My eyes caught a editorial in the Christian

[BobHunt]

Standard newsletter out of Cincinnati. It was written by a Patrick Nullens, and I quote just the first couple paragraphs.

"The finest theological questions are asked by children. Unfortunately, they tend to raise questions at the wrong moment and place.
As I was maneuvering my car through Brussels traffic, one of my boys once asked me, "If God really knows everything, does he know the word "perhaps?"
What an amazing question for a 7 year old boy. I wondered, Is there indeed an element of uncertainty in God's knowledge of the future?
Does God hope, wish, and anticipate as we do, infinitely more wise, but still with a level of uncertainty? Is the future open for God as it is for us? Does He take risks as we do?"

(note: Im not sure if I would have been this smart to ask a question like this at 7 years of age. Im either gettin slower, or these youngins are gettin faster! grins!)

[Barbara Moulton]

Is the future open for God as it is for us? Does He take risks as we do?"

Short answer?

I believe "yes".

[Dale Cozby]

I have often found that the most profound theological concepts can be explained to a child.

But..The term "perhaps" is another way of saying "I don't know"
So......

If God is all knowing does this mean that all things are therefore a matter of fate and are unchangable? Perhaps...
If God gave us freewill can we not change our destiny thereby overruling the concept of fate altogether? Perhaps....:basic03
If we cannot come to God lest the Spirit beckon us, then do we really have freewill? Does God not determine who can be saved by his choice alone? Perhaps....:rolleyes:
If "God's Will" will be done on earth as it is in heaven then how do we explain all of the sin and suffering in the world apart from calling it God's will? uh...perhaps...:eek:
If God's will is going to be done on earth(in a fatalistic way) then what point is there to praying if "God's Will" will be done either way?

I will pause at this point and allow those with bright minds :fav18 to answer those questions. PArdon me for sitting back and playing "Devil's advocate". After a few responses I will chime in again.

[Bruce Carriker]

Didn't we just have this discussion not long ago?

[Diane Likens]

As for me, I think of God as a parent -- my ABBA. And I guess that because I think of Him as a parent, I imagine Him having the same parental thoughts and feelings that I experience.

For instance, I know that if one of my children rides her bike too fast down an incline, she's likely to fall and get hurt. I don't want her to get hurt, of course, but I know that she has to experience the pain in order to learn the physical lesson.

I guess I imagine God on his throne, gripping the arms with white knuckles, wanting desperately to stop me before I trip and fall as I blindly and innocently go through this earthly human experience we call life. He knows what will happen. Of that I am convinced.

And yes, as His child, my free will allows me the choice to NOT walk down a slippery slope so as to avoid injury. But I do it anyway. And I fall. And I get hurt. And I learn.

Luckily for me, I have a gracious parent. He never says "I told you so." He simply holds me in his infinite mercy while I cry away the pain.

[John Kennedy]

As someone (I think it was Scott) sagely observed, as one of these discussions began, it was like the thing was "predestined'.

Which reminds me of John Calvin's reaction when he fell downstairs. He got up, dusted himself off and said, "Thank God, that's over with."

(As previously noted, I, along with Oscar Wilde, can resist anything but temptation.)

[BobHunt]

Laughing John, sorry couldnt help myself!