Alternative Universes

If I were God my universe would have the following features: The creatures I create would obviously be less powerful than myself. I would grant them free will but would also create them in such away that they would always make morally good choices. This is not a contradiction. Freedom can be understood in two senses: 1) libertarian or contra causal freedom (causal factors do not determine or influence the decision in a significant way), or 2) compatibalistic freedom which states that freedom is compatible with pre-determining factors which decisively incline the will in one direction or another. I would opt for the second type of freedom. I could thus make these beings perfectly good and orchestrate the world in such a way that they always necessarily choose the good but still act freely. J.L. Mackie uses this argument against the free will defence to the problem of evil. To assert that compatibalism is not genuine freedom is to beg the question in favour of the libertarian view. Compatibalism is at least possible and therefore God could have actualized it. If I were G These suggestions would at least avoid moral evil. As for natural evil, I can only speculate how to resolve that problem. However, even within the present laws of physics I can think of ways that God could prevent a lot of suffering arising from natural disasters. In my universe, I would give my creatures vast intellects that would enable them to accurately predict natural disasters and avoid them. I could also make my creatures less vulnerable to pain and immune from disease. These are but a few ways suffering could be drastically reduced and it is within the power of God to create such conditions.

P.S. I am a Christian, but I have yet to see a theodicy that succeeds in answering such philosophical problems. It is my opinion that all such attempts to explain why God allows so much apparently gratuitous evil ultimately fail. God's reasons for creating this particular world will, it seems, remain hidden.

Religious Beliefs: Christian

What Dan has described in your new universe design is, in fact, the nature of human beings in heaven. We will be prevented from sinning and, therefore, will always make morally good choices. The difference is that we now (in this universe) have the complete free will to make the moral choice to follow or reject God. Dan's beings would have NO freedom to follow or reject God, but would be forced to follow God. Is this really free will?

 Religious Beliefs: Agnostic

This is not a loving god, since he lets the creatures do whatever they want. I can't imagine what this world would be like. Given the track record of nations who turned their back on God (Germany under Hitler, Russia under Stalin, Cambodia under Pol Pot, China under Mao Tse-tung), killing over 100 million people, I would dread living in a world that is not restrained to some extent by the presence of the Holy Spirit of God.

Numerous books tell of the moral state of tribal peoples who know nothing about God. These groups are in constant warfare and often practice morally detestable things such as cannibalism and human sacrifice.

I would create beings of less power than me, Mainly because I want to be worshiped and want to feel powerful. (seems selfish but that is exactly what god is doing for his own ego). I would allow my beings to have unlimited free will, such as they can choose to not go through the battle and the hardships of life at all. Of course they can't hurt me because I am god, but they can hurt each other (with free will you are going to encounter that). The thing that would make me or any of many millions of people a great god is that I wouldn't leave doubt that I exist! I would talk personally with all my subjects and tell them all the wishes I have for them and there life.  I would have contact with them all just like god had with adam! I would not hide behind "in my own time I will heal you." I would either heal them, or tell them that it isn't my will! The punishment for people who break my rules is that you would die and not exist anymore! (surely since I am god I can do whatever I want) God isn't bad.

Religious Beliefs: Other

I would create something out of My free will as God, something beyond what can be comprehended by you humans, something arbitrary.  The result might or might not be the same as the existing world as you now know it. I would impose no "rules", and would let the "rules" develop as nature unfolds its course. I am God, I am all Powerful and all Free (seen from human perspective), bound by nothing.  I would leave you humans to judge what is good and what is bad.  My way is the God Way, I don't have to follow rules, "good" or "bad" means nothing to Me. Actually, that's the world it turned out to be, you are now in it.

Religious Beliefs: Not stated

Ok, I'd make the beings less powerful than me.
Give them total free will.
Make it impossible for them to hurt each other or to destroy anything (although they can change things around, leaving the original characteristics intact).
It would not be possible to break rules in my universe.

Religious Beliefs: Agnostic

Although Smoke Some Grass says that the creatures will have "total free will", they will be prevented from breaking any rules or hurting each other. How much free will do they really have? None! They are forced to submit to Smoke Some Grass, whatever his rules are.