Like The Death Penalty? Vote Republican

There are much more important issues, like the economy. With our economy going to shambles, we aren't going to have a country to live in anymore any way, never mind if murderers should be killed or if you can abort your baby or marry your gay lover... when the USA ceases to exist none of that will matter any way.

reply to post by Manar

For your information, the concepts of free will and an omnipotent God are not mutually exclusive.

That is a “dogmatic” statement. "Dogma" meaning it is so because I say it is so. It is also an essential claim by Free Will proponents but that is rendered impossible by the associated claim of omnipotence as an attribute of GOD.

It is very well possible that . . since God is responsible for our upbringing and our place in life, then he'd control what we become[?]. But still, that doesn't add anything to whether or not there is free will. Who knows where the line is drawn of "what I choose to do" and "what I cannot help but doing?”

Look Mr M, if that statement sounds confusing, that's because it is. Everybody knows we as humans - as contrasted with instinct driven animals - operate under FREE WILL. That does not require a college degree. I and you are free to do whatever we want to do anytime we want to do it (assuming the deed is within our physical capacity). I mean I can’t fly anytime. I might say “I can fly” but if I actually believed I could fly, then I’d be a candidate for a straightjacket. There are limits to any argument.

It was John Calvin who decided the physical universe was predestined. “From the moment of creation!” That position was essential to other claims he was making. Predestination was always lurking in the background of monotheism. But that was because WE humans have assigned omnipotence to our GOD.

Before that concept - omnipotence - was well understood there was NO conflict. Now we are faced with two contradictory claims as yet unresolved. The obvious versus the unprovable. Which brings us back to dogma.