| SargeSmash said: Again, you're still constraining yourself to a linear flow of time (and it's totally understandable, as it's the only thing we know). To God, there is no "one / infinite steps ahead", there is only now. For Him, the past, present, and future are all His now, as best we can understand it. (This is where it sucks to be a temporal being, chained to the flow of time.) Does he understand our motivations, though? Absolutely. Which is why if someone commits a heinous crime from our point of view, they may or may not be as culpable in His eyes as someone that knew full well what they were doing was wrong, and chose to do it anyway. He judges us not just on our actions, but our very hearts and souls. And while evil actions are very much held into account, how much more so are our instincts, even if we do not act upon it? Jesus Himself said that all have fallen short of the glory of God, and gave examples of how even evil thoughts were as bad as actually committing the deed. So yes, God knows our motivations. He also knows we're flawed. It's why he gave us a way out, when He really had no good reason to do so. We certainly don't deserve it. Another thought: If a being is omniscient, then they also have the power to reign in that omniscience, if they will it to be so. Christ did so, and there's no reason for me to believe God Himself is incapable of the feat. Counter-intuitive, sure, but if we're talking about a being that can create the entire universe in six days, it's not too much of a stretch to believe He can not have to exercise all of His ability, either, and give us that free will. |
Bolded: You are right; We are chained to the flow of time. But shouldn't it be possibe for an almighy outsider to analyze the future through the cause-effect model? Present is shaped by the past and the future is shaped by the present. God must have full control/understanding of time, and must be able to see the future in order to actually be almighty.
That is where the rest of the free will argument fall as well. If everything isn't linear, then God can't possibly see the future and is, de facto: Flawed.
As for the last paragraph, or more specifically: The underlined: That dilemma is just like the old fashioned "Can God create a rock that is so heavy that he cannot lift it?"-dilemma. It is a paradox without a (logical) answer.
