Is this a "legend" or biblical truth?

I've been wondering this for some time, and it resurfaced when I was reading a friend's blog.

Do the traditional fear tactics in the "church" conflict with the bigger picture that God wants people to worship Him out of their own free will? Or was that just another non-biblical fairy tale that we learned while growing up in Sunday School?

This is an honest question. The reason I ask is because I have been basing my conclusions on Christianity based on the 50,000 foot view that God created humanity because he wanted them to be able to choose to worship him of their own free will. I was taught this somewhere, not sure if it was Sunday School, or just Christian folklore that I picked up along the way, or if it is actually bible.

The second part of this question is, if the angels did not have free will, then how did Lucifer rebel?

[Timmy]

Doh! Yet another poll without a choice I can click!

"I was taught this, and there may or may not be Bible for it, and I'm not sure I believe it anymore, anyway."

BTW, part of the teaching on free will went like this: God didn't want robots -- He wanted people to choose to love him. OK then, will there be free will in Heaven? If yes, then I suppose some will choose, even after living there for some time, to reject God (and presumably get kicked out, and presumably forever). If no, then God will be stuck with robots, for eternity.

Originally Posted by Timmy

Doh! Yet another poll without a choice I can click!

"I was taught this, and there may or may not be Bible for it, and I'm not sure I believe it anymore, anyway."

BTW, part of the teaching on free will went like this: God didn't want robots -- He wanted people to choose to love him. OK then, will there be free will in Heaven? If yes, then I suppose some will choose, even after living there for some time, to reject God (and presumably get kicked out, and presumably forever). If no, then God will be stuck with robots, for eternity.

Same issue here... I didn't even make an option for me to click myself. lol.

I was taught it somehow but have no idea if it is bible or not... and since these events would have happened before humanity actually existed, how would we ever know unless God was bored one day and was telling the story to Moses or Abraham or someone...

[Timmy]

Originally Posted by Sheltiedad

Same issue here... I didn't even make an option for me to click myself. lol.

I was taught it somehow but have no idea if it is bible or not... and since these events would have happened before humanity actually existed, how would we ever know unless God was bored one day and was telling the story to Moses or Abraham or someone...

Well, that's kinda the theory behind the inspiration of the Bible, isn't it? (Except the "bored one day" part! )

The literal interpretation of the creation story in Genesis has long gone out the window, except in the minds of some die-hard young-earth creationists, who cling to it despite overwhelming evidence. The light we see from galaxies millions of light-years away? Oh, God created that light en route to us, ya see, to make it look like it started millions of years ago. Isn't God amazingly amazing? How awesome is that?

Uh, yeah. Amazing that he would go to that much trouble to trick us into disbelieving the Bible.

Anyway, I think Genesis is an interesting allegory, whose only point is that God made everything. It's not a step-by-step account, meant to be taken literally. Forming Adam form dust could be a hint that God used evolution to do the job! (Gasp!) Other steps aren't so close to (apparent) reality, though. Making plants before making the sun is a little off. And making Eve from Adam's rib?

OTOH, maybe it was all just made up.

[Sister Alvear]

I don´t have all the answers but I serve HIM of my own free will...I believe He created the heavens and the earth and that He always has existed. Some things, Timmy we will have to wait until the day we can sit down and talk to Him.
We only know what the Bible tells us and the great Apostle Paul let us know we see through a glass darkly.

[ILG]

I believe in free will and I believe the Bible backs it up.

It seems where you get hung up, Sheltie Dad is the "If you don't serve me of your own free will then you will go to hell" thing.

But serving God is a blessing, so it's kind of like saying "If you refuse to be blessed here, you will also not be blessed on the other side". Or "If you refuse this million here, I'm not offering a billion when you die".

[DividedThigh]

my personal belief is that god created us to serve him, but he does leave it up to us, he will not force us, and blesses us for choosing to serve him because of love and free choice, imho, dt

[chosenbyone]

Originally Posted by DividedThigh

my personal belief is that god created us to serve him, but he does leave it up to us, he will not force us, and blesses us for choosing to serve him because of love and free choice, imho, dt

I agree with what you posted here, dt. I feel that it pleases the Father that we utilize the freedom of our will to serve him.

Originally Posted by ILG

I believe in free will and I believe the Bible backs it up.

It seems where you get hung up, Sheltie Dad is the "If you don't serve me of your own free will then you will go to hell" thing.

But serving God is a blessing, so it's kind of like saying "If you refuse to be blessed here, you will also not be blessed on the other side". Or "If you refuse this million here, I'm not offering a billion when you die".

I see it more like I walk into a restaurant that I have never been to before, without a worry in the world, and someone hands me a bill for a billion dollars that is supposed to cover every meal I may or may not eat for the rest of my life... and I haven't even eaten anything yet.