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July 3, 2005
All Rights Reserved
World Copyright
© Martin Foreman
Column 13: No, you can't
It's either God or free will
By © Martin Foreman
Word Count: 786 words
Publication date: May 1, 2005
I’ve complained in the past – and will no doubt complain again – about the average American’s failure to think critically. A national epidemic of mental inertia has left most people unable to argue logically, to question sources of information and to come to conclusions based on reason rather than rationalization.
The epidemic has serious consequences. On most television channels “news” is little more than helicopter voyeurism and health scares. In increasing numbers of schools creationism is considered serious science. Worst of all, political decisions at every level from Town Hall to White House are based on emotion more than logical analysis.
Religious faith thrives in America because it thrives on muddled thinking. Yet ten minutes critical thought is enough to demonstrate to most rational people that the Jewish-Christian-Muslim God is an impossibility.
Unlike other gods, the J-C-M version is omniscient and omnipotent – he knows everything and can do anything. He is also said to be compassionate. Let’s examine the implications of these qualities.
Take natural disasters. God knows that they occur regularly, destroying the lives of individuals, families and communities. On top of these events, every year hundreds of diseases kill millions of people around the world.
You would expect a compassionate, all-powerful God to protect his creatures from the suffering caused by earthquakes and hurricanes, malaria and tuberculosis. But he doesn’t.
Why not? Because he is not all-powerful and cannot prevent these disasters from occurring? Because he is not all-knowing, and does not know when they will happen – although he could still stop them immediately they begin. Because he lacks compassion? Or because he does not exist?
Believers argue that our minds are too limited to understand why God sits back and watches as people die, or why he apparently saves some people and not others. But that argument is rationale, not reason; it excuses rather than explains his failure. It is precisely because our understanding is limited that a compassionate God would take pity on us.
A second argument is that volcanoes and tsunamis are God’s way of testing us. He lets babies die to check whether their mothers still love him, sends men cancer so that they and their loved ones will worship him. That argument is even weaker than the first, for these are the actions, not of a compassionate being, but of a sadist.
Let’s turn to another problem: God’s omniscience and our free will. You can have one or the other, but not both.
Take the game of pool. If you know the speed at which a ball is traveling, the exact point it will hit another ball, the weight of each ball, air pressure, friction and all the other factors that affect both balls, you can predict exactly in which direction and how far the second ball will travel.
Human beings are more complicated than billiard balls, but the principle remains. We can often predict what will happen next, whether in nature or in people. We know that when snow melts rivers will rise. And we have a good idea how our family and friends will react in a variety of situations, whether voting for a president, choosing a meal in a restaurant or seeking a life partner.
Our knowledge of others is limited, but God knows every detail about us, from the chemical content of the air we breathe to the slightest nuance of our every mood. He knows what we will do and say in every situation, whether we will lie or tell the truth, love our neighbor or hate her, give to charity or spend on ourselves.
From our perspective we have free will, but from God’s viewpoint we have no choice. He knows our every action and whether it will please or disappoint him.
God knows already the complete pattern of our lives. Whether we pray and worship or sin and blaspheme makes no difference; God already knows whether we will enter Heaven or Hell after we die. You cannot do something God cannot predict; it’s either God or free will.
Some believers accept this principle, known as predestination. Most, because they are not encouraged to think critically, are unaware of the inconsistency. The few who are aware assume that someone else can explain it. Yet theologians have wrestled with the problem over the centuries, never coming to a satisfactory conclusion.
We have a God who does not save us from disaster because he lacks either the compassion or power to do so. And either we have free will and God who is not omniscient, or we have a God who knows everything and our fate is sealed.
In other words, we have a God whose very existence is impossible. Isn’t it time that Americans recognized that very basic fact?
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THIS WEEK'S COLUMN
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
"Why do some people persist in believing that a supernatural being created the universe and the human race? Because creationism is simple and provides easy answers while evolution is complex and appears full of uncertainties. Creationism is for the mentally lazy, evolution for the mentally fit – and most Americans have flabby, underexercised brains."
Evolution for beginners (i)
"The United States prides itself on championing freedom and in enshrining the pursuit of happiness in its constitution. It is ironic that so many Americans espouse a moral code whose impact is to restrict both freedom and happiness. America needs moral values, but values that respect and honor every citizen."
What moral values?
"Maybe Noah had some help building the Ark; he may have contracted some of the men on God’s death list. 'No, no… there isn’t going to be a Flood. I just want to give the wife something to look at while she’s washing dishes.' "
How did the turkey get to America?
"In 2002, seven women were ordained priests. Wasn’t that great, especially since the Church has a problem recruiting young men to the priesthood? So what was the Pope’s response to these people who wanted to serve God? He threw up his hands in horror at the fact that the seven had the spiritual, but not the physical, balls to be priests and excommunicated them."
Men only
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