Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:07 am
Let me add this for clarity
God is neither a hard determinist nor a soft determinist. God is nevertheless is still a determinist but he is neither soft nor hard in his determining. For many of you this may sound like a contradiction but there is no contradiction in my statement here.
Hard determinism leads to an absence of moral responsibility as everything, all action, words, and deeds were caused by a power greater than oneself. This negates moral accountability to humanity and angels as God would be the cause of all rebellion, sin, pride, etc, thus creating a world of victims rather than perpetrators.
This is where Christian hard determinism leads. You cannot escape it. It leads there in its assertions as well as its out of context bible references used to support the idea that God is a hard determinist who governs the universe using the precepts of hard determinism. There can be no accountability for sin as it was forced upon one.
The Christian hard determinist, by making God a hard determinist, makes God out as an amoral God who does his whim based of whatever pleases him to do. “If he damns you, so be it, he damns and you had nothing to do with it so accept it,” we are told by the Christian hard determinist. While the bible does reveal that God does whatever it pleases him, this is taken out of context and interpreted in error to prove God a hard determinist.
For example, for the Christian hard determinist, God will never change his mind, yet they declare he can do whatever it pleases him. Therefore, if it pleased God to change his mind, he could not do so but yet he can still do as he pleases. How can God do whatever he pleases if he cannot change his mind? There is a contradiction their. Thank you Hezekiah for your testimony!
Another contradiction is the Christian hard determinist's prayer that shouts, “God please elect some more!” How can God elect more unless he changes his mind to do so as he had already determined who is elected?
When the bible speaks of God being unchanging it is in reference to his nature and character and who he is. When God 'sets' his mind to do something, nothing can stop it. Due to God being God, nothing can change his will [nature, character] or plans [purposes]. This is a far cry from hard determinism. It is determinism nevertheless but it is not hard determinism.
God is not a hard determinist for to be so would make God morally irresponsible. The bible teaches that there is no unrighteousness with God and that far be it that God does iniquity and injustice, Job 34:10-16. That is not hard determinism.
God the Determinist
God is a determinist nevertheless. He governs the universe and acts in accord to who he is. His actions and deeds are determined by his own standards and morals. This makes God accountable to himself. These are discovered in how he chose to reveal himself as recorded in the bible. He is righteous, just, loving, kind, jealous merciful, good, fair, he does what is right, he holds one accountable for his/her deeds, etc and etc.
God glorifies himself in this by proving that he is all that he says he is that he acts according to a superior wisdom and knowledge incomprehensible to the mortal mind. This means that God changes not, he is constant, he will never do injustice and that he will always be just, even when determining recompense.
That is his will. His character and nature as revealed in the bible revel what his will is. Be not unwise but learn what the good and perfect will of God is. This is discovered by study of the names used to describe God as well as those passages that reveal his attributes such as Job 34:10-16. God acts in accord to his perfect and immutable will. Be thankful he changes not. Be thankful as that is how he determines the time, places, and years of our lives. Be thankful as that is how he guides us and leads us and elects. He does no injustice.
It takes moral responsibility to govern the universe. Without it, amoral whims would destroy it unethically and unjustly. I praise God that God governs with his profound moral responsibility or we would never be part of this — his glory.
Christian Hard Determinism does not lead to moral responsibility, nor can it teach it, because one cannot learn if made an automaton. The Christian Hard Determinist dark unbending portrait of God is an unjust accusation against the God of the universe staining his great and powerful name!
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God is neither a hard determinist nor a soft determinist. God is nevertheless is still a determinist but he is neither soft nor hard in his determining. For many of you this may sound like a contradiction but there is no contradiction in my statement here.
Hard determinism leads to an absence of moral responsibility as everything, all action, words, and deeds were caused by a power greater than oneself. This negates moral accountability to humanity and angels as God would be the cause of all rebellion, sin, pride, etc, thus creating a world of victims rather than perpetrators.
This is where Christian hard determinism leads. You cannot escape it. It leads there in its assertions as well as its out of context bible references used to support the idea that God is a hard determinist who governs the universe using the precepts of hard determinism. There can be no accountability for sin as it was forced upon one.
The Christian hard determinist, by making God a hard determinist, makes God out as an amoral God who does his whim based of whatever pleases him to do. “If he damns you, so be it, he damns and you had nothing to do with it so accept it,” we are told by the Christian hard determinist. While the bible does reveal that God does whatever it pleases him, this is taken out of context and interpreted in error to prove God a hard determinist.
For example, for the Christian hard determinist, God will never change his mind, yet they declare he can do whatever it pleases him. Therefore, if it pleased God to change his mind, he could not do so but yet he can still do as he pleases. How can God do whatever he pleases if he cannot change his mind? There is a contradiction their. Thank you Hezekiah for your testimony!
Another contradiction is the Christian hard determinist's prayer that shouts, “God please elect some more!” How can God elect more unless he changes his mind to do so as he had already determined who is elected?
When the bible speaks of God being unchanging it is in reference to his nature and character and who he is. When God 'sets' his mind to do something, nothing can stop it. Due to God being God, nothing can change his will [nature, character] or plans [purposes]. This is a far cry from hard determinism. It is determinism nevertheless but it is not hard determinism.
God is not a hard determinist for to be so would make God morally irresponsible. The bible teaches that there is no unrighteousness with God and that far be it that God does iniquity and injustice, Job 34:10-16. That is not hard determinism.
God the Determinist
God is a determinist nevertheless. He governs the universe and acts in accord to who he is. His actions and deeds are determined by his own standards and morals. This makes God accountable to himself. These are discovered in how he chose to reveal himself as recorded in the bible. He is righteous, just, loving, kind, jealous merciful, good, fair, he does what is right, he holds one accountable for his/her deeds, etc and etc.
God glorifies himself in this by proving that he is all that he says he is that he acts according to a superior wisdom and knowledge incomprehensible to the mortal mind. This means that God changes not, he is constant, he will never do injustice and that he will always be just, even when determining recompense.
That is his will. His character and nature as revealed in the bible revel what his will is. Be not unwise but learn what the good and perfect will of God is. This is discovered by study of the names used to describe God as well as those passages that reveal his attributes such as Job 34:10-16. God acts in accord to his perfect and immutable will. Be thankful he changes not. Be thankful as that is how he determines the time, places, and years of our lives. Be thankful as that is how he guides us and leads us and elects. He does no injustice.
It takes moral responsibility to govern the universe. Without it, amoral whims would destroy it unethically and unjustly. I praise God that God governs with his profound moral responsibility or we would never be part of this — his glory.
Christian Hard Determinism does not lead to moral responsibility, nor can it teach it, because one cannot learn if made an automaton. The Christian Hard Determinist dark unbending portrait of God is an unjust accusation against the God of the universe staining his great and powerful name!
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