A Heavenly Objection to the Free Will Defense

You don’t have to go far and construct arguments against the free will. You need the bible, specially Paul, he does splendid job to blow away the free will argument for you:

16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Romans 9:16-18

Go ahead and read the whole thing, it is the best anti free will argument you get, and it gets right from the bible.

Paul even anticipated the hardness of his position by saying:

19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Romans 9:19-21

His answer is miserable, and Thomas Paine, a Deist, has rightly commented:

This is neither answering the question, nor explaining the case. It is downright quibbling and shuffling off the question, and the proper retort upon him would have been, “Nay, but who art thou, presumptuous Paul, that put test thyself in God’s place?” Yes, if the thing felt itself hurt, and could speak, it would say it. But as pots and pans have not the faculty of speech, the supposition of such things speaking is putting nonsense in the place of argument, and is too ridiculous even to admit of apology. It shows to what wretched shifts sophistry will resort. Thomas Paine

So, there is no free will according to Paul, it is not your choice, it is Gods choice.

/r/atheism Thread