Free Will or Nah? The Divine Paradox of Choice in Christianity

Hey there, you beautiful heathens and saints! Buckle up, because we're diving into the rabbit hole of Christianity's take on free will. You know, that age-old debate that's been keeping theologians and philosophers up at night, probably sipping on some holy wine. 🍷

I am basing this on what the bible actually says. For the record, there is no external evidence that Moses existed or that the Israelites were ever enslaved. The Bible never even tells us which Pharoah was supposedly in power at the time. And of course, there is the whole problem with this god thing being real. However since this is a blog specifically about the Judeo-Christian god thing, I'm going to go ahead and capitalize that G (as in a title, we won't even get into what Big G's name actually is).

The Free Will Paradox: Choose Wisely, or Else!

So, here's the deal: Christianity is all about free will, right? God's like, "Yo, you've got choices, fam. Make good ones, and you'll be chilling with me in Heaven. Screw up, and well, let's just say it's gonna be hot. Real hot." 🔥

But hold up a sec. If God is all-knowing, doesn't He already know what choices we're gonna make? And if that's the case, is it really free will? Or is it just some divine puppet show? 🤔

Now, let's sprinkle in some 1st Peter 1:20 action: "He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." Translation: God knew Jesus would be needed as a ransom for sin before He even hit the "Start Game" button on Creation. So, if He knew we'd need saving, doesn't that mean He knew Adam and Eve were gonna flunk out of Eden University? 🍎
Hell-Yeah or Hell-No?

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room: Hell. You know, that place you go if you don't believe in God. Seems kinda harsh, doesn't it? Like, imagine you're at a party, and the host says, "Hey, if you don't believe I throw the best parties, you're not just uninvited—you're banned for life!" Bit of an overreaction, don't you think?

The Bible: A Plot Twist Around Every Corner

But wait, there's more! The Bible is chock-full of stories that make you go, "Huh?" when it comes to free will. Remember Pharaoh from the Exodus story? God straight-up hardened his heart. He was ready to let the Hebrews go again and again but this God made him change his mind multiple times. He even told Moses that he was going to do so before he was even sent.

Exodus 7:3-4 says, “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out...my people the Israelites.” 

It seems unjust for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart and then punish Pharaoh and Egypt for what Pharaoh decided when his heart was hardened.

Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart just so He could judge Egypt more severely with additional plagues? Especially since according to the bible it was God who allowed the Israelites to be sent into slavery in order to forge a strong identity in them. This means that Pharoah was just doing exactly what God wanted, had his free will taken away, and got punished for it! Dude didn't even stand a chance. It's like telling someone to make a free throw while you're holding onto the basketball. 🏀

And then there's Thessalonians, where it says God sends "strong delusion" so people will believe a lie. What's up with that? It's like God's playing 4D chess while we're still figuring out how to set up the board.

The Economics of Salvation: A Divine Ponzi Scheme?

Let's get analytical for a sec. If salvation is the ultimate goal, and belief is the currency, then isn't God running some sort of celestial Ponzi scheme? You invest your belief, recruit others to believe, and the payoff is eternal life. But what happens when the CEO upstairs decides to change the rules? Market crash, anyone?
So, What's the Verdict?

Look, I'm not saying I've got all the answers. But it's clear that the concept of free will in Christianity is as complicated as trying to explain why people still think the Earth is flat. 🌍

Is it all predestined? Do we actually have a choice? Or is God just the ultimate troll, sitting back and watching the chaos unfold like it's some divine reality TV show?

What do you think? Is free will just a divine illusion? Or is God giving us the ultimate "choose your own adventure" story? Drop your thoughts, prayers, and existential crises in the comments below. Let's get this theological party started! 🎉

Why don't I believe... does Lot's wife being a-salted have anything to do with it?

I have kind of been in a funk about my blogging lately. Here I am sitting at home all the time in the world and I can't get myself to write. Maybe it's because I can't get people to read the damn thing. I don't know, I think I'm funny. I think I offer some new perspectives on a lot of atheist arguments but I don't know how to grow my readership. I love to debate believers, but can't seem to get anyone to challenge me here.

Anyway, someone asked in an atheist vs. theist group I'm in today why we gave up religion, and even though I wrote a little bit about my deconversion in the about me section this kind of adds to what I wrote there and what think about the bible.

Anyway, this was the question as they asked it (I have not changed it, the bad grammar is theirs): Would you elaborate the reason of becoming an Atheist, other than never see God with naked eye? 

A lot of my fellow atheists stuck to a simple, no good evidence response. I wanted to give a little more than that.

Here is my response:
I objectively looked at the world around me and realized it in no way shape or form matched the bible. In fact, I was studying to become a minister at the time. I was in a class about the Pentateuch (first five books of the bible) when I realized it literally could not have happened.

The insane cruelty this god being exhibited both in his actions and his commands was a problem for anyone thinking this was a good or loving god, but these are unbelievable:

• Talking snakes
• Worldwide floods
• Giants 
• Women sleeping with angels creating giants  
• Towers that reached into Heaven
• God wrestling with Jacob
• God killing the firstborn of Egypt for his glory.
• Blood Sacrifice
• David cutting off the foreskins of 200 Philistines

• Samson's Hairy Strength

• Lot's wife getting salty (or maybe a-salted?)
• The sun standing still in the sky and not going down (the sun actually doesn't rise or set, we rotate on our axis while traveling around it. I'm no scientist but stopping the world from spinning would really mess up gravity)

... and about a million other stories that couldn't have happened all leading to the new testament.

The new testament:

• Written by unknown authors decades after the events in them were supposed to have happened
• With two different genealogies for Jesus both ending at Joseph (and apparently he had two different dads) and both going back to King David. (Luke's even goes all the way to Adam).
• Different last words for Jesus in each Gospel.
• The claim that prayer works when it verifiably doesn't (see more below).
• Jesus said his some of his disciples would still be alive on his return, they aren't.
• Dead Saints getting up and walking around when Jesus died, yet no other historians thought to mention that and it only appears in Matthew.
• And lastly.. for now... the unbelievable insanity of a god needing to sacrifice itself in order to forgive us for violating his dictates when he could just decide to forgive us.

Prayer doesn't work, even though the Bible assures us that "Ask and we shall receive", Christians had to change so their god answers prayer with a yes, no, or wait (Isn't that a cute cop-out?) Miracle healings never involve raising the dead or even regrowing limbs. 

It's not just Christianity either!
In hindsight, I wish I had also added that I find the Quran just as silly. To me the biggest differences in the Quran from the bible are in addition to a talking snake we have talking ants (that King Solomon can somehow understand -it's true, it's in there) and talking birds. Also, Muslim Satan is left-handed. Seriously, in my mind, that's about it. 

Ants talk in the Quran and can be heard 27:18-19

Anyway, this was mostly to force myself to start writing again. Hopefully, someday I can get people to read it. So if you like any of my blogs please share.

Tell me what your reasons for accepting or rejecting a god belief are in the comments, and please notice I said rejecting a god belief... I don't reject your god, I just don't believe in it.

A Better Ten Commandments!

I'm taking this from another of my blogs because I really like these commandments and think they deserve their own blog entry. You can see the original blog post here.

It's pretty obvious that the bible is not a moral guide, no amount of pretending can change that fact. Only a couple of the actual Ten Commandments have anything to do with an actual moral code, and as many, many people have said all you would have to do is write "Don't fucking own people" and you will have created a more moral book than the Holy Bible.

This is what most consider to be the 10 Commandments

Thou shalt not lie, steal or kill are pretty much the only good ones.

The rest, I think we can pretty much do a lot better.

These are not the actual 10 according to the bible, more about that at the end...

With that in mind, I present my own 10 commandments. I find them much more moral, even if I use the word FUCK a lot!

I  AM THE LORD YOUR GOD...

...and These are my holy commandments and I expect you fucks to obey. Except maybe the first two, they were practice and got left in because I was feeling lazy and I really wanted there to be ten. Also, we aren't going to do the whole "Hell" thing (so I'm really not sure where that Satan dude lives) but you might have to answer to actual human authorities for being a dick, or maybe we will make you stand in a corner for a millennia or two. The point is fear my wrath asshole!

1.  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's fish even if it's Branzini which is really tasty.
2.  Thou shalt go to a doctor and get that thing looked at. 
3. Thou shalt not lie, cheat, steal, kill, rape or own other people as fucking property. 
4.  Thou shalt realize there is some leeway with those first four items for the safety, wellbeing, and health of yourself and others but rape and slavery are fucking no-goes all of the time... forever.
5.  Thou shall get your children fucking vaccinated and take them to the doctor or hospital when sick. I gave you the science, fucking use it. Also if you make fun of the Anti-vaxxers  but don't believe in climate change science, shut the hell up and respect the Earth anyway.
6.  Thou shalt be as kind as possible to animals, even the food ones for they sustain you, cause them no unnecessary pain. 
7.  Thou shalt be kind to your fellow man and to yourself and when you fail in this you will apologize to them (or yourself), not me! Then actually try not to do it again.
8.  There is no holy land anywhere ever and the only chosen people are the ones who are truly kind. At the same time treat the land as if it is holy, and no, that doesn't mean fight over it.
9.  Thou shalt leave people who are not harming you the fuck alone.  This includes LGBTQ people and people with different levels of melatonin in their skin and even people you just don't fucking like. Side note - this does not mean you have to respect their unproven or delusional beliefs.  It doesn't mean you can't call them out for crazy shit or stop them from hurting themself or others, you can do all that while still respecting them. 
10.  Don't be a dick. Also, it's okay to say fuck, I do it a lot.  It's just a word. 

Who was the better Moses? Tell me in the comments!

Oh, and what about those real 10 Commandments? Exodus 34 has the replacement set for the ones Moses smashed at Mt. Sinai.

Exodus 34:28 plainly states that these are The 10 Commandments. By the way, if it seems like there are more then 10, you are obviously mistaken. God can count to 10 better than you can!

The bible also claims these are exactly the same as the first... and of course, except for being nothing like the first set, they are exactly the same!

• Don't make treaties with people who believe in other gods.
• Conquer people who believe in other gods and destroy their religious property.
• Worship the god whose name is Jealous.
• Don't make any molten gods.
• Celebrate three feasts during the year: unleavened bread, the first harvest, and the last harvest.
• Every firstborn donkey shall be redeemed by sacrificing a lamb. If a firstborn donkey is not redeemed, break its neck.
• Don't appear before God empty.
• Don't work on the Sabbath. Keep the Sabbath day holy.
• Three times a year every male must appear before God.
• When you make blood sacrifices to God, don't include any leavened bread.
• Don't delay in offering your first fruits and liquors to God.
• Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

What would your 10 commandments say? I bet we can all do better than the Abrahamic god.

Why is God so angry when his children disobey?

God knows all things and has an ineffable plan, right?

• 1st John 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
• Acts 15:8 Known to God from eternity are all his works
• Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good
• Isaiah 46:10 Declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all my good pleasure

He even knew that Jesus would have to come to die on the cross (to forgive the sins he knew we were going to commit in advance by sacrificing himself to himself) before he even created the world.

• 1st Peter 1:20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

So basically he knew in advance everything that was going to happen. From before he created the Earth he knew that man would fail again and again and again. He knew we couldn't live up to his rules.

He knew Adam and Eve Would Fail.

He knew Cain would kill Abel.

He knew he would drown millions of living things.

He knew that he would harden Pharoah's heart and kill all the firstborn children of Egypt.

(He even knew Hollywood Moses would be a white guy)

He knew the Israelites would turn to other gods, ask for water and meat, be afraid of the Ammonites and every other thing they did that was not pleasing in his eyes. He knew every time they were going to disobey. 

He knew all these things and created this particular universe with all these failures anyway. Every one single of them part of his ineffable (un-fuck-up-able) plan... and he still created it exactly that way.

And even though he created it knowing that everything was going to happen just the way it happened...

He still gets mad. 

He still punishes people, he still kills people (Just read numbers) and he still sends people to Hell for doing exactly what his supposedly holy plan required.

He required suffering from good people. He allowed the bad to prosper and in fact made them that way.

I'm sure some apologist will come to correct me with the, "No, you send yourself to hell by rejecting god" That is bullshit, we just showed that is absolutely not true. If God knew in advance that we would fail again and again and again and specifically created this world with these failed people and it's part of his super deluxe really cool divine plan and couldn't have happened any other way then we were set up to fail.

If he knew this all before the world began then the free will argument is an absolute myth. We could not have made any other choices than the choices we made.

And still, he gets mad... again and again and again.

Of course, I don't believe any of this. How can you?

Oh... and he knew I'd write this... it's all part of his plan!