LM77
(Liam Maguire)
July 7, 2022, 8:26am
3
This topic has been addressed a few times on the forum. So existing threads might be a good place to start in answering your question:
Hi, I was wondering if neuroscience can explain away life after death,dualism,or free will
This question is probably my biggest roadblock to faith and I’m not sure if I can be convinced that the brain and mind are separate or not. I know humans are mostly energy and energy never ceases to exist but I’m still unsure. Thank you in advance for those taking the time to help me.
Is everyone born where their fates are? Since God knows all, does this mean all events in history were known before hand?
I’ve typically been more dismissive of things like predestination and Calvinism than my actual knowledge of them would warrant, I’m sure. Usually I see it as some sort of frontal assault on the whole edifice of free will, an edifice on which I’ve planted flags and staked out some intellectual commitment. My response to the Calvinist (and to Determinists too) is to give the obligatory nod toward the boatload of scriptures they have in support of what they’re saying, and then to wish I could hea…
What view do you take on free-will?
Whilst I find the subject of free-will interesting, I have yet to take a position. Though I find most arguments for scientific determinism to be weak, I do think a biblical case can be made for theological determinism, God is said to raise up nations to accomplish his purpose, which in my mind necessarily involves God manipulating human political actions. Isaiah 45:13 is an example of a passage supporting my view:
I have stirred him up in righteousness, and…
Is anyone here familiar with theological fatalism? Are you a proponent of it or not? What arguements make you dismiss it or accept it?
Theological Fatalism is a view according to which free will is incopatible with the existance of an omniscient God who has forknowledge of all future events
Does the Bible insist on a completely libertarian view of free will?
There are verses on the Bible (I’ve forgotten where, but in Ecclesiastes) which claim that our actions were decreed long ago.
I know that there are many who dispute the possibility of Free Will so perhaps it is worth discussing?
If there is any sort of Original Sin or inherent Sinful nature than that would preclude Free will… because it denies that we can choose a righteous behaviour.
Heaven and Hell might be considered a barrier to free will… because a gun to the eternal head precludes choosing anything other than Righteousness or at least Salvation
Culture and circumstance might be considered a barrier to free wil…
Both culture and biology exert such a great influence over who we become that I have to wonder whether free will, if it exists at all, can be said to make all men accountable for their actions. I’m not thinking about this so much in relation to religion as to science though I’m sure there is much which could be said from either side. Are men destined to be oppressors and violators without adequate cultural intervention? Must women always be on guard against the lust and domination of men? Is…
If there is one you really like the look of you can reply there and reopen the conversation.
Or there are these other Biologos resources:
Or the following resources…
For example, DA Carson’s Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspective in Tension is a good place to start for one Calvinists deep dive into the issues around free will and predestination. Or there is Basinger & Basinger’s Predestination & Free Will: Four Views of Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom it is s a bit dated but helpful for a more broad slice of the options.
If you are interested in more of an overview of the Calvinist take on predestination, then you may wish to read what some Calvinists and Reformed types have to say on the subject of predestination. A good place to start would be RC Sproul’s Chosen By God which is an easy-to-read, relatively short, and a pretty good introduction. Either that or pick up a copy of Bavinck , Berkhof , or Bird’s Systematic theologies for a deep dive.
My own take, I don’t think neuroscience neither confirms nor denies God’s sovereignty since the former is to do with genetics and biology and the latter is to do with divinity and, in my opinion , the Biblical witness.
Lastly, despite what some may imply, I would point out that Calvinism and Reformed Theology are not monolithic in how they view issues like free will and predestination. Some lean more towards Calvin’s take, others towards Augustine’s view, and others towards other theologians still. But one of the questions that lie at the heart of the internal conversations is ‘What do we mean by free will?’.
Hope all that helps.
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