A common argument Christians use to justify God’s punishment of humanity—whether it’s directed at the Canaanites, the Amalekites, or individuals like your non-believing friend or family member—is that God gave us free will, and we chose evil. According to this reasoning, it’s not God who puts us in hell; we choose to separate ourselves from Him.
For the sake of argument, let’s grant this claim and say that free will exists. Even if we accept that free will is real (despite the implications of physics, neuroscience, and causality), you still have to reconcile the concept of an omniscient God—one who knows every neuron that will fire when you sin, even before you are born.
Let’s break down what God knows before you even come into existence.
- Your birthplace
God knows the country where you will be born. This is a significant issue because the likelihood of becoming a Christian varies drastically depending on your birthplace. Christians often counter this by saying that you can still become a Christian in a majority non-Christian nation. While this is true, it doesn’t address the problem of probability. It is much harder to accept Christ and encounter convincing evidence of Him in a non-Christian nation, making this difficult to reconcile with the idea of free will.
- Your genetics
God knows your genetics, including how epigenetics and environmental factors will influence your life. For instance, if addiction runs in your family, you may be more susceptible to gambling, which could increase the likelihood of substance abuse. This, in turn, puts you at greater risk of losing your job, family, and more. These predispositions complicate the notion of free will when God is aware of these outcomes beforehand.
- Your personality
God knows your personality, a fundamental aspect of life that influences almost every decision you make. While personality alone doesn’t dictate whether you’re a good or bad person, research in psychology and sociology shows how traits like extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability impact workplace success, relationships, and decision-making. These factors, in turn, affect both your professional and personal life, including your beliefs about religion.
- Your relationships
The people you date or build relationships with significantly shape your life. For example, if you’ve seen Past Lives, you’ll understand how marrying a different person could lead to a completely different life. Partners also influence our beliefs, which can steer us toward or away from faith in God.
- Your challenges
Many believers find comfort in the idea that God knows and supports them during tough times. However, upon closer examination, this can feel less comforting. God knows every hardship you’ll face and lets it happen. Some argue that God is not interventionist, and perhaps stepping in could alter the timeline. But consider a situation where religious trauma or a specific event pushes someone further away from God. It becomes problematic when God then punishes that person for decisions stemming from life experiences He knew they would encounter.
- Your lifespan
This is an important one because, at the end of your life, you will be judged righteously. Christians often respond to this issue with explanations based on God’s unending grace and His complex system of justice, such as granting babies an instant path to heaven or offering those who never encountered the word of God a "freebie" to heaven. However, some people might have turned their lives to God if they had been given more time. You could argue that life isn’t fair and that it’s unfortunate for them, but the issue becomes more problematic when you realize that God knows the exact moment of your death, including your very last thoughts and reflections.
The Birth Lottery
Perhaps people have different definitions of omniscience, but if God is truly omniscient, it’s reasonable to assume He already knows all the factors I’ve outlined. It’s evident that inequity exists in this world, and we don’t choose the circumstances of our birth. It’s not enough to say, “You still have the chance to be wealthy, successful, etc.” The issue is about fairness and equity, especially when so much epidemiological and sociological data point to environmental and external factors as key determinants of life outcomes, including beliefs.
Even if someone were born in the best possible circumstances with the most opportunities, some Christians argue that we still carry the sins of our fathers, leaving us inherently broken and inclined to sin. This suggests we don’t possess absolute free will, especially when temptations surround us and human susceptibility to mistakes is inevitable.
Theists often claim that God cannot make us perfect because, in doing so, we would be nothing more than robots. While I disagree with that premise, I am not asking for perfection. I’m asking for everyone to begin life on an equitable footing. It’s not about creating humans on a god-like level of perfection—though that would arguably be fair and optimal, as it would grant us complete knowledge and a greater degree of free will. It’s about fairness and equity. It’s about giving every child a genuinely fair chance and equipping them with informed decision-making skills—not merely the vague assertion that everyone has a “chance” to become a Christian.
Improvability Argument
I am simply asking for a world that is slightly better than the one we have now. We can all envision a world improved on many levels. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but we can imagine something better. And if we can imagine it, shouldn’t an all-powerful God have already created it?