Tim. 6:13 it is God who " Quickens ALL THINGS", which means HE stimulates and arouses belief in us toward him. The grace of God brought salvation into this world, not the will of man, Titus 2:11.
I think we just like to credit ourselves with far too much.
Peace.
Which of your actions do you feel were dictated by forces outside of yourself?
My belief in God for sure was done outside of myself;
My educational evolution
My environments in life
My peers
Some of my health
Some of my emotional content
My political views
Some of my views on race and culture
Really, some of literally everything in my life.
Well I have other sources that convince me, such as certain biblical concepts. In Jer.10:23 it states " The way of man is not " In Himself", its not IN man that walks to direct himself." Which blows free will out of the water in my view of the verse. And Phil. 2:13, " For it is God, ( not the human), which works in you BOTH to WILL and to do his pleasure." Here its God that guides the human will , its not self generated.
But to top that even is the biblical concept in Acts 17:28, " For IN HIM, ( not in ourselves , which is our will), we live, and move and have our being." God controls the total picture here as far as I can see. IN HIM is the complete cycle of human will. Romans 11:32 adds to this;" For God has shut them all in unbelief." Good grief, can it be any clearer?
But here again I understand even biblical concepts are just understood by us as how we are just able to interpret them. We can only be conscious of, those things we are conscious of. I don't think we are autotoms or mindless leaders of ourselves, no. But God has revealed himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is a complete cycle in my view, not much room for this so called human will.
We see through a glass darkly, another biblical principal, which I think means we just don't understand all these things like we would like to think we do. Because we are just limited beings who think we are not. In Eph. 2:8 another stunning biblical concept suggesting salvation itself is not a result of free will, " For by grace you are saved, " Its NOT of yourself, ( or your will), its a gift from Gods will."
Not of yourself means its not your will. Not to remove the individual desire of believers from the total picture, but the concepts are there to study for anyone who looks at it objectively. In 1Tim. 6:13 it is God who " Quickens ALL THINGS", which means HE stimulates and arouses belief in us toward him. The grace of God brought salvation into this world, not the will of man, Titus 2:11.
I think we just like to credit ourselves with far too much.
Peace.
Which of your actions do you feel were dictated by forces outside of yourself?
My belief in God for sure was done outside of myself;
My educational evolution
My environments in life
My peers
Some of my health
Some of my emotional content
My political views
Some of my views on race and culture
Really, some of literally everything in my life.
You haven't explained any of those.
Well I did not know you wanted details , I don't want to hog your thread. No, I am not in prison. Free will can be extensive in scope when one is introduced to it being an illusion, but I try to give as much resources on it as I can, Notice;
Free Will: God's Gift or Curse?
I am not alone in this view, but I gave you scriptures on how I believe the will comes from God, not us; its not our will, but its Gods will. Redemption is IN Jesus Christ, in human will , Romans 3:24. Its IN Jesus; people explain free will as something IN us, the bible explains it as something IN God and Christ.
Listen, in Romans 8:20, " For the creature was MADE subject to vanity, NOT WILLINGLY- our will has absolutely nothing to do with our sinful condition. Humanity was placed into bondage. Paul said in Romans 7:18 " For I know that IN me, IN my flesh ( Which includes this so called will of man), dwells no good thing. For THE WILL is present with me, but how to live I find NOT! Because the will of man is not sufficient to guide us through life, its just not. This is WHY we all were " Predestined by God", Romans 8:29 because human will cannot predestine itself.
Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans
Well I have other sources that convince me, such as certain biblical concepts. In Jer.10:23 it states " The way of man is not " In Himself", its not IN man that walks to direct himself." Which blows free will out of the water in my view of the verse. And Phil. 2:13, " For it is God, ( not the human), which works in you BOTH to WILL and to do his pleasure." Here its God that guides the human will , its not self generated.
But to top that even is the biblical concept in Acts 17:28, " For IN HIM, ( not in ourselves , which is our will), we live, and move and have our being." God controls the total picture here as far as I can see. IN HIM is the complete cycle of human will. Romans 11:32 adds to this;" For God has shut them all in unbelief." Good grief, can it be any clearer?
But here again I understand even biblical concepts are just understood by us as how we are just able to interpret them. We can only be conscious of, those things we are conscious of. I don't think we are autotoms or mindless leaders of ourselves, no. But God has revealed himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is a complete cycle in my view, not much room for this so called human will.
We see through a glass darkly, another biblical principal, which I think means we just don't understand all these things like we would like to think we do. Because we are just limited beings who think we are not. In Eph. 2:8 another stunning biblical concept suggesting salvation itself is not a result of free will, " For by grace you are saved, " Its NOT of yourself, ( or your will), its a gift from Gods will."
Not of yourself means its not your will. Not to remove the individual desire of believers from the total picture, but the concepts are there to study for anyone who looks at it objectively. In 1Tim. 6:13 it is God who " Quickens ALL THINGS", which means HE stimulates and arouses belief in us toward him. The grace of God brought salvation into this world, not the will of man, Titus 2:11.
I think we just like to credit ourselves with far too much.
Peace.
Which of your actions do you feel were dictated by forces outside of yourself?
My belief in God for sure was done outside of myself;
My educational evolution
My environments in life
My peers
Some of my health
Some of my emotional content
My political views
Some of my views on race and culture
Really, some of literally everything in my life.
You haven't explained any of those.
Well I did not know you wanted details , I don't want to hog your thread. No, I am not in prison. Free will can be extensive in scope when one is introduced to it being an illusion, but I try to give as much resources on it as I can, Notice;
Free Will: God's Gift or Curse?
I am not alone in this view, but I gave you scriptures on how I believe the will comes from God, not us; its not our will, but its Gods will. Redemption is IN Jesus Christ, in human will , Romans 3:24. Its IN Jesus; people explain free will as something IN us, the bible explains it as something IN God and Christ.
Listen, in Romans 8:20, " For the creature was MADE subject to vanity, NOT WILLINGLY- our will has absolutely nothing to do with our sinful condition. Humanity was placed into bondage. Paul said in Romans 7:18 " For I know that IN me, IN my flesh ( Which includes this so called will of man), dwells no good thing. For THE WILL is present with me, but how to live I find NOT! Because the will of man is not sufficient to guide us through life, its just not. This is WHY we all were " Predestined by God", Romans 8:29 because human will cannot predestine itself.
Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans
Well I have other sources that convince me, such as certain biblical concepts. In Jer.10:23 it states " The way of man is not " In Himself", its not IN man that walks to direct himself." Which blows free will out of the water in my view of the verse. And Phil. 2:13, " For it is God, ( not the human), which works in you BOTH to WILL and to do his pleasure." Here its God that guides the human will , its not self generated.
But to top that even is the biblical concept in Acts 17:28, " For IN HIM, ( not in ourselves , which is our will), we live, and move and have our being." God controls the total picture here as far as I can see. IN HIM is the complete cycle of human will. Romans 11:32 adds to this;" For God has shut them all in unbelief." Good grief, can it be any clearer?
But here again I understand even biblical concepts are just understood by us as how we are just able to interpret them. We can only be conscious of, those things we are conscious of. I don't think we are autotoms or mindless leaders of ourselves, no. But God has revealed himself as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, which is a complete cycle in my view, not much room for this so called human will.
We see through a glass darkly, another biblical principal, which I think means we just don't understand all these things like we would like to think we do. Because we are just limited beings who think we are not. In Eph. 2:8 another stunning biblical concept suggesting salvation itself is not a result of free will, " For by grace you are saved, " Its NOT of yourself, ( or your will), its a gift from Gods will."
Not of yourself means its not your will. Not to remove the individual desire of believers from the total picture, but the concepts are there to study for anyone who looks at it objectively. In 1Tim. 6:13 it is God who " Quickens ALL THINGS", which means HE stimulates and arouses belief in us toward him. The grace of God brought salvation into this world, not the will of man, Titus 2:11.
I think we just like to credit ourselves with far too much.
Peace.
Which of your actions do you feel were dictated by forces outside of yourself?
My belief in God for sure was done outside of myself;
My educational evolution
My environments in life
My peers
Some of my health
Some of my emotional content
My political views
Some of my views on race and culture
Really, some of literally everything in my life.
You haven't explained any of those.
Well I did not know you wanted details , I don't want to hog your thread. No, I am not in prison. Free will can be extensive in scope when one is introduced to it being an illusion, but I try to give as much resources on it as I can, Notice;
Free Will: God's Gift or Curse?
I am not alone in this view, but I gave you scriptures on how I believe the will comes from God, not us; its not our will, but its Gods will. Redemption is IN Jesus Christ, in human will , Romans 3:24. Its IN Jesus; people explain free will as something IN us, the bible explains it as something IN God and Christ.
Listen, in Romans 8:20, " For the creature was MADE subject to vanity, NOT WILLINGLY- our will has absolutely nothing to do with our sinful condition. Humanity was placed into bondage. Paul said in Romans 7:18 " For I know that IN me, IN my flesh ( Which includes this so called will of man), dwells no good thing. For THE WILL is present with me, but how to live I find NOT! Because the will of man is not sufficient to guide us through life, its just not. This is WHY we all were " Predestined by God", Romans 8:29 because human will cannot predestine itself.
Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans
"Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans."
On the contrary.
Free will refers to the fact.....fact.....that in every example you gave above, you have choice.
Which of your actions do you feel were dictated by forces outside of yourself?
My belief in God for sure was done outside of myself;
My educational evolution
My environments in life
My peers
Some of my health
Some of my emotional content
My political views
Some of my views on race and culture
Really, some of literally everything in my life.
You haven't explained any of those.
Well I did not know you wanted details , I don't want to hog your thread. No, I am not in prison. Free will can be extensive in scope when one is introduced to it being an illusion, but I try to give as much resources on it as I can, Notice;
Free Will: God's Gift or Curse?
I am not alone in this view, but I gave you scriptures on how I believe the will comes from God, not us; its not our will, but its Gods will. Redemption is IN Jesus Christ, in human will , Romans 3:24. Its IN Jesus; people explain free will as something IN us, the bible explains it as something IN God and Christ.
Listen, in Romans 8:20, " For the creature was MADE subject to vanity, NOT WILLINGLY- our will has absolutely nothing to do with our sinful condition. Humanity was placed into bondage. Paul said in Romans 7:18 " For I know that IN me, IN my flesh ( Which includes this so called will of man), dwells no good thing. For THE WILL is present with me, but how to live I find NOT! Because the will of man is not sufficient to guide us through life, its just not. This is WHY we all were " Predestined by God", Romans 8:29 because human will cannot predestine itself.
Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans
"Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans."
On the contrary.
Free will refers to the fact.....fact.....that in every example you gave above, you have choice.
I disagree, in fact here is what God himself said he will do in human future ; Isaiah 45:23 God literally swears to himself that to him, EVERY knee SHALL bow and EVERY mouth shall confess to him; absolutely no choices are given there. No one will be left out because of their faulty will. It would be foolish of God to let salvation depend on human will, far too many people would be lost , literally because of them being stupid. God is far too loving and wise to base our salvation on our ability to make right choices.
I don't believe that about God.
My belief in God for sure was done outside of myself;
My educational evolution
My environments in life
My peers
Some of my health
Some of my emotional content
My political views
Some of my views on race and culture
Really, some of literally everything in my life.
You haven't explained any of those.
Well I did not know you wanted details , I don't want to hog your thread. No, I am not in prison. Free will can be extensive in scope when one is introduced to it being an illusion, but I try to give as much resources on it as I can, Notice;
Free Will: God's Gift or Curse?
I am not alone in this view, but I gave you scriptures on how I believe the will comes from God, not us; its not our will, but its Gods will. Redemption is IN Jesus Christ, in human will , Romans 3:24. Its IN Jesus; people explain free will as something IN us, the bible explains it as something IN God and Christ.
Listen, in Romans 8:20, " For the creature was MADE subject to vanity, NOT WILLINGLY- our will has absolutely nothing to do with our sinful condition. Humanity was placed into bondage. Paul said in Romans 7:18 " For I know that IN me, IN my flesh ( Which includes this so called will of man), dwells no good thing. For THE WILL is present with me, but how to live I find NOT! Because the will of man is not sufficient to guide us through life, its just not. This is WHY we all were " Predestined by God", Romans 8:29 because human will cannot predestine itself.
Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans
"Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans."
On the contrary.
Free will refers to the fact.....fact.....that in every example you gave above, you have choice.
I disagree, in fact here is what God himself said he will do in human future ; Isaiah 45:23 God literally swears to himself that to him, EVERY knee SHALL bow and EVERY mouth shall confess to him; absolutely no choices are given there. No one will be left out because of their faulty will. It would be foolish of God to let salvation depend on human will, far too many people would be lost , literally because of them being stupid. God is far too loving and wise to base our salvation on our ability to make right choices.
I don't believe that about God.
We were speaking of your choices.
You haven't explained any of those.
Well I did not know you wanted details , I don't want to hog your thread. No, I am not in prison. Free will can be extensive in scope when one is introduced to it being an illusion, but I try to give as much resources on it as I can, Notice;
Free Will: God's Gift or Curse?
I am not alone in this view, but I gave you scriptures on how I believe the will comes from God, not us; its not our will, but its Gods will. Redemption is IN Jesus Christ, in human will , Romans 3:24. Its IN Jesus; people explain free will as something IN us, the bible explains it as something IN God and Christ.
Listen, in Romans 8:20, " For the creature was MADE subject to vanity, NOT WILLINGLY- our will has absolutely nothing to do with our sinful condition. Humanity was placed into bondage. Paul said in Romans 7:18 " For I know that IN me, IN my flesh ( Which includes this so called will of man), dwells no good thing. For THE WILL is present with me, but how to live I find NOT! Because the will of man is not sufficient to guide us through life, its just not. This is WHY we all were " Predestined by God", Romans 8:29 because human will cannot predestine itself.
Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans
"Humanity did not choose itself, which is what free will teaches. It takes glory from God and places it on humans."
On the contrary.
Free will refers to the fact.....fact.....that in every example you gave above, you have choice.
I disagree, in fact here is what God himself said he will do in human future ; Isaiah 45:23 God literally swears to himself that to him, EVERY knee SHALL bow and EVERY mouth shall confess to him; absolutely no choices are given there. No one will be left out because of their faulty will. It would be foolish of God to let salvation depend on human will, far too many people would be lost , literally because of them being stupid. God is far too loving and wise to base our salvation on our ability to make right choices.
I don't believe that about God.
We were speaking of your choices.
I do not view choices as you do, in my understanding human choices are superficial at best ; they are surface things, but the real motivation in our lives comes from our maker. When we ignore that and make our choices as if we totally control everything ourselves , that is where we really get in trouble I think. I would not want to live my life totally based on my choices; no way! Because I know that in me dwells no good thing, and I both accept that and totally believe in it. Most of the evil in my life came from my choices.
Which is why I pray so much, Lord, NOT my will, but YOUR will be done in my life.
1. An essential element in recognizing evil, in the context I mean it, is that evil is often gratuitous.
There are gradations of evil, true enough, but usually we know the motivation: money, power, love....personal aggrandizement that leads the weak of character to murder, steal, injure, torture....to attain profits of some sort.
2. But....not just to gain power.....evil can be recognized in the use of power, as well.
"The late Roman emperors were good at this sort of thing ordering someone to be killed in the middle of a dinner party,...and expecting the other guests to laugh. ...trying to be ingenious and unpredictable.
Stalin used to gather cronies and henchmen...for all night dinner-and-drinking sessions; at dawn, for fun, one or two of the guests might be led away, in sodden terror,to be executed by the NKVD. No explanation- just the heavy whimsy of the Antichrist awardng a door prize at the end of his party."
Lance Morrow, "Evil: An Investigation," p. 23
3. But, what to say when the motive is elusive?
a. "Las Vegas shooting motive eludes investigators as new details emerge about gunman Stephen Paddock"
Las Vegas shooting motive eludes investigators as new details emerge about gunman Stephen Paddock
b. "Texas Church Shooting: More Than Two Dozen Parishioners Killed Federal officials said the motive for the shooting was unclear. " More than two dozen parishioners killed in rural Texas church shooting
4. There is, of course, a way to understand most crimes....even some that we claim as 'incomprehensible.'
Evil.
It is the motivation. It may be a force, or the personification...Lucifer himself.
Evil is personified as Lucifer, Satan....the angel who lost his battle with God.
So.....evil is associated with God, in at least some sense.
"When two snipers were terrorizing the Washington, D.C. area, in the fall of 2002, at one point they left a Tarot card, "I am God," in an empty shell casing at the scene of one of their murders. The snipers were a study in the dynamics of doing a certain sort of evil: the gratuitiousness of their predations , the secrecy, the terror, the (one gathers) satanic glee, the random quality of their shootings, the sense of power, the immense injustice of their inflictions, the people struck down dindiscriminantly, with no reason, no order, no rational, all at the whim of the destoyer: Evil is an imitation of God...."
Lance Morrow, Op.Cit., p. 36-37
I say that at some level, motiveless evil is the desire, the attempt to be God-like.....exactly the same motive as Lucifer.
