Main Entry: syn·o·nym Pronunciation: 'si-n&-"nim Function: noun Etymology: Middle English sinonyme, from Latin synonymum, from Greek synOnymon, from neuter of synOnymos synonymous, from syn- + onyma name -- more at NAME 1 : one of two or more words or expressions of the same language that have the same or nearly the same meaning in some or all senses
emphasis mine: American Heritage Dictionary - free will n. noun 1. The ability or discretion to choose; free choice: chose to remain behind of my own free will. 2. The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) free will 3. free and independent choice; voluntary decision: You took on the responsibility of your own free will. 4. Philosophy. the doctrine that the conduct of human beings expresses personal choice and is not simply determined by physical or divine forces.
STU your quote proves the point you were wrong. Free choice or Free choice not restrained by and external agent. You were exactly wrong. You said free will is not free choice.
jem, there are 2 words. Free and choice. The choice IS NOT free. No choice really is. Look if you want to continue this, start a separate thread and I will join you(we will prob be the only ones who read it except of course for zz'ds trolling.) Let's not wreck lkh's thread any further.
Every choice IS FREE. There are two things: 1. Choice 2. Consequence Choice is free, but we are bound to the consequence of choice. If you are saying there is no choice without consequence, I will agree. However, that doesn't mean that the power and ability to decide is not free. Decision is an action, a mental action, and any action is proceeded by the ability to decide and the power of decision itself...i.e. will. The ability to decide, the ability to choose is will. Nothing can bind that power, unless the mind is externally controlled though some mind control process, etc. Free will is what moves the mind to be able to choose, and that will is inherently 100% free to move in whatever direction it wants.
Stu by your own definition above you see two dictionaries that say free will equals free choice. You had previously stated free choice is not free will. By defintion - even ones picked by you- you are wrong.
It's a bit sad you can't think past dictionary definition jem. You will need free choice to have free will. That is when they would equate. I offered reason why no choice is free in the true sense and why most are not free in practical terms. The freedom religion offers between two choices when there are obviously at least three, is nothing like real free choice or free will. The dictionary defines the words' meanings. It does not determine the circumstances are ones in which the meanings of those words take effect .
Stu what is sad is all the b.s. you are willing to go through to avoid saying oops I made a mistake. Grow up, attempt to be intellectually honest. This argument has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with definition of free will which you got wrong. People can communicate because words have agreed upon definitions. If you wish to express some idea different from free will all you have to do is explain yourself. this is my last post on the subject.
Proof #38 - Notice the divorce rate among Christians If you have ever been to a Christian wedding, you know that marriage is a big deal. You have the priest or minister standing with the couple reading from the Bible and praying. The ceremony takes place in a church -- the house of God. Dozens or hundreds of witnesses are on hand. In front of God, a representative of God and all of these witnesses, a couple declares that they will wed "til death do us part." The Christian faith also puts a very, very large stigma on divorce. For example, in Matthew 5:32 Jesus says: But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. In Matthew 19:9, Jesus repeats that sentiment: I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery Adultery is a major problem in the Christian faith. First, one of the commandments in the Ten Commandments specifically forbids adultery. Even worse, in Leviticus 20 we find this: If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbour, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. Adulterers get the death penalty. Clearly, God and Jesus want Christians to stay married for life. So let's review. When a Christian couple gets married, we have all of these forces that should be working to keep them married: The marriage is performed in God's presence... ...in God's house... ...in front of God's representative (a minister or priest)... ...and in front of many Christian witnesses. The couple presumably prays before and after the wedding for a good marriage... ...as do all of the witnesses... ...and the minister/priest. The couple knows that if they divorce/remarry, it is an act of adultery... ...which God has forbidden... ...and which the Bible says is punishable by death. And don't forget this important line from the ceremony: What God has joined together let no man put asunder. Now think about this. God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe. If God puts something together, shouldn't it be impossible to break it? Isn't that what "all-powerful" means? Given all of this, and given the fact that an all-powerful, prayer-answering God is supposedly looking over the lives of a Christian couple, guiding them in the spirit and so on, what would you expect the divorce rate for Christians to be? Clearly, the Christian divorce rate should be zero. But when we look at the divorce statistics of American couples, and compare Christian vs. non-Christian divorce rates, we find this strange statistic: http://www.divorcereform.org/mel/rbaptisthigh.html divorce rates among Christians match those among the rest of the population. It does not matter whether the couple is Christian or not. According to this article, "'While it may be alarming to discover that born-again Christians are more likely than others to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time,' said George Barna, president of Barna Research Group." There are a millions ways to crunch the data, but no matter how you slice it, it is easy to see that Christians divorce just as often as non-Christians. The reason for the high divorce rate among Christians is easy to see: God is imaginary.
Your conclusion is weak. Why would it be then that Catholics and Lutherans have the lowest divorce rate. I will tell you why (or at least a better why.) . A better splicing of the data shows that the more you are involved with your church the the lower your divorce rate. also born agains, if you know them are frequently bouncing from one side of the spectrum to the other. Many have come from serously damaged lives and then someone speaks to them about God and they flip from one extream to the other. Not all born agains but many. so of course many of them probably had divorces in the back ground. And many of them probably had them before they flipped. Conlcusion - your lkh reasons are poorly researched and supported.