"Free Will"

[Shirlee]

One commenter brings up "free will" as the reason God will not heal Trig Palin.

<blockquote>I am the mother of a 14 year old teen who happens to have Down syndrome. I would YES change her Down syndrome if I could, for her sake. [See http://beneaththewings.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-wouldnt-change-her-if-i-could.html for further explanations. Don't skip the comments.]

I also believe that theoretically G-d can “cure” Trig.
But it won’t happen. <strong>G-d wants free choice, and if he would cure trig, such a public figure, etc, HE would effectively be limiting our free choice.</strong></blockquote>
I assume that you believe that God must remain hidden.  He cannot assert Himself, because then people would believe based on evidence, rather than based on what other people tell them.

Yes?

Tell me, when God sent angels to visit Lot in Sodom, was that remaining hidden, or did He invalidate Lot's free will?

When God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, was He remaining hidden, or did He invalidate their free will?

When Jesus performed very public miracles, was He remaining hidden, or did He invalidate the free will of the 5,000 people fed in the miracle of the loaves and fishes, or of witnesses to His other miracles?

When God parted the Red Sea during the Exodus, did that invalidate the free will of the Jews?

[rickismom]

G-d CAn assert Himself, but He chooses not to do so. If every person who lit up a cigarette would drop dead an hour later, who many people would try smoking? If anyone who stole hands withered up, would we have coruption today?
There was a period that G-d performed open miracles more readily, perhaps to GIVE us a choice by showing that He does exist. But HE did that enough times that he already has enough credentials for people to see.
So all told, HOW many people really saw those miracles? The maximum was at the parting of the reed sea.
But today we have to look for the everyday miracles in our lives.
Today, if G-d would make such a public miracle, one tghat could be measured, shown, and varified, He would effectively be limiting our free will.

[none]

...But today we have to look for the everyday miracles in our lives.
Today, if G-d would make such a public miracle, one tghat could be measured, shown, and varified, He would effectively be limiting our free will.

look for something that cannot be measured, shown, or verified....

[ThePope]

God asserted himself over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, in Bible stories.

If these arguments about free will support the lack of "God asserting himself" in today's world, then they also support the notion that those Bible stories were inaccurate or just made up.

And we all know that can't be the case....right?

[Shirlee]

God asserted himself over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, in Bible stories.

If these arguments about free will support the lack of "God asserting himself" in today's world, then they also support the notion that those Bible stories were inaccurate or just made up.

And we all know that can't be the case....right?

Absolutely!  Well said!

[none]

God asserted himself over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, in Bible stories.

If these arguments about free will support the lack of "God asserting himself" in today's world, then they also support the notion that those Bible stories were inaccurate or just made up.

And we all know that can't be the case....right?

I hereby assert the tooth fairy as being real under authority of the tooth fairy.