Well, obviously decision cannot come after act. Decision and act cannot cannot be simultaneous either since decision causes or allows acts so we are left with only one option: Decision is prior to act.Why must it be prior?
What do you mean with prior in dependence?And, if so, why must it be temporally prior and not just prior in dependence?
Simultaneous?So we have two options here: (1) God does not decide and (2) Decision and act are simultaneous in timeless picture.
The second option doesn’t logically sounds so we are left with the first option. Could we agree on that?
No, because that is decision which allows act. They cannot be simultaneous.Simultaneous?
No.
Two flawed premises:No, because that is decision which allows act. They cannot be simultaneous.
So does God move from no decision to decision? How long does this take?No, because that is decision which allows act. They cannot be simultaneous.
Of course God can act. The question is that whether God can decide in timeless picture too.:whacky:
Two flawed premises:
- An omnipotent being is allowed to act, or his act is contingent on something else.
You can embed two simultaneous acts in timeless picture.
- Simultaneous is meaningless in regard to a timeless being.
I am here to discuss and resolve the problem. I am open minded.Why don’t you just say you don’t believe anything we say about God, and let it go.
I personally would respect you for that.
God doesn’t move form no decision to decision. The minimal picture is that God knows, decide and act based on decision. Unfortunately you cannot embed even this simple picture in timeless state no matter how small the time deference between decision and act is.So does God move from no decision to decision? How long does this take?
Why? That is what you’re not illustrating.Unfortunately you cannot embed even this simple picture in timeless state no matter how small the time deference between decision and act is.
I did. Decision allows act which means that act follows decision.Why? That is what you’re not illustrating.
You are assuming God needs time to evaluate knowledge, make a decision, and to act on it. God’s essence is his knowledge. God’s essence is his will. God’s essence is his power. They are one.I did. Decision allows act which means that act follows decision.
I didn’t say so.You are assuming God needs time to evaluate knowledge,
That is true. Decision allows act.make a decision, and to act on it.
I agree with all these statements but they say nothing about God’s free will and whether God can decide at all while being in timeless picture.God’s essence is his knowledge. God’s essence is his will. God’s essence is his power. They are one.
I agree with all of these but non of these address the problem that we are discussing right now. Does God have free will?God did not make a decision. It was not something fashioned, not something pondered, not something created. He is His will, and His knowledge, and His act. His will has always been willed. His knowledge has always been known. His act has always been in act.
God has one eternal will, and it is free.I agree with all of these but non of these address the problem that we are discussing right now. Does God have free will?
That I agree. But this means that God can decide whether to perform His eternal act or not. Could we agree on this?God has one eternal will, and it is free.
I agree with all of what you said yet you didn’t answer my question: Can God decide? You said that God has one eternal act which is free. What do you mean with free?And he has always known and exercised His will eternally. And He could have willed differently. There was no need for a decision making process. God does not have a mind that functions in any way like ours. We should refrain from anthropomorphic conceptions of Him.
False assertion. You can’t prove that.The problem is that a decision is always prior to any act subjected to the decision. There is no prior, before, after, etc. in timeless state. So we are having a problem here.
Science is dealing with causality in a different sense to metaphysics.I don’t think so. I think that you just misinterpret my term. I meant that decision does not belong to chain of cause hence it is uncaused in this sense.
As I posted before these are two counter-examples against your proof of God using the chain of causality.