Originally posted by stellspalfie if i have an axe in my hand and the power of free will what dictates whether or not i chop my family to bits with it?
You can't shove that off on God, no matter how much it makes you giggle to do so.
Originally posted by Suzianne You can't shove that off on God, no matter how much it makes you giggle to do so.
Either the universe is fully deterministic, and we can 'shove it off on God' or the universe contains randomness, in which case our actions ultimately contain some random elements. Whichever the case, it is nevertheless true that our actions are largely a result of our environment. Now whether or not we can blame God for our environment depends on how much God shapes our environment or knows what the consequences of doing so are. But ultimately, he is either to blame, or not as omnipotent as most theists claim.