When I began this course, I believed only slightly in the idea of free will. I thought that we have choices, but ultimately, there is a divine plan that supersedes our desires and wants. I felt that almost everyone was in agreement about the control of a greater power, and that it really wasn't much of an issue. I thought that most things happened for an unknown purpose, and that we should trust that it was all for the best. This was a good thing because to a great extent, it absolved me (and all individuals) from real responsibility for tour actions.
After taking this course, I realize that people have been thinking about the subject of free will long before Christianity took hold in the Western World. I was surprised to find that pre-Christian thinkers had given thought to the nature of free will and gods, or nature. These insights made me begin to think that the early philosophers had a sense of what we call "god", but articulated it in a different manner. As independent thinkers, many of them were iconoclasts, and as a result, maximized the notion of free will over fate, or the gods or other such popular viewpoints.
All this has made me realize that there may be many different ways of articulating how people perceive God depending on their social and political outlook. I used to feel that disasters were a result of God's will and often wondered why God would do such things. I now believe that there may be more independent decision-making in some of these disasters, particularly those with man-made origins, like murder and rape.
This means to me that perhaps free will means more in the larger scheme of life than I had thought before. This is a little unsettling, since it means that our decisions have a lot more meaning than I had earlier thought. Believing in free will places a lot more responsibility on individuals as decision makers, and people should act accordingly. I still believe that there is a grand design for the universe, but I now feel like my own part of it is more an active process than a passive one.
Read more: www.justanswer.com
After taking this course, I realize that people have been thinking about the subject of free will long before Christianity took hold in the Western World. I was surprised to find that pre-Christian thinkers had given thought to the nature of free will and gods, or nature. These insights made me begin to think that the early philosophers had a sense of what we call "god", but articulated it in a different manner. As independent thinkers, many of them were iconoclasts, and as a result, maximized the notion of free will over fate, or the gods or other such popular viewpoints.
All this has made me realize that there may be many different ways of articulating how people perceive God depending on their social and political outlook. I used to feel that disasters were a result of God's will and often wondered why God would do such things. I now believe that there may be more independent decision-making in some of these disasters, particularly those with man-made origins, like murder and rape.
This means to me that perhaps free will means more in the larger scheme of life than I had thought before. This is a little unsettling, since it means that our decisions have a lot more meaning than I had earlier thought. Believing in free will places a lot more responsibility on individuals as decision makers, and people should act accordingly. I still believe that there is a grand design for the universe, but I now feel like my own part of it is more an active process than a passive one.
Read more: www.justanswer.com