Post by Jen on Nov 7, 2008 1:59:39 GMT -5
In many religions, there is some contention over whether or not human beings have free will. For those who believe in the God of Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam, God is seen as an all-knowing entity. Because this God is described as knowing all that has been and all that will be, many find cause to debate whether or not free will actually exists. If a person's actions and decisions are already known, can those decisions really be the individual's own free choices?
Dt.30:19
"I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life. "
Joshua 24:15
"Choose you this day whom ye will serve.... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
These verses indicate to me that human beings are granted the right to choose for themselves how to lead their own lives. The choices are placed before us, along with their respective consequences. Human beings, being endowed with intellect and reason, have the capacity to evaluate the many paths they encounter every day and to choose which of those paths they will follow and which of those paths they will pass by. However, the Bible also includes verses which seem to deny the existence of any free will for human beings.
Pro 20:24
"Man's steps are {ordained} by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?"
Psa 119:4
"You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep {them} diligently."
These verses may indicate that humans are only following the paths laid before them by God, and that our actions are a part of the rhythms of the universe. Rather than having choices and consequences, we follow along in the manner in which we are intended, eventually arriving at God's intended destination.
Wishing to address the actions of those who believe either way, I will not attempt to decide which one is correct and which one is not. Whether to believe or not to believe in the existence of free will is a personal decision each person will make for himself or herself, based on personal views and interpretations of the Bible. Considering that opinions on the subject are quite varied, I have not the gall to suggest that I know a final answer. Whether your God is personal and directly involved in your life or is a distant figure, removed from the everyday actions of the world, we all have something to consider regarding the current trend of attempting to enforce Biblical mandate through legislation.
Free Will: If God, in God's infinite wisdom, elected to endow humans with reason and intellect with which to govern their own actions, it seems to me that laws which are not necessary to ensuring the safety of society and which have their basis solely in our own religious interpretations would be contrary to God's will. With the recent passing of Amendment 2 here in Florida, and Proposition 8 in California, it would seem our society has decided to take away its own free will. For someone who believes that free will is a gift from God, it takes a lot of chutzpah to act as though we know better than God. America was founded as a nation intended to be free from any nationalized religion. The language of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution specifically avoids any direct religious references for the sake of maintaining a separation between government and religion. We have instituted laws necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens, such as those protecting personal property and those criminalizing homicide. Legislation regarding homosexuality, however, has no logical basis for being included among those laws necessary for maintaining the safety of American citizens.
Homosexuality is not a choice which could cause death or misappropriation of property in any way. In passing these amendments, we are in fact legislating our own interpretations of the Bible. We have decided that human beings are better equipped to decide what should and should not fall under the umbrella of free will and which actions should be restricted within our society. Blinded by our own pride and notions of superiority, we point our fingers at those thought to be in violation of "God's Law". If God has indeed given people free will, it was given to all... not just those with whom we agree. God, in God's infinite wisdom knew something that humans continually struggle with--people cannot be forced to love God (I would like to clarify here that I am not stating that homosexuals do not love God... merely that for those who interpret the Bible as prohibiting homosexuality, and for whom adherence to commandments is a sign of loving God, that you cannot force others to follow law, thus forcing them to love God). I believe most would agree that Inquisitions and Holy Wars, when non-believers were tortured and punished until they cried out for conversion, were wrong. What we are doing now is no less than legislating our own inquisition of sorts, attempting to break the spirits of those we disagree with and force them to live according to our own standards. It is just as immoral, and just as against God's wishes today as it was so many years go.
Determination: For those who do not believe in free will, who believe that all of our actions are planned out by God down to the most minute detail, this attempt to legislate the lives of others is once again a usurpation of God's authority. Scripture states that we are all made in the image of God. And yet, we attempt to force God's hand by stripping away the rights of those whom he has deemed to make different. Make no mistake, this legislation will not end homosexuality. History shows that those who are oppressed do not simply fade into the background. They fight back against that oppression, refusing to be dispirited by the ignorance of those in power, until their voices are heard and their humanity is acknowledged. Our defiance in using the legal system to restrict the rights of those human beings whose lifestyles we do not agree with in this light is a charge against God's own wisdom. God has created people as they are, no matter their sexual orientation. If one does not believe in free will, then one must believe that the paths we are on are the paths which have been chosen for us by God. Who then, are we to judge these paths as wrong?
As an American, I reject this legislation as being against the very pinciples upon which our great nation was founded. As a person of faith, I worry that the introduction of legislation built upon specific interpretations of the Bible may one day come to hinder my own religious freedom. As a human being, I am pained to see that we have not yet learned to live in a diverse world and to accept the uniqueness of those around us. As someone who believes in God's sovereignty, I worry that legislation attempting to enforce what we view as God's will is, in fact, only usurping God's authority.
Dt.30:19
"I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life. "
Joshua 24:15
"Choose you this day whom ye will serve.... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."
These verses indicate to me that human beings are granted the right to choose for themselves how to lead their own lives. The choices are placed before us, along with their respective consequences. Human beings, being endowed with intellect and reason, have the capacity to evaluate the many paths they encounter every day and to choose which of those paths they will follow and which of those paths they will pass by. However, the Bible also includes verses which seem to deny the existence of any free will for human beings.
Pro 20:24
"Man's steps are {ordained} by the LORD, How then can man understand his way?"
Psa 119:4
"You have ordained Your precepts, That we should keep {them} diligently."
These verses may indicate that humans are only following the paths laid before them by God, and that our actions are a part of the rhythms of the universe. Rather than having choices and consequences, we follow along in the manner in which we are intended, eventually arriving at God's intended destination.
Wishing to address the actions of those who believe either way, I will not attempt to decide which one is correct and which one is not. Whether to believe or not to believe in the existence of free will is a personal decision each person will make for himself or herself, based on personal views and interpretations of the Bible. Considering that opinions on the subject are quite varied, I have not the gall to suggest that I know a final answer. Whether your God is personal and directly involved in your life or is a distant figure, removed from the everyday actions of the world, we all have something to consider regarding the current trend of attempting to enforce Biblical mandate through legislation.
Free Will: If God, in God's infinite wisdom, elected to endow humans with reason and intellect with which to govern their own actions, it seems to me that laws which are not necessary to ensuring the safety of society and which have their basis solely in our own religious interpretations would be contrary to God's will. With the recent passing of Amendment 2 here in Florida, and Proposition 8 in California, it would seem our society has decided to take away its own free will. For someone who believes that free will is a gift from God, it takes a lot of chutzpah to act as though we know better than God. America was founded as a nation intended to be free from any nationalized religion. The language of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution specifically avoids any direct religious references for the sake of maintaining a separation between government and religion. We have instituted laws necessary to ensure the safety of our citizens, such as those protecting personal property and those criminalizing homicide. Legislation regarding homosexuality, however, has no logical basis for being included among those laws necessary for maintaining the safety of American citizens.
Homosexuality is not a choice which could cause death or misappropriation of property in any way. In passing these amendments, we are in fact legislating our own interpretations of the Bible. We have decided that human beings are better equipped to decide what should and should not fall under the umbrella of free will and which actions should be restricted within our society. Blinded by our own pride and notions of superiority, we point our fingers at those thought to be in violation of "God's Law". If God has indeed given people free will, it was given to all... not just those with whom we agree. God, in God's infinite wisdom knew something that humans continually struggle with--people cannot be forced to love God (I would like to clarify here that I am not stating that homosexuals do not love God... merely that for those who interpret the Bible as prohibiting homosexuality, and for whom adherence to commandments is a sign of loving God, that you cannot force others to follow law, thus forcing them to love God). I believe most would agree that Inquisitions and Holy Wars, when non-believers were tortured and punished until they cried out for conversion, were wrong. What we are doing now is no less than legislating our own inquisition of sorts, attempting to break the spirits of those we disagree with and force them to live according to our own standards. It is just as immoral, and just as against God's wishes today as it was so many years go.
Determination: For those who do not believe in free will, who believe that all of our actions are planned out by God down to the most minute detail, this attempt to legislate the lives of others is once again a usurpation of God's authority. Scripture states that we are all made in the image of God. And yet, we attempt to force God's hand by stripping away the rights of those whom he has deemed to make different. Make no mistake, this legislation will not end homosexuality. History shows that those who are oppressed do not simply fade into the background. They fight back against that oppression, refusing to be dispirited by the ignorance of those in power, until their voices are heard and their humanity is acknowledged. Our defiance in using the legal system to restrict the rights of those human beings whose lifestyles we do not agree with in this light is a charge against God's own wisdom. God has created people as they are, no matter their sexual orientation. If one does not believe in free will, then one must believe that the paths we are on are the paths which have been chosen for us by God. Who then, are we to judge these paths as wrong?
As an American, I reject this legislation as being against the very pinciples upon which our great nation was founded. As a person of faith, I worry that the introduction of legislation built upon specific interpretations of the Bible may one day come to hinder my own religious freedom. As a human being, I am pained to see that we have not yet learned to live in a diverse world and to accept the uniqueness of those around us. As someone who believes in God's sovereignty, I worry that legislation attempting to enforce what we view as God's will is, in fact, only usurping God's authority.
