Do We Really Have Free Will? w/ Fr. Gregory Pine

Does the concept of omniscience (all-knowing) mean we really don't have free will? Watch as Matt and Fr. Gregory Pine discuss this paradox.

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[gmanpuck]

Seems like Fr. Pine is becoming the unofficial co-host of Pints with Aquinas! Awesome!

[dezericka]

I’ll probably have to listen to this 100 times to get a hint at this!

[christinadenyse]

What we perceive as God changing his mind, is actually him changing our mind. We don't change God. He changes us. :)

[familyt]

Always excited to see Fr. Pine on the show!

[plumber]

This is what happens when people have to much time on their hands this is like someone asking "how do I know I really exist"

[thesophist]

Boethius dismissed the idea of predestination as follows... God does not have "foreknowledge", because God does not exist in time. If God existed in time, God would not be all-powerful. God knows our life (and all existence) as a timeless instant. We therefore have free will.

[MakalaDoulos]

So much easier to see, from our human perspective, when we understand that God is trans-eternal. God is instigating.

[michaelhettrick]

Listening to a Dominican deal with a New Atheist argument really is something else. It's like watching Nadal against a junior player at Roland Garros.

[Scotts.Christianity.Teaching]

I'll help you out. I finished this video. And I'm like Arminian and believe people can fail salvation from this scripture I found Galatians 5:19-21 that when sinning that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians was Paul's teachings, proves people can fail eternal salvation. Grandpa believed he couldn't go to Hell, and Arminians believe he could.
I'm against suicide. I was depressed also to suicidal. I almost did suicide as a 5-Point Calvinist. And these scriptures got me more hope.
I became more Arminian now from these scriptures I posted on here. I believe people can fail salvation.

Loving God is wanting to be useful for him much. What if a person could do that much of his time? And I enjoy working from this. People who enjoy working. When it's more likely to be boring to non-Christians.

Mark 9:33-35
New American Standard Bible 1995
33 They came to Capernaum; and when He [a]was in the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, [b]he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

This is for Christian world domination. Why to raise kids Christians. God Son Jesus said similarly to whoever is useful the most is the best merited of the apostles. Useful merit for eternal rewards and competition with other Christians. With God Son Lord Jesus Christ faith teaching, people will want to be useful for the kingdom of Heaven, which usefulness happens on Earth and if any other place. We need to help this world as much as we can!
This text could motivate, supposed to be Christian people, to do all types of usefulness. Chores, volunteering, grade school, high school, college, and work. Good people, this world needs them.

[SingleMalt]

The answer to the question is, indeed, wholly unsatisfactory. I asked this question in grade school catechism. The answer made no sense then, and make no sense now. How is an average person to understand complex philosophizing like this? Is it like spin-doctoring. It is like you can never get a straight answer. That leads to a general disbelief in the whole shebang.

[sophiagomez]

Is prayer futile if God is immutable and therfore cannot be changed?

[MrWjteske]

You don’t get to just redefine free will.

[daviddabrowski]

I think the Dawkins comment falls under the purview of other nonsensical “got ya” questions such as, “can God create a rock so heavy that not even He can lift it?” But people fail to realize the question itself is nonsensical because it’s like asking God to make a square circle.

"Though he may know how all our decisions will turn out" that's the point if he already knows what our decisions will be and he can't be wrong then therefore everything we do is predetermined, but how can that be the case that the decision was made before we were even born, well there is only 2 conclusions, either god doesn't exist and we do have free will or he does and the only being able to make the decision is god himself, therefore, "Everything happens in accordance to gods plan"

[Josh-dqqm]

Didn’t God change His mind when Moses asked him not to kill all the Israelites in the OT?

[davidr]

Molina > St. Thomas

I'm not sure Pine's summation of Molinism is accurate. There are different ways middle knowledge can be utilized by the theologian to reconcile scripture. But Molina affirmed that for every possible essence he could actualize, there is a world in which that essence either freely comes to salvation, freely rejects it, or does not exist at all. This is not passive with God in the least. God freely decides which essences are to exist and which ones are the elect, though he does not cause the reprobate to resist his grace, as some do; he middle knows it. Then God regenerates the person irresistibly after this process of prevenient grace being unresisted. That's hardly passive. And his decision of which world to actualize is purely by his good pleasure, not based on how any particular essence would respond to his grace.

[caruya]

I thought we were all basically destined to hell, but we can choose heaven, after we were redeemed.

[thefireviperburningking]

The tree of knowledge of good & evil sure fucked us up.But thank God for the Holy Spirit to live heaven on earth. As the Christ said on the Cross."It is accomplished "The kingdom come, Thy Will Be Done.On heaven as it will be on earth "When we live with the Love of God in our heart's, we live in his Kingdom. Like in the garden of Eden, before sin entered the world.
If you know how much the 2nd Adam Suffered for taking full responsibility of sin entering into the world, you would be grateful to be baptized in the supernatural Love of God, to live Heaven on earth, & his suffering will not be in vain. His dieing words."it is accomplished" destination, heaven on earth.

[ChristianConspirator]

There's like a thousand problems with what he said. Medieval theology just isn't up to snuff anymore.

[aisthpaoitht]

Shallow and unhelpful, unfortunately.