I get a kick out of Christians who insist that one of God's many gifts is freewill. I can't understand why they get excited over God's decision to grant them freedom when He's provided an instruction booklet detailing exactly how they should live! Should they choose not to obey the 700,000-plus word manual, He will punish them with an eternity of suffering in the hoary netherworld. If you're from a country where the Bible is outlawed; you're doomed. If your parents taught you another religion; you're doomed. If you're doing your best to live by the teachings of the Bible but a few of the pages got stuck together and you missed some important commandments; you're doomed.
Is it freewill when a mother sends her son to his room with express instructions to make it shine? Should he choose not to follow her demands he will find himself confined to said room for the next month with no television or internet.
In other words, freewill doesn't work when it's provided alongside a harsh threat.
"Do as you wish, but if you don't do exactly as I say you will literally rot in hell!"
Wow, that's great, thanks a lot for all the options, how about I just sit here my entire life reading the Bible. Even though I'll have all of eternity to spend with Him, I might as well spend the only time I have away from Him reading about HIM.
It's the reverse equivalent of leaving home when you turn 18 and then spending the next 70-years reading about your parents!
Simply, freewill does not come with a disclaimer.
If God were real He would have logically given everyone no earthly assignments to carry out. Therefore He'd be able to truly judge character.
And why do religious folks insist they have freewill? Does pretending make conformity easier to stomach? Are they making the freewill claim simply because they have the physical ability to disobey Him? They often suppress very human urges that don't harm anyone because the Bible tells them said urges are wrong, which is not freewill, just as a mobster doesn't provide freewill to a store owner unwilling to pay for protection by aggressively telling him or her, "Of course you don't have to accept my proposal, but I sure would hate to see a massive explosion put a damper on any future bidness dealings you may wish to transact."
For some reason freewill is another topic at which believers refuse to take an honest look. Instead they use smoke and mirrors to make it seem as if their actions are their own, when in reality they are driven to act by the teachings of the Bible.
They wake up early on Sunday because of the Bible and they force their family to go to Sunday school because of the Bible. They do everything because of the Bible, all the while being thankful their creator gave them a mind with which to think for themselves.
What a gift: a mind you're instructed never to use.
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