Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Tek) 9/26/83; site azure.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ucbvax!ucbcad!tektronix!azure!jonw From: jonw@azure.UUCP Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: More omni/free will [and now, nova!] Message-ID: <2559@azure.UUCP> Date: Thu, 23-Feb-84 13:42:13 EST Article-I.D.: azure.2559 Posted: Thu Feb 23 13:42:13 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 25-Feb-84 03:58:40 EST Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR Lines: 29 David Norris has proposed a possible solution for the omniscience/free will contradiction: ...suppose that there are two possible futures for you based on the result of a (free-will) decision. Assume again, that God (omniscient) sees both of these futures at once. To make this work, we will have to assume that God sees an infinite number of futures. Question(s): 1) Does this violate any Christian concept of God that I am not aware of? 2) Does this also violate the existence of free will, as Byron/Darrell/Jon see it? If so, why? I'll leave question #1 for someone else to answer, but I will take a stab at the second question. Even if God created the universe such that each of us had two possible futures based on a free-will decision (or even better, an infinite number of futures based on an infinite number of free-will decisions), God would still have created the entire lifetime of the universe at the moment of creation. He still, by the definition of omniscience, exists in "our" past, present, and all possible futures. And (as I have pointed out before) if He exists in all of the possible futures, those futures are out there for Him to exist in. Of course, He knew exactly which future each of us would end up with even "before" creation. So you see, David, you won't be able to resolve the contradiction until you can explain how God can exist in the future without having already created it. Jon White [decvax|ucbvax]!tektronix!tekmdp!azure!jonw