Open Theism vs. Closed Theism :: Essays Papers

Open Theism vs. Closed TheismThis topic is one and only(a) that has had my curiosity piqued for the last few years and is one I ingest made a point of discussing with many people over the contrast of that time. I take away heard many different viewpoints, some who have been adamant for paragons omniscience and get it onledge of the future and others who have presented compelling arguments for free will. Most, merely are of a third category who have come to grips with the incident that our mere brains cannot understand the workings of perfection and are content to handle for an answer until they are able to ask them themselves if/when they get to Heaven. I myself put up this latter idea to be a good fallback, just am restless in my pursuit for an answer. For neither the deterministic nor the liberalist perspective count to have me convinced for it seems to me like both of these touch sensations surrender you in a dire catch-22 if you insist on complete freedom, you limit Gods knowledge but if you insist on Gods knowledge, then you limit humanitys freedom neither of which leave my mind at rest in who I know God to be and what His scripture has revealed to us in His creation of humanity. So I am left with an unsettled feeling that there must follow a third alternative--one that encompasses both Gods complete omniscience and humanitys unleashed freedom. The closest established belief I would at this point categorize myself with believing would be that of St. doubting Thomas Aquinas and Anselm, which you site on pg. 119 of your text. The pitfall I see in the libertarians viewpoint is their assumption that foreknowledge implies cause. For instance, by their understanding of foreknowledge, if Chris were to somehow know beforehand what the expiry of a football game would be, but were secret code more than a spectator in the stands, Chris, by this knowledge, somehow CAUSED the outcome of the game to end the way it did. This does not hold up in common se nse. Just because Chris somehow were able to KNOW what would happen does not tight that he, by the same token, CAUSED it to happen. And such is the case with God. Just because God KNOWS what will happen in the future of the world does not mean that he literally entered the game and caused it to happen.