October 12, 2002

Fate and the Big Question
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Danny, you have great arguements for the fate/free will debate. I'd still contend that any specific preknowledge by any being removes free will. By your contention the Creator knew what was going to happen before he kicked off the Big Bang. So, in sure and certain knowledge of the future, the creator started a process that would entail evil, and evil on a sometimes grand scale. While the Creator could hold up his hands and say "it wasnt me!" he started the ball rolling and so would have to bear responsibility for it (Hitler never killed anyone in the Holocaust but he's responsible for it). If the Creator knew how things would pan out before creation began why didnt he create it a bit less evil? If the future is already known, but we are unaware of it, it still removes free will. Characters in a daytime soap do not know what will happen, they just "unknowingly" act the part prewritten (ok its not a good example but I hope you get what I mean). I think you mentioned that life was to show ourselves how we would react, if thats the case it still doesnt do anything about free will. Preknowledge still makes the Creator less than good, more like a child playing with toy soldiers that go where He wants them to go and do what He wants them to do. I think it boils down to this, free will like love require certain things to be created by inference. Take love for example, God created it, but by its creation allowance for evil also was created. The way I think of it, is it's a bit like making a Polo mint, you make the mint and voila a hole is created, you did not create the hole but its there, and without it it's not a Polo mint. The same way the gift of free will requires NO preknowledge of the future by anyone, perhaps through love for us the Creator restricted himself to having no SPECIFIC preknowledge so we could have free will. It would not have been the first time He made a sacrifice for us. So preknowledge does remove ALL choices, even though we might have been unaware of the lack thereof. As for the song of the Ainur, I still hold to the idea it was only representative, good will always win in the long run and as such it could easily be reflected in the song. A question for you all, was Gandalf EVER afraid for his own person? Some wise person raised the question that Gandalf knew that any "death" he might incur would not mean the complete ending of his life. So while both were willing combatants, Sauron alone knew he could loss everything but still had courage, more courage than Gandalf, to fight. Arina, a Balrog farm? yeah I figure we could use a few. We can make them with DEFINATE wings this time. A little genetic engineering on chickens and voila... Balrogs! Alowyn - New Zealand and South East Asia ok? Isen, Australia is yours. Make sure to train the Aussies well. Radagast, here,s a Ring but you'll need to pick a chunk of land. Brazil maybe? Big Question: Seriously though, ask yourselves this, if The One Ring did exist and you did find it, how would you react? Would you destroy it? Or would you be like me and raise your throne on the skulls of others? See you all later :) eHHHHh hehehehehehee!! *Evil laugh (pronounced: Ee'vel)