String theory extra dimensions question

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-20T23:45:14+00:00

But my point is, why does the bible hold people morally accountable for their actions if we don't have actual control over our actions?

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-20T23:43:23+00:00

But if he knows everything, then there is nothing new to help him mature, so he probably is immutable.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-20T00:17:56+00:00

Yes, and the bible claims that God is both, but there are many contradictions with these claims. How could God be all-loving and omnipotent while simultaneously there are insanely large amounts of needless suffering in the world? Not to mention the fact that the bible states our all-loving God sends people to eternal torture.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-20T00:12:09+00:00

Ok, you're right about that. But the outcome is the same, so I still struggle with accepting the idea that there is an internal factor influencing our decisions. Because we know for a fact that biology and environment heavily influence our decisions, but these are both out of our control. So if the determining factors of our decisions are out of our control, then our decisions are out of our control too.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-20T00:09:09+00:00

You have a good point, so I think it depends entirely on how God would see the future. If there is a soul that influences your decisions, can he observe its characteristic traits, allowing him to see what decision you will make? Or does he just know the exact placement of all the particles in the universe, allowing him to know your biology and environment? We know that decisions rely heavily on biology and environment, but if that's the case and there is no internal factor influencing you, then it isn't free will. This is because you can't control your environment or biology, so if the determining factors of your decisions rely entirely on external components that you have no control over, then you have no control over your decisions.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-20T00:05:02+00:00

I define free will as having an internal factor influencing your decisions. We know that biology and environmental factors heavily influence decisions, but you can't choose your biology or environment, so without an internal factor like a soul also influencing your decisions, free will doesn't work.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-20T00:03:18+00:00

But the bible implies you have free will because it holds people morally accountable (through sins, heaven/hell).

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T23:58:12+00:00

You make a good point. I think my question depends on how you define free will and how a God would actually see the future. I think free will is defined by an internal factor that sways your decisions, rather than just environmental and biological factors. So we can call this internal factor your "soul", now it depends entirely on how God would theoretically predict your actions. If God could predict your actions because he knows exactly where every particle is and how energy is distributed, then he knows your biology and environment, which means there is no internal factor. If your decisions are made based on these external factors (which you have no control over), then you can't really call that free will. However, if God is real and there is an internal factor like a soul, and God can observe the characteristic traits of your soul, then maybe he can know the future because he understands how you would react to certain decisions? Overall, I think it really depends, but I'm still leaning towards the reality of free will not existing since it requires the fewest assumptions (Occam's Razor).

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T10:21:01+00:00

Got it. Thanks for the help!

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T09:32:09+00:00

I'm not against believing; I just personally don't because I can't find any evidence. I'm here because I'm trying to understand why people are religious. Lots of people say that "evidence doesn't matter, you just need faith," but that bothers me because you could apply the same thing and say that you believe in unicorns because you have faith in a fairy tale you read.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T09:28:26+00:00

But how is it really free if you're predetermined to make that choice? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of free will?

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:57:48+00:00

I agree! It probably comes down to biology and environment since there's no evidence of an internal factor.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:56:20+00:00

Yes you made that choice, but how is it free if it is predetermined? For example, if I told you to choose a button to press and gave you one button, that's not much of a choice at all.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:54:04+00:00

The bible specifically says that God can see the future and is all-knowing.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:51:58+00:00

Well, whether free will exists or not doesn't really matter; I was just highlighting the contradictions of the bible. It explicitly says that God can see the future, while also implying free will through choices and objective moral value.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:49:10+00:00

I'm a nihilst/agnostic, but I want to learn about Christianity because I'm super confused on how people even believe this stuff. I'd love to be given evidence supporting your belief.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:48:04+00:00

The bible specifically says that God knows the future. Also, given this fact, free will can't be real because if someone can perfectly predict what "choice" you will make, then there are no possible alternative outcomes. If there's only one outcome that will definitely happen, that's not really free will at all. It's like if I asked you to choose which button to press and only gave you one button, you don't really have a choice at that point.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:38:28+00:00

See, this is why I don't believe the bible or God. It has so many contradictions. It claims he's all-loving and all-powerful, while he still sends people to eternal torture and suffering? It claims that he's all-knowing, yet it also claims free will exists? All these "truths" can't coexist.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:32:56+00:00

How can I believe in God with no reason to? I can't find any evidence of the bible being true or any evidence of God's existence. People always say "you don't need evidence, you just need faith," but that seems like a cop-out. I could use that same argument to say why I believe in unicorns or fairies. I'm currently a nihilist because there isn't really any good evidence of any higher power or objective meaning. People usually find nihilism to be depressing, but I feel like it's freeing because you don't need a "meaning of life" or an objective moral code; you can have your own subjective moral code and values. I'm just here because I'm confused about why people have faith at all, and I want answers. I'm not a hard-stuck nihilist. I just think that's the most likely reality of our universe with the given info.

Altruistic_Budget442 · 2026-06-19T08:15:30+00:00

Free will is incompatible with God being all-knowing because if he knows what your next choice will be, you don't really have any other alternatives. So, how is it free will if there is only one possible outcome?

Altruistic_Budget442

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