--- Mark Foster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Presumably, with irrevocable or decreed matters, the Prophet
> has chosen to know the future in whole or in part.
This presumes that future is like scenes in a movie gradually unfolding, and
somehow the Prophet can see ahead.
While there is no question that certain inspired folks have sensed somethings
about the future -- and actually some of them were correct in their predictions
and we remember those -- to assume that either all or some aspects of the
future are fixed apiary would completely remove free-will from man.
Let's say that God has decreed for the Most Great Peace to occur in 2700. For
that to happen, everything before it must happen in a precise sequence, so that
collectively they would end up with the Most Great Peace in that particular
time. That completely removes free-will.
This is a deterministic model (sort of a Newtonian view). I prefer a
probabilistic model (quantum mechanics), in which man has free-will and can
influence his environment. It may well be that the accumulated effect of men's
doings will lead to some prophesied event, say, the Most Great Peace, but there
is always a probability, however small, that it may not.
Discussion about future is invariably a debate on free-will and predestination,
and as Abdu'l-Baha has so eloquently put it in SAQ, man has free-will about
most things.
Regards,
Ahang.
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
__________________________________________________
You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[email protected]
To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Baha'i Studies is available through the following:
Mail - mailto:[email protected]
Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st
News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st
Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist
Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
