Epigraph

The Crashing Blow! What is the Crashing Blow? What will explain to you what the Crashing Blow is? On a Day when people will be like scattered moths and the mountains like tufts of wool, the one whose good deeds are heavy on the scales will have a pleasant life, but the one whose good deeds are light will have the Bottomless Pit for his home –– what will explain to you what that is? –– a blazing fire. (Al Quran 101:1-11)

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD, Chief Editor of the Muslim Times

A large majority of the academic philosophers are atheists and only less than 14% of them believe in libertarian free will, which is the real genuine freewill that most lay people believe in and all of us lead our lives with that presumption.

The concept of libertarian free will—the belief that individuals possess the genuine capacity to make free choices unimpeded by prior causes or divine predestination—has been a central topic in philosophical and theological discussions. Proponents argue that the existence of such free will not only underscores human moral responsibility but also implies the existence of a divine being, often identified as God. This article explores the reasoning behind the assertion that libertarian free will leads to the acknowledgment of God.

1. Moral Responsibility and Accountability

Libertarian free will posits that for individuals to be morally accountable for their actions, they must have the genuine ability to choose between alternatives. Without such freedom, the basis for moral praise or blame becomes questionable. Theists argue that this moral framework necessitates a moral lawgiver—God—who establishes objective moral values and duties. In this view, God’s existence provides the foundation for moral laws, and human free will allows individuals to choose to adhere to or deviate from these laws, thereby bearing moral responsibility.

Cross Examined

2. The Nature of Consciousness and Rationality

The experience of consciousness and rational deliberation is often cited as evidence for libertarian free will. Theists contend that these immaterial aspects of human existence are best explained by the presence of a divine creator. They argue that a purely materialistic or deterministic framework fails to account for the emergence of consciousness and rationality, suggesting instead that these qualities reflect the image of a rational and conscious God imparted to human beings.

3. The Argument from Reason

This argument asserts that if human reasoning is the product of non-rational, deterministic processes, then the trustworthiness of our cognitive faculties is undermined. Libertarian free will, however, allows for genuine rational deliberation. Theists argue that this capacity for reason points to a rational source—God—who endows humans with the ability to think freely and logically.

4. The Problem of Evil and Free Will Defense

The existence of evil and suffering in the world is often cited as a challenge to the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God. The free will defense posits that God grants humans libertarian free will, and the misuse of this freedom leads to moral evil. In this framework, the presence of evil is a consequence of human free choices rather than a reflection of God’s nature. Thus, the existence of libertarian free will is used to reconcile the existence of God with the presence of evil in the world.

Wikipedia

5. The Necessity of a Transcendent Source

Libertarian free will implies that human choices are not wholly determined by physical laws or prior states of the universe. Theists argue that this non-deterministic aspect of human decision-making points to a transcendent source beyond the material world. God, as a non-physical, transcendent being, provides the grounding for the existence of free agents capable of making genuine choices.

Conclusion

The belief in libertarian free will carries significant implications for theistic philosophy. It underscores human moral responsibility, the nature of consciousness, and the capacity for reason, all of which are argued to point toward the existence of a divine creator. While debates continue, the connection between free will and theism remains a profound and enduring topic in philosophical discourse.

Atheist philosophers generally engage with the weakest spots of theism. The believers should return the favor and show their extreme vulnerability when they deny every human being’s moment-by-moment experience and exercise of free will. Even the atheists live by that and claim it every time they say something in their proclamations of their theology.

Additional reading and viewing

Warren Brown – How Can Real Free Will Work?