Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Does Jerry Coyne believe that William Lane Craig has Free Will?

Jerry Coyne appears to be angry with William Lane Craig and believes  that Craig "should rot in hell." (One wonders if Coyne now also believes in an afterlife, where a place called "hell" exists). But here is an example of Coyne apparently blaming somebody, as if that somebody actually had free will and could have acted otherwise than they chose to act.  So does Coyne believe that Craig has free will?

 By the way, Coyne also accuses Craig of saying that "...the recent slaughter is God’s way of reminding us of “what Christmas is for, what it’s all about. And it’s almost as if Craig thinks that God engineered the murders to that end." But if you watch the video, Craig says no such thing. He says that the recent tragedy reminded  him of the story of the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod, not that God engineered the murders.

 Coyne also says, " If asked why God didn’t enter into the world to prevent the killings in the first place, Craig would almost certainly reply that this were God’s will...."  I suggest that if God could have created beings with free will who would not choose to murder, He would have done so.  Given that we have free will (which even Coyne admits by blaming Craig), then apparently this is how God must redeem us.

 Finally, Coyne asks, " Does the Holocaust also bring him such reassurance?" I don't know what Craig's answer would be, but mine would be, "Emmanuel" ("God with us"), even in Auschwitz.


No comments: