Spurred on by important comments (1, 2), I will continue to "spout" off some more about free will. I want to FINish this before midnight so I will try to be brief.
By Nature, our souls are created to desire "the good"; but, because of original sin, our minds (intellect + will) are clouded; so, we at times perceive things to be good that are actually not good. We would never choose something we did not perceive to be good. If we choose evil it is because we have seen some benefit in doing it. If someone chooses evil for the sake of evil, they are pathological or under diabolical influences.
In heaven, we are perfected, and so our wills always clearly perceive "the good" accurately; moreover, we see the very source of all that is good face to face; hence, all our choices are compatible with the Divine Will of God. The choices are still ours and they are still free.
Concerning the existence of sin before the tree of the knowledge of good an evil existed: As discussed here, we see that Satan and the other fallen angels could and did sin before the tree existed. I maintain that if man does not always have free will, he ceases to be human. Free will is the evidence of the image and likeness of God in man. Man had it before and after the fall and, to remain truly human, will have it in eternity. A will does not cease to be free just because it does not have any evil to choose. A will can still be free in heaven to choose between two or more perfectly legitimate goods.
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The ponderings, experiences, and occaisional opinions of one man seeking to be more like another.
1 comment:
If we "see the very source of all that is good face to face," then if we have free will, then we have the choice to turn away from that face—an evil choice.
I always expected it would come to this unsatisfying conclusion. Choosing evil is an option, but due to our perfection, no one will choose it.
What if they did? They won't. But what if they did? They won't...
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