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RCAlyra2004 · 08-07-2005, 01:31 PM

Kind of a sticky subject... this whole "god" thing.

I think we have limited free will and here is why. (shades of grey again... sorry!)

Hypothetically:
I have just decided to jump out of the window, 7 stories down to concrete. Religion tells me not to jump because of the consequence of hell. But If I decide to go... no one will stop me.

Realistically:
From a psychological perspective I am likely to think of new things as a combination/permutation of things that I have heard and seen before and that is defnitley a physiological restraint on my ability to use free thought.

For example: Most inventors progress and build on combinations of old ideas until they have something novel and useful. The inventor of the electric furnace didn't invent electricity in order to make the first furnace, instead the person likely noticed that resistive electrical circuits heat up and then exploited this new knowledge to make heat coils.

Another way to look at it is that I use the same route to the grocery store every saturday because I already know the directions, and because it takes effort to learn the new route, even though it may be shorter or better.

For me to think that a god already knows or cares about every combination of moves I may ever make in life defies my experience of life so far. As far as I can tell, god is not anywhere to be found.

Religion, on the other hand, is abundant.

There can be no question whether or not religion has affected (sp?) the choices made by most or all people in the world, thereby determining what common behaviours you are likely to see displayed in society. (even me)

Religion has impacted the common knowledge base of people by literally imposing on us a common knowledge "set". Since any new creative thought or action is likely made up of a combination / permutation of the preprogrammed thoughts in the heads of humans all over the world, free will has been effected by religios dogma, not by god. (in my opinion)

Some would argue free will has been effected by religion in a favourable way and some would say it has been unfavourable... now THERE is a hot topic for debate!

08-07-2005, 01:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
RCAlyra2004 Crazy Location: North of the 50th Parallel	Kind of a sticky subject... this whole "god" thing. I think we have limited free will and here is why. (shades of grey again... sorry!) Hypothetically: I have just decided to jump out of the window, 7 stories down to concrete. Religion tells me not to jump because of the consequence of hell. But If I decide to go... no one will stop me. Realistically: From a psychological perspective I am likely to think of new things as a combination/permutation of things that I have heard and seen before and that is defnitley a physiological restraint on my ability to use free thought. For example: Most inventors progress and build on combinations of old ideas until they have something novel and useful. The inventor of the electric furnace didn't invent electricity in order to make the first furnace, instead the person likely noticed that resistive electrical circuits heat up and then exploited this new knowledge to make heat coils. Another way to look at it is that I use the same route to the grocery store every saturday because I already know the directions, and because it takes effort to learn the new route, even though it may be shorter or better. For me to think that a god already knows or cares about every combination of moves I may ever make in life defies my experience of life so far. As far as I can tell, god is not anywhere to be found. Religion, on the other hand, is abundant. There can be no question whether or not religion has affected (sp?) the choices made by most or all people in the world, thereby determining what common behaviours you are likely to see displayed in society. (even me) Religion has impacted the common knowledge base of people by literally imposing on us a common knowledge "set". Since any new creative thought or action is likely made up of a combination / permutation of the preprogrammed thoughts in the heads of humans all over the world, free will has been effected by religios dogma, not by god. (in my opinion) Some would argue free will has been effected by religion in a favourable way and some would say it has been unfavourable... now THERE is a hot topic for debate! __________________ Living on the edge of sanity Last edited by RCAlyra2004; 08-07-2005 at 01:39 PM..