Quote:
|
Originally Posted by asaris
Well, there are a number of ways to explain how God knows the future; the most common is simply that God is outside of time. He doesn't really know ahead of time what we'll choose, he knows then. It's just that for him, then is now.
|
I have heard this before and it makes sense in as much as I can imagine a being outside of time. I believe C. S. Lewis said something of the sort. I'm assuming that's a difficult thing for most people to wrap their minds around.
Quote:
|
I probably have an argument for my claim that the proposition "God knows..." entails A, but I'll have to look them up. It's been a while since I've done that sort of philosophy. Just to check, do you have any arguments for your claim?
|
I'm afraid I don't. Most of my theology comes from discussions with people around the dinner table or studying the history of the Church and thinking "oh that makes sense." I'm pretty sure that arguments for my claim exist because the people I was talking to read an awful lot of philosophical works, but I haven't run across them yet.
Quote:
|
For what it's worth, there is an issue I believe to be valid floating in the background. The question shouldn't be "How is God's foreknowledge compatible with human freedom?", but rather "How is God's providence compatible with human freedom?" If God truly ordains all things, not only knows them but causes them to be, how can we possibly be free. This has come up before, so I think I'll start a new thread with my own views up for discussion.
|
That would be fascinating. You have probably answered this somewhere else, but what is your theological and religious background? And are you a philosophy major? If you are, I doubt I have a chance in an argument with you.