Does God Know the Future? (Pt.1 of 11)

William Hasker of Huntington University and Thomas Flint of the University of Notre Dame debate the philosophical merit of open theology at the 2007 Open Theology Conference held at Eastern Nazarene College.

PART 1: Introduction of William Hasker and Thomas Flint

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• science
• religion
• open
• theology
• wesleyan
• god
• future

[1tabligh]

Man deserves blame or merits praise only when he is able to decide and to act freely; otherwise, there can be no question of blame or of praise.

"Say: O people! indeed there has come to you the truth from your Lord, therefore whoever goes aright, he goes aright only for the good of his own soul, and whoever goes astray, he goes astray only to the detriment of it, and I am not a custodian over you."

The Quran 10 : 108

[1tabligh]

If there were no free choice for man, the whole concept of man's religious accountability would be unjust.

The oppressive tyrant would deserve no blame and the just would merit no praise, because responsibility has meaning only within the sphere of what is possible and attainable for man.

[1tabligh]

It would surely be unjust were the Creator of the world to set us on whatever path He chose, by means of His power and His will, and then to punish us for actions we have committed without any choice on our part.

If the deeds of men are, in reality, the acts of God, all corruption, evil and cruelty must be regarded as His work, whereas His most sacred being is utterly pure of all such corruption and injustice.

[1tabligh]

@Philos2006 If god knows the future, we are all robots. We follow his script to the letter.

_________

NOPE!

The question of man's religious accountability, the sending of the Prophets, the proclamation of divine messages, and the principle of resurrection and judgment—all these rest on man's free will and choice in the acts he performs.

It would be completely meaningless were God, on the one hand, to compel men to do certain things and, on the other, to reward or punish them.

[veritaslogos]

@Philos2006 You mean something doesn't exist until we find evidence for it and then upon finding evidence for it, it pops into existence?

[Riqon]

God knows the future perfectly. The question is not whether he does or not - the question is what this future consists of. Greek philosophy held that it was fixed. From a Biblical perspective it would seem that the future is full of possibilities because humans are free agents.

[AndrewJS0]

you are Not. unless you can provide evidence.

[Philos2006]

If god knows the future, we are all robots. We follow his script to the letter.

[prophetelijah]

yawn!

[Philos2006]

God knows nothing, because he/she is Not, unless evidence is provided.