this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2025

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Don't blame Satan if things don't work out. It's God's plan right? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 days ago (39 children)

I think you can have this same dilemma as an atheist as well. I'm personally agnostic as I don't have the knowledge to make a decision.

If we are all just atoms moving/reacting, surely everything we'd ever do would be predetermined by the initial reactions/vectors/forces at the big bang. I know there's quantum randomness and stuff, but it's possible that's all calculable and we simply don't have the means to calculate it. If that's the case, IMO we still have freewill because we can't predict the future, and it's still worthwhile to move forward doing our best to be good people.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 days ago (3 children)

That's not a dilemma for atheists because atheists aren't the ones claiming there's an omnipotent being guiding everything.

Also, you can be both an atheist and an agnostic. They cover different things. I'm fairly certain you'd consider yourself an atheist in regards to the sun god Ra.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I think you can have this same dilemma as an atheist as well.

I'd like to hear your opinions on how you think so (truly). The way I see things, Atheism is only the answer to a single question: do you believe in any gods? If "yes," you're a theist or deist. If "no; I don't know; not currently; maybe one day," then you're an atheist. It's not a philosophy or a comprehensive worldview, and it can't possibly answer deeper questions.

What you're referring to in the latter half is Determinism and Compatibilism (Determinism + free will). Science is currently leaning pretty strongly towards Determinism, but since Compatibilism doesn't add much more to the idea, it's also still a candidate possibility.

It's very likely you could calculate every chain reaction from the Big Stretch up until now and maybe even into the future. Whether we have the ability to affect or disrupt those chains might be a matter of philosophy.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago

I'm also sick of hearing people say, "God never gives you more than you can handle."

I know people who have been driven batshit insane by what God has given them.

[–] CalipherJones 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Had to drop a friend when he told me that "God sent Trump to us to stop abortions"

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Why did you drop them?

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[–] RoidingOldMan 10 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

"I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.' And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George go and end the tyranny in Iraq,' and I did."

George W Bush

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bush-god-told-me-to-invade-iraq-6262644.html

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Did Calvin write this post?

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[–] fne8w2ah 3 points 4 days ago

Cults and organised religion - name a surprisingly compatible combo.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Satan: Hey, i only do Black Metal bands and orgies, all other things are with the other bloke

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

No matter how well you point out the paradox (if God knows everything that will happen, free will doesn't exist, because everything is predetermined, just like a fully written book), a significant portion of christians will simply ignore and keep circling between "but God gave us free will" and "God knows everything"

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