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| Open Theism Discussion Board > Public Forums > Theological Q&A > Animals and Freewill | Forum Quick Jump
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The Traveler
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2003
Total Posts : 11
| Posted 8/22/2003 6:53 AM (GMT -6) |   | I was wondering what the biblical veiw would be of animals having free will. Obviously humans do, but did God give animals the choice to make good and bad choices?
In Christ
Jacob | | Back to Top | | |
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ReasonableDoubt
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 655
| Posted 8/22/2003 7:45 AM (GMT -6) | | I'm not sure that the Bible says anything about this, but the most ardent libertarians always say that animals have no free will. They always act according to their nature and instincts. Since they can't act any other way, they are amoral creatures. For example, a lion who kills a wildebeest - does anyone hold the lion accountable for acting within his nature? It may be a sad fact of nature that is the law of the jungle, but i don't know anyone who would say that it is immoral.
If free will exists at all, it requires a being to have a certain level of sentience, self consciousness, and intelligence in order to "will" oneself to do anything. No animal has self-consciousness, and even the most intelligent can't approach the level required, in my opinion. | | Back to Top | | |
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honorman
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Date Joined Oct 2002
Total Posts : 1137
| Posted 8/22/2003 8:26 AM (GMT -6) | | | People were made in the image of God. Animals were not. Enough said... | | Back to Top | | |
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ReasonableDoubt
Registered Member
Date Joined Jan 2003
Total Posts : 655
| Posted 8/22/2003 8:39 AM (GMT -6) | | | So what? Does the Bible say that only those creatures made in the image of God have free will? | | Back to Top | | |
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Starkman
Registered Member
Date Joined Oct 2001
Total Posts : 1747
| Posted 8/22/2003 8:45 AM (GMT -6) | | Animals have free will to act according to the way they were created to act. It's not a moral issue, though.
Starkman | | Back to Top | | |
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The Traveler
Registered Member
Date Joined Jul 2003
Total Posts : 11
| Posted 8/22/2003 9:02 PM (GMT -6) | | What i mean is this: If a cat is unhappy with its owners new schedule of not being able to spend the old amount of time with the cat, and the cat comes before the owner upon arrival and poops in front of the owner and runs away, is this not freewill? or the dauphins reasoning out of problems? or the octopos's ability to reason where the food is in a laboratory and being able to retrieve it? or the monkeys ability to pass knowledge of how to do things on to its young? do these things not show some intelligence, or ability to think beyond the credited amount?
In Christ
Jacob | | Back to Top | | |
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