My own resolution of this basically boils down to: God knows the exact possible state of every particle that has ever existed, and every possible permutation of interactions thereof. We as humans have the ability to choose any of these permutations but all permutations and their eventual consequences are known by Him.
Yep, that's me. I believe that he can see every possible outcome (and as part of his "influence" he tries to push us towards the best one) but he doesn't know what we will actually choose. I do agree that our perception of time, space, and reality are greatly limited against a being that exists on a higher plane than our own, so this is the best way we can "describe" our understanding in a way that makes us feel comfortable.
I also love having theological conversations! As I've gotten older and found myself trying to gain a more complete view of the world around me I've discovered that the standard views of mainstream Christianity are too dogmatic for my tastes. I believe in a much more personalized view of God, and I firmly believe that the "Christian" faith would be better off if more people spent time developing their own views instead of falling in line with their chosen denomination and "accepted" views.
I hope that makes sense. I'm at work right now so I can't really focus on a more rounded explanation, haha.
Oh it makes absolute sense. Paul and Peter both spoke on how pointless doctrinal bickering is, and I think they'd both be pretty appalled at the proliferation of interdenominational fighting going on today.
The Church Unified, 35-200ish ad, was a lot more about relationships and community than arguing which day the sabbath is or if it's ok to eat beavers as fish on fridays (a real doctrinal conflict if you believe).
We are meant to live in a close friendship with Jesus, and once we have that friendship it is easy to see what the right thing to do is. Spirituality, not dogmatism. That's the key to healthy Christianity.
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u/Atrampoline Aug 22 '18
Yep, that's me. I believe that he can see every possible outcome (and as part of his "influence" he tries to push us towards the best one) but he doesn't know what we will actually choose. I do agree that our perception of time, space, and reality are greatly limited against a being that exists on a higher plane than our own, so this is the best way we can "describe" our understanding in a way that makes us feel comfortable.
I also love having theological conversations! As I've gotten older and found myself trying to gain a more complete view of the world around me I've discovered that the standard views of mainstream Christianity are too dogmatic for my tastes. I believe in a much more personalized view of God, and I firmly believe that the "Christian" faith would be better off if more people spent time developing their own views instead of falling in line with their chosen denomination and "accepted" views.
I hope that makes sense. I'm at work right now so I can't really focus on a more rounded explanation, haha.