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If Determinism Is True Then Christianity Is False
And Any Other Thing Involving Choice
I am at work as I write this. We take our breaks at 4:00 am, at least we’re supposed to. I had four cases left to stock at 3:59 am. I decided to stock them, round up my cases of surplus stock, and take them to the back room before going to break. I decided this because I just wanted to start conditioning (making the shelves look full and pretty for the customers) when I got back from break.
Now, interpret this story. Did I exhibit agency in this? Or, in the parlance of determinism, did my atoms and molecules just careen around according to the law of physics with my volition being an imaginary construct?
Let’s take a person of faith. Did they choose to believe Jesus died for their sins? If determinism is true, their molecules were set in motion from the day they were born. They had no say in anything that happened in their entire life — let alone the moment they chose to accept Jesus as their savior.
Let’s take a creative writer writing a fantasy novel. Did the neuronal firings all happen according to the laws of physics, and the characters kept arranging themselves all on their own completely determined before the novel was even begun? Or, is it possible that the writer developed the story line, characters, and scene…
