WJEC/Eduqas RS for A2/Yr2: Religion and Ethics (DRAFT)

T4 Determinism and free will

The implications for God’s omnibenevolence Monotheistic religions also attribute the quality of omnibenevolence to their deity. Omnibenevolence is the quality of being all-loving, sometimes stated as being all- good. The concept of free will does seem to support God’s omnibenevolent nature. This is because firstly free will theory opens up the possibility that all human beings can achieve salvation by freely following God’s eternal moral laws. This seems to reflect more the action of an omnibenevolent God than does the doctrine of predestination. This is because predestination theory, as stated by both Augustine and Calvin, shows that God only appears to predestine some human beings. Therefore, only some human beings will receive eternal life with God. The rest, the reprobates, will not be saved by God and will inevitably not receive forgiveness or eternal life with God. Such a view can be seen to raise questions about God’s omnibenevolent nature since God is punishing and rewarding certain human beings on behaviour only God had control over. Based on the above point Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) stated that God must be ‘a monster’. This is because, as Russell stated: ‘A God that punishes or rewards on the basis of God’s own eternal decisions in unfair and immoral.’ However, free will theory can defend God against such accusations and thus support God’s omnibenevolent nature. This point is illustrated in Pelagius’ theory. He argued that when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, to create the ‘original sin’, God would not punish all human beings for the sin of Adam and Eve. Pelagius argued this was a very important point because an omnipotent God would not punish all human beings through no direct fault of their own. As he stated: ‘we (human beings) may not seem to be forced to do evil through a fault in our nature’. Therefore, Pelagius argued that ‘the fall’ remained Adam and Eve’s sin alone. Therefore, according to Pelagius, an omnibenevolent God, was allowing human beings not to be predestined by inherited sin and thus all human beings had the ability, within themselves, to achieve salvation. Moreover, free will theory can also enhance the idea that God is omnibenevolent because God is allowing human beings to make their own choices, as opposed to being mere pre-programmed robots. If a human being’s life was predestined by God, they would be no more than an automated robot just carrying out their God- given pre-programmed life; with no willpower to change anything. However, the above can be potentially countered. The free will theory can be used to illustrate that God is not omnibenevolent. This is because another attribute given by the monotheistic religions to their deity is omniscience. Omniscience is the quality of knowing everything, being all-knowing. Therefore, it can be argued that God must have known that human beings would do great deeds of evil, such as the holocaust, with the free will God allowed all human beings. However, despite this knowledge, God still went ahead and gave human beings free will. This, it could be argued, is not the deed of an omnibenevolent God. Key quote We (human beings) may not seem to be forced to do evil through a fault in our nature. (Pelagius) The use of prayer A further implication of free will theory, for religious belief, is the value of the use of prayer. The term prayer comes from the Latin term ‘precariis’ which means to ask earnestly or beg. If a human being’s life is free willed then, it could be argued, this supports the meaningfulness of prayer. This is because prayer can be used to build a rapport with a God, to either seek God’s guidance on the right moral path to follow or to seek God’s forgiveness for sin. Both these points are consistent with the free will theory.

DRAFT

Would a lack of free will mean that Christians are just God’s puppets?

Why did God allow humans to treat each other so badly during the Holocaust?

4.29 Brie y explain why free will could be seen to illustrate God is not omnibenevolent.

143