Predeterminism, according to G.K Chesterton

[fgadmin]

Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Religion, Faith, and Spirituality

---

ISeeFire — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 10:28 AM)

Noted author G.K Chesterton said this about the concept of free will as it relates to Christianity:
"According to most philosophers, God in making the world enslaved it. According to Christianity, in making it, he set it free. God had written, not so much a poem, but rather a play, a play he had planned as perfect, but which had necessarily been left to human actors and stage-managers, who had since made a great mess of it."
Discuss.

[fgadmin]

LostKiera — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 10:47 AM)

Wouldn't the capacity to mess up and in what way also be determined by God though?

[fgadmin]

Melanie000 — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 05:56 PM)

Wouldn't the capacity to mess up
Yeah, that's implicit in free will, as Chesterton says.
and in what way also be determined by God though?
Not necessarily.
Laws are silent in times of War - Cicero

[fgadmin]

LostKiera — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 01:38 AM)

But do we choose to mess up? And if we do, do we choose to be inclined to mess up?

[fgadmin]

Miscella — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 02:33 AM)

But do we choose to mess up? And if we do, do we choose to be inclined to mess up?
I'm afraid that sometimes, unfortunately, we do. Often, knowing better doesn't seem to matter.

[fgadmin]

Melanie000 — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 02:43 AM)

We do choose to mess up I think, usually because we are trying to do ssomething different!
It's very rare for people to actually choose to do something they think is actually bad.

[fgadmin]

smithjgs — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 11:02 AM)

The play is still running.
We are in the final act awaiting the finale or conclusion.
If this is Locke, then who's in there?

[fgadmin]

Devils-Night — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 01:52 PM)

Nah, we are nowhere near the final act. But we might be closing in on a big climax.

---

Come, lovely child! Oh come thou with me!
For many a game I will play with thee!

[fgadmin]

gladoscake — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 11:33 AM)

Ah, so it's all just a sick game for him.

[fgadmin]

vernuf — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 11:34 AM)

He had a lot of wise things to say. Few of them were related to religion.

[fgadmin]

Melanie000 — 9 years ago(December 30, 2016 05:54 PM)

According to Christianity, in making it, he set it free. God had written, not so much a poem, but rather a play, a play he had planned as perfect, but which had necessarily been left to human actors and stage-managers, who had since made a great mess of it."
I think it's a very good summary! I agree with him.
Laws are silent in times of War - Cicero

[fgadmin]

Pat_answers — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 02:06 AM)

For reasons unknown to us, Earth is not the finished article but is instead a work in progress. If humans want Earth to be a paradise, then they've got to play the game

[fgadmin]

rizdek — 9 years ago(December 31, 2016 02:34 AM)

Yes, when one can invent ad hoc what a God might do or not do and why, it is easy to come up with virtually any explanation for anything. Forget accountability and verifiability. Forget anyone challenging Chesterton's story because everyone else depends on the same ad hoc made up thinking to develop their individual perspectives about God and things divine. It's like writing your own fiction story, it's all made up.
So, go ahead and make up your own "divine comedy."