In The Image of God

I was having a late night conversation with several folks over at Ace of Spades that turned into a short discussion of Milton's Paradise Lost. I would like to say that I don't know how we got from discussing bizarre personal experiences to talking Milton, but it was moi who introduced it. My point was, we all have free will and, even if we subjugate our selves to one religion, government system or cognitive belief, we are still choosing it. It is not choosing us. Even if we are born into it.

Of course, this was actually a tongue in cheek response to why someone read a blog post and subsequent comments when they clearly could choose to do otherwise.

Comment On Current Events

Strangely, in that way that late night thoughts have of taking philosophical turns, it made me think about Islam, Islamic governments and those that live beneath those beliefs and regimes.

Since people inherently have free will, are they victims or do they inherently choose to live in such a condition? If they aren't victims, what does that say about our strategy?

Onward to the question of pre-destination...

The question of pre-destination comes to play. In Paradise Lost, Satan rebels because he is believes he is forced to worship God unquestioningly while God gave man free will to choose to worship or not. In his rebellion, Satan was shown to have had free will the entire time. His rebellion sets him apart from God.

In contemplating his condition, Satan decides that, if free choice means rebellion, he will eternally rebel and set himself against God and his creations. Yet, as we are give a glimpse of God, we find His discourse implying that Satan's rebellion may have been pre-destined after all. God apparently is as insecure as any human or fallen angel, wondering if the unchallenged, unquestioning love of his creations is really love after all. Thus, Satan, instead of acting completely on free will, becomes the instrument of God after all.

Man was given paradise on earth. An unblemished place where the worship of God is unchallenged. Even as Satan unleashes sin, Chaos and Night on man, he is still enacting God's will.

Is Man a victim after all? Is he actually given a choice or was it made for him that he would rebel against God's law? A simple law really: do not eat from the tree of knowledge. But, if God did not want man to eat from the tree, why did he put it in Paradise and then make man aware of it by admonishing him against eating from it?

Is that just a test of Man's obedience and love? Or, is God creating a condition that creates an unending future of choice and worship? Does it create an unending stream of worshippers to fulfill God's need to be loved eternally?

Does that make God more human and thus, humans more like God? Or, in our questions, are we remaking God in our image?

Worse, if we accept that we are pre-destined to rebellion as Satan and the Fallen Angels are, to be but instruments of God's greater plan; both creators and destroyers, good and evil, war like and peaceful, rational and irrational; are we absolving ourselves of the consequences of our actions? Are we, in truth, rejecting God's gift of free will?

We are, today, fighting against those who believe that their actions are those designed by God. That free will never existed, but Inshallah, God's will be done.

Real also: Islamic Creationism