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[Ernest]

Why is it that god feels it is so important that humans have free will yet he punishes us severly if we excercise said free will?

I am an atheist and I wonder, if one can rationalize away the fact that there is evil using free will, that god wanted humans to have free will which is why he doesn't stop wars and rape and such, then why is it that this god who prioritises human free will far above our happiness, punishes us so severly for disobeying him. This would be like claiming that yes, the people of a country do have the freedom to critise the countries leaders however they will be executed for doing so. I'm not trying to disrespect I just wonder how christians think about this topic.

[jimwalton]

First of all, we couldn't really be human without free will. Without free will there wouldn't be any love, kindness, forgiveness, grace, patience, goodness, or self-control. We would just be robots, and love that is forced isn't love at all.

Secondly, if we didn't have free will there wouldn't be any reasoning ability, and no science. Science is built on the foundation that we are able to weigh data, reason through various situations, make decisions and then text conclusions. If we don't have free will, we can't do any of that. Free will is essential to humanity.

Third, if God gives us free will and then says "You can only use it to make good decisions," then it isn't free will at all. Free will, to be free, must be...free.

So if God gave us free will, and then restricts us from ever deciding anything freely, and then stops all expressions of free will that would involve self, pride, anger, and power (war, rape, and such), then we're not really free and therefore we're not really human. We got nothing.

So why should we be punished for using our free will wrongly? Because God has shown us what is good and right, he has shown us the benefits of choosing the good and the detriments of choosing the bad, and he has built us with a conscience to keep us on the right course. But we are morally culpable. So if we ignore God's teaching about the good and right, if we ignore His warnings about choosing what is wrong, then of course He has a right to punish us for rebellion and disobedience.

> This would be like claiming that yes, the people of a country do have the freedom to critise the countries leaders however they will be executed for doing so.

This really is not a worthy analogy. It's not like this at all. God seeks our good, has shown us the good, has instructed us in the good, has given us models of how to pursue the good, and has warned us adequately about going in any other direction. If you insist on disobedience and rebellion, then you are deserving of what you get. We're not punished for exercising our free will, but rather for ignoring everything God has said and taught to pursue the wrong and the false.