Hypothetical question for my fellow atheists

[Slyhunter]

I would not worship him. Why should I? And why would a god be so insecure as to demand he be worshipped? The entire concept is absurd.

then you will burn in hell for all eternity.

get it?

This is a hypothetical that god does exist, not if, the bible is true, not edited.

worship or hell


the choice is incredibly simple

No, it's a question of if god and jesus EXIST, not whether the manmade instruction manual is accurate. And if Jesus said it was, I would tell him that he is either lying or he is evil, and he could go fuck himself.

so you are choosing hell

ok, have fun with that.

Not at all. If Jesus laid out those conditions, I would believe he was lying. I simply would not believe that "the only true god" would be such an evil idiot.

the op made it clear that the bible is considered true.

you keep changing things so you can avoid hell.

like it or not, you have chosen eternal damnation.

link?

 

[Czernobog]

.
the two are not the same ... seriously, the teachings of - is found in that book.

Idc

this is about, if you got proof that the Christ god is real, would you worship him.


clearly only a complete dunce wouldn't fall in line

I would not worship him. Why should I? And why would a god be so insecure as to demand he be worshipped? The entire concept is absurd.

then you will burn in hell for all eternity.

get it?

This is a hypothetical that god does exist, not if, the bible is true, not edited.

worship or hell


the choice is incredibly simple

So, your moral compass directs you to be a sycophant, in the hopes that God would be stupid enough to mistake it for sincerity, in the hopes of avoiding Hell. Yeah...I'd prefer to just be honest, and let the chips fall where they may.

there are no chips

you either follow and accept jesus as your savior, and get into heaven
or
burn forever


and really, god hasn't taken a direct roll in anything in over 2000 years.

So what? That's even worse. After demonstrating himself to be genocidal, he then just takes a poweder, and leaves us all to the whims of fate, when all along he could have chosen to make a difference.

You don't seem to get that if God is omniscient, he's gonna know that you're only saying the right words to avoid Hell. You think that's gonna cut it? Really??? You don't really think much of God, do you?

 

[Czernobog]

so you are choosing hell

ok, have fun with that.

Not at all. If Jesus laid out those conditions, I would believe he was lying. I simply would not believe that "the only true god" would be such an evil idiot.

the op made it clear that the bible is considered true.

you keep changing things so you can avoid hell.

like it or not, you have chosen eternal damnation.

That's the OPs opinion, not mine. I dont think the accuracy of the Bible follows from the truth of the existence of god and Jesus. Sorry. And if it IS true, then it is the evil, stupid Jesus who chose damnation for me. Get it straight.

It's not my opinion. It was one of the parameters I set up for the thought experience:

1 - God exists.
2 - The Christian version of God is accurate.
3 - The Bible is determined to be the accurate record of God's actions.

Given those three parameters, would you become a Christian, and bend a knee to God. Keep in mind that acknowledging God exists is not the same as bending the knee.

then stop quoting the old testement

Why? Last time I looked the Christian Bible includes the Old Testament. You don't get to pretend that half the book just didn't happen.

 

[Spare_change]

Again, you expose the thin veneer of your knowledge.

God doesn't require that we worship him ... he requires only thanksgiving. It ain't about Him - it's about a recognition and gratitude for the eternal life.

In Psalm 50, God corrected his people who thought he somehow needed the sacrifices he commanded:

Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats? (8-13)

God didn’t need their sacrifices. He doesn’t need our worship either. God has no needs. He is infinitely perfect and complete. For all eternity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have enjoyed perfect love and fellowship. God never gets hungry, lonely or unhappy. He is the fountain of all joy and gladness, satisfaction and fulfillment.

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (14-15)

God says here is how to please me: offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, then perform your promises to thank me when I deliver you from trouble, then call on me the next time you’re in trouble. I’ll rescue you again and you will glorify me again by thanking me.

Our worship glorifies God. But he doesn’t need it. So why does God tell us to do these things? For our benefit!

He doesn’t need our obedience or our money. He is completely self-sufficient. When we thank and praise him it blesses us! It increases our joy and delight in him.

God has designed us to enjoy beauty and excellence and to express that enjoyment. We enjoy the of glory of nature, amazing athletic feats, delicious food, great movies, and a thousand other blessings, and we increase our enjoyment when we express it. When we see a sunset or the Grand Canyon we can’t help but say, “Wow that is so beautiful.” When we watch an athlete make a fantastic play we have to cheer. And when we express our admiration of a Van Gogh or Hanz Zimmer soundtrack or say how delicious a steak is, it adds nothing to the painting or soundtrack or steak but increases our enjoyment of it.

I did not claim that god demands worship, I said I would not worship him . But thanks for the bronze age voodoo chant.

1 Chronicles 16:29: "...Worship the LORD..."

John 4:23: "...the true worshipers will worship the Father..."

The next time you feel like taking a jab at someone else's knowledge, you might want to first take stock of your own.

Ahhh --- the veneer cracks, as we knew it would. Those are the words of men ... not God. Nice try, rookie ...

Again, you expose the thin veneer of your knowledge.

God doesn't require that we worship him ... he requires only thanksgiving. It ain't about Him - it's about a recognition and gratitude for the eternal life.

In Psalm 50, God corrected his people who thought he somehow needed the sacrifices he commanded:

Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats? (8-13)

God didn’t need their sacrifices. He doesn’t need our worship either. God has no needs. He is infinitely perfect and complete. For all eternity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have enjoyed perfect love and fellowship. God never gets hungry, lonely or unhappy. He is the fountain of all joy and gladness, satisfaction and fulfillment.

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (14-15)

God says here is how to please me: offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, then perform your promises to thank me when I deliver you from trouble, then call on me the next time you’re in trouble. I’ll rescue you again and you will glorify me again by thanking me.

Our worship glorifies God. But he doesn’t need it. So why does God tell us to do these things? For our benefit!

He doesn’t need our obedience or our money. He is completely self-sufficient. When we thank and praise him it blesses us! It increases our joy and delight in him.

God has designed us to enjoy beauty and excellence and to express that enjoyment. We enjoy the of glory of nature, amazing athletic feats, delicious food, great movies, and a thousand other blessings, and we increase our enjoyment when we express it. When we see a sunset or the Grand Canyon we can’t help but say, “Wow that is so beautiful.” When we watch an athlete make a fantastic play we have to cheer. And when we express our admiration of a Van Gogh or Hanz Zimmer soundtrack or say how delicious a steak is, it adds nothing to the painting or soundtrack or steak but increases our enjoyment of it.

I did not claim that god demands worship, I said I would not worship him . But thanks for the bronze age voodoo chant.

1 Chronicles 16:29: "...Worship the LORD..."

John 4:23: "...the true worshipers will worship the Father..."

The next time you feel like taking a jab at someone else's knowledge, you might want to first take stock of your own.

Ahhh --- the veneer cracks, as we knew it would. Those are the words of men ... not God. Nice try, rookie ...

Of course they are, as is every single word in the Bible. Duh. Is water wet, too?

But your words....yessir...those are the words of God, right? Oh man...*cuckoo*

Man, you make absolutely zero sense .... want to try again??? I'll wait ...

You are the one who makes o sense... you quote Bible verses as the authoritative word of God... then you call the verses I quote (which purport to be direct quote from Jesus, as you clearly did not know) as the word of man... then you claim your own opinion as the authoritative thought of God? Okay, Shaman. Have another flesh wafer, i'm going to slowly back away, now...

LOL ---- you allow your seriously inflated ego interfere with the workings of a little mind .... I quoted Psalm 50, which are the direct words of God. You quoted the Chronicles, which are not direct words of God, but rather man's interpretation, and John, another "interpretation".

I understand if you feel overwhelmed by truth and honesty ... when one lives a lie, the truth probably scares the hell out of you, huh?

 

[Spare_change]

Idc

this is about, if you got proof that the Christ god is real, would you worship him.


clearly only a complete dunce wouldn't fall in line

I would not worship him. Why should I? And why would a god be so insecure as to demand he be worshipped? The entire concept is absurd.

then you will burn in hell for all eternity.

get it?

This is a hypothetical that god does exist, not if, the bible is true, not edited.

worship or hell


the choice is incredibly simple

So, your moral compass directs you to be a sycophant, in the hopes that God would be stupid enough to mistake it for sincerity, in the hopes of avoiding Hell. Yeah...I'd prefer to just be honest, and let the chips fall where they may.

there are no chips

you either follow and accept jesus as your savior, and get into heaven
or
burn forever


and really, god hasn't taken a direct roll in anything in over 2000 years.

So what? That's even worse. After demonstrating himself to be genocidal, he then just takes a poweder, and leaves us all to the whims of fate, when all along he could have chosen to make a difference.

You don't seem to get that if God is omniscient, he's gonna know that you're only saying the right words to avoid Hell. You think that's gonna cut it? Really??? You don't really think much of God, do you?

You really, truly, don't understand, do you?

God has been very clear .... man has free will. He may choose whatever path he thinks best ... BUT, man is also responsible for the results of his free will, as dictated by the rules of God. Man will enjoy life everlasting, but the location is strictly up to him. Man can kill, man can rape, man can rob ... but he will pay the price. When God directs punishment visited on man, it is a direct result of man's actions, not God's caprice. Your supposed "whims of fate" is, simply, the result of your free will.

Take whatever stand you like ... but, understand that you WILL be judged and, if found wanting, you will be punished in accordance with the Laws of God.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

I did not claim that god demands worship, I said I would not worship him . But thanks for the bronze age voodoo chant.

1 Chronicles 16:29: "...Worship the LORD..."

John 4:23: "...the true worshipers will worship the Father..."

The next time you feel like taking a jab at someone else's knowledge, you might want to first take stock of your own.

Ahhh --- the veneer cracks, as we knew it would. Those are the words of men ... not God. Nice try, rookie ...

I did not claim that god demands worship, I said I would not worship him . But thanks for the bronze age voodoo chant.

1 Chronicles 16:29: "...Worship the LORD..."

John 4:23: "...the true worshipers will worship the Father..."

The next time you feel like taking a jab at someone else's knowledge, you might want to first take stock of your own.

Ahhh --- the veneer cracks, as we knew it would. Those are the words of men ... not God. Nice try, rookie ...

Of course they are, as is every single word in the Bible. Duh. Is water wet, too?

But your words....yessir...those are the words of God, right? Oh man...*cuckoo*

Man, you make absolutely zero sense .... want to try again??? I'll wait ...

You are the one who makes o sense... you quote Bible verses as the authoritative word of God... then you call the verses I quote (which purport to be direct quote from Jesus, as you clearly did not know) as the word of man... then you claim your own opinion as the authoritative thought of God? Okay, Shaman. Have another flesh wafer, i'm going to slowly back away, now...

LOL ---- you allow your seriously inflated ego interfere with the workings of a little mind .... I quoted Psalm 50, which are the direct words of God. You quoted the Chronicles, which are not direct words of God, but rather man's interpretation, and John, another "interpretation".

I understand if you feel overwhelmed by truth and honesty ... when one lives a lie, the truth probably scares the hell out of you, huh?

"I quoted Psalm 50, which are the direct words of God."

Haha, okay. Thw Psalms are "the word of god", as relayed and changed through the centuries. But, literally quoting Jesus with quotation marks is "interpretation", and not the word of god.


How convenient for you. well, for your argument right now, that is. as in, you pulled it out of your ass.

haha, no, it doesn't scare me. Do unicorns and leprechauns scare you?

 

[Spare_change]

Ahhh --- the veneer cracks, as we knew it would. Those are the words of men ... not God. Nice try, rookie ...

Ahhh --- the veneer cracks, as we knew it would. Those are the words of men ... not God. Nice try, rookie ...

Of course they are, as is every single word in the Bible. Duh. Is water wet, too?

But your words....yessir...those are the words of God, right? Oh man...*cuckoo*

Man, you make absolutely zero sense .... want to try again??? I'll wait ...

You are the one who makes o sense... you quote Bible verses as the authoritative word of God... then you call the verses I quote (which purport to be direct quote from Jesus, as you clearly did not know) as the word of man... then you claim your own opinion as the authoritative thought of God? Okay, Shaman. Have another flesh wafer, i'm going to slowly back away, now...

LOL ---- you allow your seriously inflated ego interfere with the workings of a little mind .... I quoted Psalm 50, which are the direct words of God. You quoted the Chronicles, which are not direct words of God, but rather man's interpretation, and John, another "interpretation".

I understand if you feel overwhelmed by truth and honesty ... when one lives a lie, the truth probably scares the hell out of you, huh?

Hell, you can't even post your idiocy so others can laugh at it .... surely, you can go to the high school and get lessons, can't you?

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

So, I've a hypothetical for you guys that I am curious about. I maintain that my atheism is a premise, not a conclusion. When I say, "God does not exist", I am presenting a falsifiable premise that is only awaiting objective, verifiable evidence.

Now, with that in mind, let us say that evidence is discovered tomorrow. Now only do we have absolute proof of the existence of God, but we even have absolute evidence that the Christian version of God exists. Could you just "fall in line"? Could you just "become" a Christian.

See, I don't think I could. If we suddenly had the objective evidence necessary to prove that the Christian God exists, that would mean that we, also, have to accept that the Bible is not just a book of stories, and is, in fact, an accurate record of the nature of that God. And that record indicates that he drown the entire race, as far as man understood it to be at that time. This God demanded his favourites to commit genocide...twice. This God chose one person, and intentionally made his life miserable, just for sport (a wager with Lucifer). In short, the Bible portrays a God that is a sociopath.

I don't know that, even with irrefutable evidence that the Christian God exists, that I could become a follower of that God.

I have always said that, given evidence,. I would change my position from atheism to one of theism. However, if I learned that the Christian God was the "God of Creation", I don't think that theism would be a respectful one. I think my position would have to be, "Okay. God exists...and he's a dick," and would accept whatever consequences taking that position would engender.

So, what about you guys? If we suddenly had evidence that Christians had it right all along, could you just become "Good Little Christians"?

So if you had absolute proof, that if you followed the teachings of jesus, got baptized and accepted him as your savior, that you would reside in heaven, for all eternity after death.

and that if you didn't, it's eternal hellfire.


you sir, are a complete idiot.

Maybe. But I will not bend a knee to a genocidal despot.

you are misusing the word genocide.


set your arm on fire

now imagine what that's going to feel like, all over, forever.

Then, imagine a mystical sky wizard is real, and a bronze age fairy tale is true. While you're at it, imagine 400 year old men, and healing touch, and zombie kings. Weeeeeee!

I will repeat, once more.

The theme of the op is that the Christian god and jesus are real


even though he keeps quoting the old testament, in violation of his own op.

And I repeat:

Accepting their existence would not then mean everything in, or even half of , the Bible were correct. And even if they told me it were, I would think them liars.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I would never serve the God of the bible. Ever.
He was a genocidal, selfish tyrant.

And the religion is based on infanticide. People actually worship a god they believe killed his son. That's a lie though. The son isn't dead at all. Besides, the son is the god is the son is the god.

Oh yeah, and it's copied from other, older religions.

A scam. Easily the most successful, longest lived and most profitable scam in all of earth's history.


Sent from my iPad using USMessageBoard.com

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Of course they are, as is every single word in the Bible. Duh. Is water wet, too?

But your words....yessir...those are the words of God, right? Oh man...*cuckoo*

Man, you make absolutely zero sense .... want to try again??? I'll wait ...

You are the one who makes o sense... you quote Bible verses as the authoritative word of God... then you call the verses I quote (which purport to be direct quote from Jesus, as you clearly did not know) as the word of man... then you claim your own opinion as the authoritative thought of God? Okay, Shaman. Have another flesh wafer, i'm going to slowly back away, now...

LOL ---- you allow your seriously inflated ego interfere with the workings of a little mind .... I quoted Psalm 50, which are the direct words of God. You quoted the Chronicles, which are not direct words of God, but rather man's interpretation, and John, another "interpretation".

I understand if you feel overwhelmed by truth and honesty ... when one lives a lie, the truth probably scares the hell out of you, huh?

Hell, you can't even post your idiocy so others can laugh at it .... surely, you can go to the high school and get lessons, can't you?

Of course they are, as is every single word in the Bible. Duh. Is water wet, too?

But your words....yessir...those are the words of God, right? Oh man...*cuckoo*

Man, you make absolutely zero sense .... want to try again??? I'll wait ...

You are the one who makes o sense... you quote Bible verses as the authoritative word of God... then you call the verses I quote (which purport to be direct quote from Jesus, as you clearly did not know) as the word of man... then you claim your own opinion as the authoritative thought of God? Okay, Shaman. Have another flesh wafer, i'm going to slowly back away, now...

LOL ---- you allow your seriously inflated ego interfere with the workings of a little mind .... I quoted Psalm 50, which are the direct words of God. You quoted the Chronicles, which are not direct words of God, but rather man's interpretation, and John, another "interpretation".

I understand if you feel overwhelmed by truth and honesty ... when one lives a lie, the truth probably scares the hell out of you, huh?

Hell, you can't even post your idiocy so others can laugh at it .... surely, you can go to the high school and get lessons, can't you?

Actually, my response appears in a post higher up.

 

[Czernobog]

I would not worship him. Why should I? And why would a god be so insecure as to demand he be worshipped? The entire concept is absurd.

then you will burn in hell for all eternity.

get it?

This is a hypothetical that god does exist, not if, the bible is true, not edited.

worship or hell


the choice is incredibly simple

So, your moral compass directs you to be a sycophant, in the hopes that God would be stupid enough to mistake it for sincerity, in the hopes of avoiding Hell. Yeah...I'd prefer to just be honest, and let the chips fall where they may.

there are no chips

you either follow and accept jesus as your savior, and get into heaven
or
burn forever


and really, god hasn't taken a direct roll in anything in over 2000 years.

So what? That's even worse. After demonstrating himself to be genocidal, he then just takes a poweder, and leaves us all to the whims of fate, when all along he could have chosen to make a difference.

You don't seem to get that if God is omniscient, he's gonna know that you're only saying the right words to avoid Hell. You think that's gonna cut it? Really??? You don't really think much of God, do you?

You really, truly, don't understand, do you?

God has been very clear .... man has free will.

Really? Does the mentally ill have "free will"? Are you willing to argue that those who suffer from mental illness can just decide one day not to be mentally ill? I mean, do you ever drive past a mental health facility, and ask yourself, "Why don't they juse decide to not be mentally ill, any more, and walk out?" Really? So, where did their "free will" go?

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

Science is making it very clear that man does NOT have free will, as we have always imagined it.

 

[RWNJ]

For one thing, there is no such thing as predestination.

If God knows what is going to happen ... Then that pretty much limits what you can pray about.
I guess you could give thanks for your blessings ... Ask for the strength to bare what He has in store for you ... And that's about it.

.

You are confusing predestination with foerknowledge. Just because God knows what will happen doesn't mean that it is fated to happen. We still have choices. God simply knows what those choices will be. There is a big difference.

 

[Fort Fun Indiana]

For one thing, there is no such thing as predestination.

If God knows what is going to happen ... Then that pretty much limits what you can pray about.
I guess you could give thanks for your blessings ... Ask for the strength to bare what He has in store for you ... And that's about it.

.

You are confusing predestination with foerknowledge. Just because God knows what will happen doesn't mean that it is fated to happen. We still have choices. God simply knows what those choices will be. There is a big difference.

"You are confusing predestination with foerknowledge. Just because God knows what will happen doesn't mean that it is fated to happen. We still have choices. God simply knows what those choices will be. There is a big difference."

This is hilarious.

 

[BlackSand]

You are confusing predestination with foerknowledge. Just because God knows what will happen doesn't mean that it is fated to happen. We still have choices. God simply knows what those choices will be. There is a big difference.

Okay ... So He doesn't know what is going to happen ... He just knows what the choices will be.
Still sounds like you are little confused about what He knows ... I mean damn, I know what the choices are and I am not God ...

.

 

[Blackrook]

The OP intrigues me, because it looks like he is beginning to doubt his belief that there is no God.

I do not know how to answer his objections to the acts and words of the Old Testament God, I have problem with that myself.

I can only say that Jesus revealed an entirely new understanding of God, a God of mercy and forgiveness, a God that is patient and kind.

Maybe the Old Testament Jews needed a God who was harsh on them, in the way a small child needs to be sent to the naughty chair, or even spanked in extreme circumstances.

My own experiences as a father was that I was very strict with my first daughter, less so with the second daughter, and very lenient towards my son.

Maybe God had to go through the same learning process, learning how to be a good father.

 

[Spare_change]

then you will burn in hell for all eternity.

get it?

This is a hypothetical that god does exist, not if, the bible is true, not edited.

worship or hell


the choice is incredibly simple

So, your moral compass directs you to be a sycophant, in the hopes that God would be stupid enough to mistake it for sincerity, in the hopes of avoiding Hell. Yeah...I'd prefer to just be honest, and let the chips fall where they may.

there are no chips

you either follow and accept jesus as your savior, and get into heaven
or
burn forever


and really, god hasn't taken a direct roll in anything in over 2000 years.

So what? That's even worse. After demonstrating himself to be genocidal, he then just takes a poweder, and leaves us all to the whims of fate, when all along he could have chosen to make a difference.

You don't seem to get that if God is omniscient, he's gonna know that you're only saying the right words to avoid Hell. You think that's gonna cut it? Really??? You don't really think much of God, do you?

You really, truly, don't understand, do you?

God has been very clear .... man has free will.

Really? Does the mentally ill have "free will"? Are you willing to argue that those who suffer from mental illness can just decide one day not to be mentally ill? I mean, do you ever drive past a mental health facility, and ask yourself, "Why don't they juse decide to not be mentally ill, any more, and walk out?" Really? So, where did their "free will" go?

Grow up ---- what a disingenuous and childish argument. Surely, you can do better than that.

 

[Czernobog]

The OP intrigues me, because it looks like he is beginning to doubt his belief that there is no God.

Like so many others you misunderstand my position. There is no God is not my belief. It is merely a premise. It is a negative premise that awaits objective evidence to falsify it.

 

[Blackrook]

The OP intrigues me, because it looks like he is beginning to doubt his belief that there is no God.

Like so many others you misunderstand my position. There is no God is not my belief. It is merely a premise. It is a negative premise that awaits objective evidence to falsify it.

Then I invite you to examine the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. God proved his existence so overwhelmingly that there is no possibility to deny it.

 

[Czernobog]

So, your moral compass directs you to be a sycophant, in the hopes that God would be stupid enough to mistake it for sincerity, in the hopes of avoiding Hell. Yeah...I'd prefer to just be honest, and let the chips fall where they may.

there are no chips

you either follow and accept jesus as your savior, and get into heaven
or
burn forever


and really, god hasn't taken a direct roll in anything in over 2000 years.

So what? That's even worse. After demonstrating himself to be genocidal, he then just takes a poweder, and leaves us all to the whims of fate, when all along he could have chosen to make a difference.

You don't seem to get that if God is omniscient, he's gonna know that you're only saying the right words to avoid Hell. You think that's gonna cut it? Really??? You don't really think much of God, do you?

You really, truly, don't understand, do you?

God has been very clear .... man has free will.

Really? Does the mentally ill have "free will"? Are you willing to argue that those who suffer from mental illness can just decide one day not to be mentally ill? I mean, do you ever drive past a mental health facility, and ask yourself, "Why don't they juse decide to not be mentally ill, any more, and walk out?" Really? So, where did their "free will" go?

Grow up ---- what a disingenuous and childish argument. Surely, you can do better than that.

Really? Seems to me the disingenuous argument would be the flippant use of "free will", when there are so many obvious flaws with your concept of free will. If the argument is "childish", surely you should have no problem reconciling it with your "free will".