Do we really have a free will?

Some scientist say no, the Christian religion says yes, some philosophers say yes, and other say no.

Are our futures determined by free will or is our whole existence controlled by the universe or some supreme being?

What do you say?

Alan

Since we live moment to moment, we always do, as long as we don't let our psychological conditioning get the best of us.

recoverer wrote on May 27^th, 2016 at 11:03pm:

Since we live moment to moment, we always do, as long as we don't let our psychological conditioning get the best of us.

Agreed! Recoverer. Just writing about your initial post on this subject matter, Alan, it tells me you also have free will. If not, your post would have been censored or deleted by the higher beings above via their agents below 

recoverer wrote on May 27^th, 2016 at 11:03pm:

Since we live moment to moment, we always do, as long as we don't let our psychological conditioning get the best of us.

The question then begs what is a moment , because just when we think we have reached it, it is already in the past?

We do no jump from moment to moment in discrete steps, it is more like being on a river called time flowing smoothly into the future.

We always exist "now" even when we think of the past and future.


Alan McDougall wrote on May 28^th, 2016 at 10:11am:

recoverer wrote on May 27th, 2016 at 11:03pm: Since we live moment to moment, we always do, as long as we don't let our psychological conditioning get the best of us. The question then begs what is a moment , because just when we think we have reached it, it is already in the past? We do no jump from moment to moment in discrete steps, it is mole like being on a river called time flowing smoothly into the future.

Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"!

We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak.

Alan

I don't think in terms of being able to do whatever I want regardless of the consequences. I think in terms of being free to act according to love and wisdom as best as circumstances allow.




Alan McDougall wrote on May 28^th, 2016 at 4:03pm:

Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan

recoverer wrote on May 28^th, 2016 at 10:59pm:

I don't think in terms of being able to do whatever I want regardless of the consequences. I think in terms of being free to act according to love and wisdom as best as circumstances allow. Alan McDougall wrote on May 28th, 2016 at 4:03pm: Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan

Nice answer I could not agree more?

Alan

Alan McDougall wrote on May 28^th, 2016 at 4:03pm:

Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan

Alan, I could not dismiss your claims that we have no free will!?...So I googled up the 2 words, "Free Will", and read the Wikipedia article on Free will..This search answered all my questions on free will... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will

Gman wrote on May 29^th, 2016 at 1:21am:

Alan McDougall wrote on May 28th, 2016 at 4:03pm: Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan Alan, I could not dismiss your claims that we have no free will!?...So I googled up the 2 words, "Free Will", and read the Wikipedia article on Free will..This search answered all my questions on free will... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will

That is a huge paper on free will, which they do not answer in the article!

Alan McDougall wrote on May 29^th, 2016 at 9:59am:

Gman wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 1:21am: Alan McDougall wrote on May 28th, 2016 at 4:03pm: Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan Alan, I could not dismiss your claims that we have no free will!?...So I googled up the 2 words, "Free Will", and read the Wikipedia article on Free will..This search answered all my questions on free will... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will That is a huge paper on free will, which they do not answer in the article!

OK Alan. So what is your personal paper on free will as you seem to have all the answers, as a self-proclaimed mystic in one of your recent posts here!??

Gman wrote on May 29^th, 2016 at 11:48pm:

Alan McDougall wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 9:59am: Gman wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 1:21am: Alan McDougall wrote on May 28th, 2016 at 4:03pm: Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan Alan, I could not dismiss your claims that we have no free will!?...So I googled up the 2 words, "Free Will", and read the Wikipedia article on Free will..This search answered all my questions on free will... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will That is a huge paper on free will, which they do not answer in the article! OK Alan. So what is your personal paper on free will as you seem to have the all the answers, as a self-proclaimed mystic in one of your recent posts here!??

"I am a mystic

I consider myself a mystic with what Christians call the gifts of the Spirit or in non-religious terms a psychic. Other people who have also had near death or mystical otherworldly experiences, have asked me why each account seems to differ so much from person to person."

Your words in a recent post!?

Gman wrote on May 29^th, 2016 at 11:48pm:

Alan McDougall wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 9:59am: Gman wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 1:21am: Alan McDougall wrote on May 28th, 2016 at 4:03pm: Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan Alan, I could not dismiss your claims that we have no free will!?...So I googled up the 2 words, "Free Will", and read the Wikipedia article on Free will..This search answered all my questions on free will... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will That is a huge paper on free will, which they do not answer in the article! OK Alan. So what is your personal paper on free will as you seem to have the all the answers, as a self-proclaimed mystic in one of your recent posts here!??

We have partial free will, you can kill your neighbor and God will not stop you.

You do not have a free will to do exactly what you might want to do, because if what you do is wrong according to the law, you will be punished in some way or the other.

If we have high, intrinsic, moral and ethical valued we would not have a free will to murder someone.

For every act or failure to act during our earthly mortal journey we will account for at Gods great Judgement Seat

I AM A MYSTIC PERIOD

Gman wrote on May 29^th, 2016 at 11:54pm:

Gman wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 11:48pm: Alan McDougall wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 9:59am: Gman wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 1:21am: Alan McDougall wrote on May 28th, 2016 at 4:03pm: Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan Alan, I could not dismiss your claims that we have no free will!?...So I googled up the 2 words, "Free Will", and read the Wikipedia article on Free will..This search answered all my questions on free will... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will That is a huge paper on free will, which they do not answer in the article! OK Alan. So what is your personal paper on free will as you seem to have the all the answers, as a self-proclaimed mystic in one of your recent posts here!?? "I am a mystic I consider myself a mystic with what Christians call the gifts of the Spirit or in non-religious terms a psychic. Other people who have also had near death or mystical otherworldly experiences, have asked me why each account seems to differ so much from person to person." Your words in a recent post!?

Yes that is an exact statement of who I am!

Alan McDougall wrote on May 30^th, 2016 at 12:03am:

Gman wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 11:48pm: Alan McDougall wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 9:59am: Gman wrote on May 29th, 2016 at 1:21am: Alan McDougall wrote on May 28th, 2016 at 4:03pm: Back to my question "Do we have a free will, my answer is "No"! We only have partial free will for example, our freedom even on earth is restricted by laws of the land, so to speak. Alan Alan, I could not dismiss your claims that we have no free will!?...So I googled up the 2 words, "Free Will", and read the Wikipedia article on Free will..This search answered all my questions on free will... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will That is a huge paper on free will, which they do not answer in the article! OK Alan. So what is your personal paper on free will as you seem to have the all the answers, as a self-proclaimed mystic in one of your recent posts here!?? We have partial free will, you can kill your neighbor and God will not stop you. You do not have a free will to do exactly what you might want to do, because if what you do is wrong according to the law, you will be punished in some way or the other. If we have high, intrinsic, moral and ethical valued we would not have a free will to murder someone. For every act or failure to act during our earthly mortal journey we will account for at Gods great Judgement Seat I AM A MYSTIC PERIOD

"I AM A MYSTIC PERIOD"...Bravo and Congratulations, Alan

Alan McDougall wrote on May 23^rd, 2016 at 4:02am:

Do we really have a free will? Some scientist say no, the Christian religion says yes, some philosophers say yes, and other say no. Are our futures determined by free will or is our whole existence controlled by the universe or some supreme being? What do you say? Alan

Hi Everyone!

My reply is a tad bit late, but I'd like to offer my two cents!

The afterlife literature suggests that the earth is essentially a school for us. Perhaps a better analogy would be a gym. One goes to the gym in order to challenge one's muscles and force them to become more developed; in regular life, the body simply doesn't encounter enough resistance to become muscular. The same is true for our spiritual muscles--when we are discarnate and living in the Summerland, it is much more difficult to make spiritual progress because there is no lack or suffering there; it's easy to be kind and to love unconditionally when one lives a perfect life. So, we incarnate in order to strengthen our spiritual muscles. Like an afternoon at the gym, it is painful at times, but also incredibly rewarding.

Free will is paramount to this process. If we did not have the choice to act either spiritually or selfishly, then there would be no point in incarnating. It does seem that each of us creates a life plan before incarnating; it's a suggested roadmap for the lifetime ahead. Certain lessons are planned into the lifetime, and certain goals are made in terms of spiritual growth. But ultimately, we have the choice to disregard that plan altogether once we are here. The future is not at all determined by the plans we've made. In fact, we often work with our guides to edit our life plans during our incarnations based on the progress we have made.

Hello Andrew:

You made some good points.

Albert

Andrew wrote on Jun 4^th, 2016 at 1:41am:

Alan McDougall wrote on May 23rd, 2016 at 4:02am: Do we really have a free will? Some scientist say no, the Christian religion says yes, some philosophers say yes, and other say no. Are our futures determined by free will or is our whole existence controlled by the universe or some supreme being? What do you say? Alan Hi Everyone! My reply is a tad bit late, but I'd like to offer my two cents! The afterlife literature suggests that the earth is essentially a school for us. Perhaps a better analogy would be a gym. One goes to the gym in order to challenge one's muscles and force them to become more developed; in regular life, the body simply doesn't encounter enough resistance to become muscular. The same is true for our spiritual muscles--when we are discarnate and living in the Summerland, it is much more difficult to make spiritual progress because there is no lack or suffering there; it's easy to be kind and to love unconditionally when one lives a perfect life. So, we incarnate in order to strengthen our spiritual muscles. Like an afternoon at the gym, it is painful at times, but also incredibly rewarding. Free will is paramount to this process. If we did not have the choice to act either spiritually or selfishly, then there would be no point in incarnating. It does seem that each of us creates a life plan before incarnating; it's a suggested roadmap for the lifetime ahead. Certain lessons are planned into the lifetime, and certain goals are made in terms of spiritual growth. But ultimately, we have the choice to disregard that plan altogether once we are here. The future is not at all determined by the plans we've made. In fact, we often work with our guides to edit our life plans during our incarnations based on the progress we have made.

Excellent Post!!! Agreed!...Don't get sucked into this forums posting-members, "Chosen Enlightened Few", who are nothing like the speculative posts they write about in their posts...Gman

Hi Gman and Recoverer,

Thanks for your comments--I'm glad that you both liked my post!

Gman, I'm not sure exactly what you meant about the "Chosen Enlightened Few." I have researched death and the afterlife quite a bit over the last six years or so, but I am certainly not an infallible authority on the matter. My posts reflect the information I have seen, but my views are always subject to change as I encounter new evidence.

It is so easy to find information on these subjects nowadays that anyone can do the research--and I encourage everyone who is interested to delve into this field! :)

Andrew wrote on Jun 5^th, 2016 at 1:37am:

Hi Gman and Recoverer, Thanks for your comments--I'm glad that you both liked my post! Gman, I'm not sure exactly what you meant about the "Chosen Enlightened Few." I have researched death and the afterlife quite a bit over the last six years or so, but I am certainly not an infallible authority on the matter. My posts reflect the information I have seen, but my views are always subject to change as I encounter new evidence. It is so easy to find information on these subjects nowadays that anyone can do the research--and I encourage everyone who is interested to delve into this field! :)

I am also baffled by Gmans comment about the "Enlightened Few" and would like to know who they are?

Alan

Alan McDougall wrote on Jun 5^th, 2016 at 8:52am:

Andrew wrote on Jun 5th, 2016 at 1:37am: Hi Gman and Recoverer, Thanks for your comments--I'm glad that you both liked my post! Gman, I'm not sure exactly what you meant about the "Chosen Enlightened Few." I have researched death and the afterlife quite a bit over the last six years or so, but I am certainly not an infallible authority on the matter. My posts reflect the information I have seen, but my views are always subject to change as I encounter new evidence. It is so easy to find information on these subjects nowadays that anyone can do the research--and I encourage everyone who is interested to delve into this field! :) I am also baffled by Gmans comment about the "Enlightened Few" and would like to know who they are? Alan

You are the 'One', Alan!

Gman wrote on Jun 6^th, 2016 at 12:33am:

Alan McDougall wrote on Jun 5th, 2016 at 8:52am: Andrew wrote on Jun 5th, 2016 at 1:37am: Hi Gman and Recoverer, Thanks for your comments--I'm glad that you both liked my post! Gman, I'm not sure exactly what you meant about the "Chosen Enlightened Few." I have researched death and the afterlife quite a bit over the last six years or so, but I am certainly not an infallible authority on the matter. My posts reflect the information I have seen, but my views are always subject to change as I encounter new evidence. It is so easy to find information on these subjects nowadays that anyone can do the research--and I encourage everyone who is interested to delve into this field! :) I am also baffled by Gmans comment about the "Enlightened Few" and would like to know who they are? Alan You are the 'One', Alan!

Is that a negative?

   When it comes to free will, I believe it to mean free to choose a decision.
   Some may think that they are controlled by a higher self making that choice for them.
   Some may think that there is no higher self and what decision they come to in their mind was done freely.
   Some think that their destiny has made the decision and they are just compelled to carry that decision out.
   Some may choose not to decide but that in itself is also a choice.
   Some say the devil made me do it. Some say that God made me do it.
   Some say they decided for their own benefit.
   Some say they decided for someone else's benefit.
   If a person is of sober mind, then their free will choice is their own responsibility.
   If that person was drugged then was their decision still made out of free will or mindlessly made?
   Free will comes with a price; which is being held accountable for the results.

Ralph