On Freewill

Nonsense
Let's take it as a given that God exists. And that this God is All Powerful: without bounds and without limits. Then, this God can do anything, which includes the impossible and the illogical. Thus, God can create a rock so heavy that even God cannot lift it... and then, lift said rock... a rock which even God cannot lift. We could go round and round. But suffice to say, God can do the impossible. God can create a contradictory world. God is God, after all. Don't be limiting The Big Guy with your small minded ideas about logic, world order, and common sense.

The Bible Is Crap
Given that the stories in The Bible are true; then, it is obvious The Bible does not accurately relate these stories. But then (again), given the preceding (an All Powerful God), there is no reason why The Word Of God need (or should) make the slightest bit of sense to a mere mortal like me.

I'm Taking My Ball And Going Home
As proof that The Bible is crap (and/or full thereof), I give you The Old Testament. Opening it at random (as I am wont to do), time and again I come across some snivelling twerp going on about how God is going to F! his enemies. Fine. You do you and I'll do me. But if I had an All Powerful Being in my corner at my beck and call, I wouldn't be crying (like a crybaby, don't you know) about God's vengeance. I'd be a lot more even-handed about the entire thing... maybe even merciful. "Dude, I'm just saying. You keep fouling like that and The Referee in The Sky is going to start throwing some Red Flags around. And He's not exactly a reasonable guy. So, you do not want to get sent to His Penalty Box For All Eternity, capiche?"

Yggdrasil
Smack dab in the middle of The Garden of Eden was The Tree of Knowledge. First, it wasn't there by accident. God desperately wanted Humans to Eat of the Fruit. Second, it's not so much a knowledge of engineering, music, and mathematics that we are talking about, but a Knowledge of Good & Evil. But even beyond that, it's not just the Knowledge of Good & Evil, it's the ability to act on that knowledge. It's the ability to be Evil. Yeah, that's right. God wanted Humans to be capable of Evil; and then, choose to do Good. Or at least, that's how the story goes. Personally, I question whether The Big Guy has a preference either way.

Proof
The Garden of Eden was the world's first and only Utopia. And as one who has been captivated by the concept of Utopia their entire life, let me assure you, Evil is the antithesis of Utopia. In other words, God did not cast anyone out. Eating of the Fruit destroyed the place. Think about it. How much of a Utopia is any place if you've got to share your bed with The Devil or constantly watch your back lest your own brother kill you?

Further Proof
I question how much other folks understand the importance of Freewill. I mean, that is what we are talking about when we are talking about the ability to choose between Good & Evil. We are talking about choice. We are talking about Personal Agency. We are talking about Freewill. And on top of that (because this next part is the real kicker), when talking about a Human Being, we are talking about a God Made Object, a mere lump of clay, which God infused with life. God made a painting. God made a cartoon. God made a sculpture. God made Human Beings. And rather than bowing down to God, those Human Beings (being Human) proceeded to do what they felt like doing. Think about that? How bloody hard do you think it is to defy an All Powerful Being? It's Bloody F'ing hard. It's the type of thing that would take an All Powerful (God-Like) Being a good week to work out... maybe a bit more, you know, depending upon how one wants to keep track of things.

Am I Being Clear
Look, I play with Imaginary Friends (and artificial constructs) all the time. When a 'Friend' becomes real, becomes themselves, starts giving me resistance, and finally comes alive, I am overjoyed. Trust me (or not, have I mentioned my propensity for Evil), when God saw what had been wrought, The All Powerful flipped his lid... and partied like it was the start of All Creation.

Artificial Intelligence
Will we succeed? Will we fail? This is the quest God undertook. And he was as elated at the creation of Human Beings as any Programmer would be at the creation of a True Artificial Intelligence. It is very much the same sort of problem.

In God's Image
Hey, what do you know? God is a creator. And all His Creation wants to do is create in turn. It's probably not a coincidence.

Freewill
Have I established that Freewill is what God was going for? Or if not that, have I established that Freewill is what I believe God was going for? Freewill is literally the most important thing in The Universe. It is the reason for Creation. It is my, your, and everyone else's reason de existence.

Not For Sale
Freewill, like a lot of other things (Love and Honour, to name but two), cannot be bought or sold. One cannot give their Freewill to another. It is not possible. Surrender Of One's Will is meaningless. It has no worth. It has no value. How can individual choice possibly be transferred to another? And if done (by some miracle), it's a negation of Freewill. It's a destruction, denial, and degradation of that which makes Human Beings important.

Gurus
I am reading about Cults, at the moment. That is the topic which has sparked this rant. In blindly following another, one destroys that which makes them valuable. Hey, beasts of burden have value... but they are not valuable. Freewill is unto the diamond that sparkles in the eye. Subservience is unto a dog barking in the night, so do not be surprise when they are kicked.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
I am an Anarchist. Fundamentally (for the purposes of this rant, anyway), what this means is that I believe the most valuable thing about other Human Beings is their Freewill. I do not believe I can decide for another what is best for them, what will lead to the greatest outcome, or how best to utilize their talents for either themselves or society. I plead ignorance. Conversely, I do not believe there is any Governmental Body, which can make these decisions for me... with any greater degree of success than I can manage for myself.

Laws
There are three types of laws: Administrative, Market, and Moral. Administrative are those laws which enable The Government to function. Market laws dictate which contracts will be enforced (and who becomes rich and why, just saying). While Moral laws proscribe shoulds... and should is a useless word.

The List Is Few
Almost everyone agrees that Murder is wrong. Of course, not everyone agrees what exactly constitutes Murder. Still, most of the time, most of the people agree. Let us say that upwards of 95% of The Populace can agree that certain actions constitute Murder. Well then, this 95% defines Murder... and only those actions which can be agreed upon to the same degree of consensus (by something akin to a 95% super-majority) should be punished.

Everyone, All The Time
I, probably, should mention that my conception of a Good Law is a short, clear, and concise proscription, with no exceptions, that is enforced all of the time, with absolute certainty against everyone. And that a lack of will to enforce a law all of the time, each and every time, against everyone is an indication of a Bad Law.

Let's Unwind
I think I have covered that which I intended to cover. It's hardly a proof. They are ideas. Freewill is valuable. A Society that would strip this most important trait from its populace will falter; and in the long run, fall behind those Societies which do not.

The Psychopathy Of Law
Those who think their way is right... are wrong. And those who would inflict their will upon others... are the least qualified to do so.

Drops Microphone
I need not belabour the point. It is there between the lines if one but desires to understand.