Simple philosophical question?

Question:I believe that free will and religion are ideas that can't be scientifically validated.

I believe that much of the time there is good reason for people to believe in free will and religion.

Is there anyone that could shed light on a way that could bundle both of these ideas without contradiction? Is there anything I could read that might address confronting "truth" v. "what is best to believe"?

Thanks

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I believe that free will and religion are ideas that can't be scientifically validated.

I believe that much of the time there is good reason for people to believe in free will and religion.

Is there anyone that could shed light on a way that could bundle both of these ideas without contradiction? Is there anything I could read that might address confronting "truth" v. "what is best to believe"?

Thanks

"The Will to Believe" by William James.

there is no simple anser to that every one walks to the beat of there one drum and every one has to be free to make up there own mind this goes for every thing in life and all walks of life

there are some great readings in medieval philosophy that can tackle both religion and free will along with belief and things of that nature.

Check out St. Anselm and Maimonides to discuss truth and such.

Free Will and Religion can be found through discussions by Boethius and Averroes. They both explian how religion and free will can coincide.

One has the 'free will' to choose the religion of their particular liking. I don't think science has anything to do with it, just a matter of fact. Then within that religion one has the 'free will' to believe the set of tenets the choose to believe in. Another example of free will in play.

Truth is our belief based on all our best information. Humans base whole societies on the notion on freedom. We think we are the top of species and we exert will over species, therefore we should be able to exert it over our own person. Control is the basis of all these beliefs.

I believe that the contradiction between faith and free will comes from a belief that our free will cases harm and suffering and is allowed by God.
All of creation is unified one's choices will cause harm but growth. One cannot cause harm without influencing the whole. All reldeous ideologies inevitable answer questions that lead to god

What is best to believe has a lot to do with what you truly desire. So if what you truly desire is the Truth, then those things become one in the same thing. So therefore, when you wish to desire the Truth, you have found something you can believe in.

Not surprisingly, people make that into their religion.

deism

the watchmaker, set it up, let it go

this allows for no influence by the deity on your actions (no subconscious desire to please the god or w/e)
and is just as possible as any other religion

Be true to yourself.

Make a decision to turn your will and life over to the care of God as you understand Him to be.So in simple terms imagine your own God as u want him to be and it will become much easier to understand Him.
Seek through prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with God as you understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His Will for you and the power to carry that out. This allows you to have a Spiritual contact with God without having religion. I dunno if this helps but it works for me.

The best way I can think to answer this question for myself is to acknowledge some important and factual truth.

First God is all knowing and all wise about life and events from beginning to end. Second he created man to live in mortal bodies but with an eternal soul. Man is not all knowing and all wise and does not know his own future. Third religion is God given for man to live God's ways thought and practiced in our hearts daily to please God because He loved us.

This is the way that Jesus Christ himself lived as our example in front of his disciples. He always did the will of God. God was the ultimate source for him to do his actions and preach his words.

This is the freewill example that believers have. To trust God in all circumstances and to live and practice our religion in accordance to our spiritual relationship with our God.

I hope this helps. Later.

"Psychoenergetic Science," Dr. William A. Tiller, http://www.tiller.org
"Mindful Universe," Dr. Henry P. Stapp,
"Extraordinary Knowing," Dr. Elizabeth Mayer,
"Quantum Questions," Ken Wilber,
"Punk Science," Dr. Manjir Samanta-Laughton,
"Biophotons," Drs. Chang, Fisch, and Popp,
"The Self-Aware Universe," Dr. Goswami,
"Hope for the World: Spiritual Galvanoplasty," O. M. Aivanhov,
"The Master of Lucid Dreams," Dr. Olga Kharitidi,
"Watch Your Dreams," Ann Ree Colton,
"The Path of the Higher Self," Mark Prophet,
http://www.integralscience.org
http://www.noetic.org
http://www.tcm.phy.cam.ac.uk/~bdj10
http://www.lucidity.com
http://www.sheldrake.org
http://www.quantumbrain.org
http://www.dreamhealer.com
http://noosphere.princeton.edu
http://www.nderf.org
http://www.divinecosmos.com

Yes the question is simple but my man .... the answer is not easy!
Free will goes past religion as well. But in any religion or any form of personal means of living we do have a "free will", but ultimately we have to answer for what we 'individuals' have decided on.
Whether it is in the sciences, philosophies, or religions of our lives, we still make our own decisions on what to do or believe. We do it by faith or by proofs that satisfy us. One or the other.