This is call moving the goal post. It's another dishonest tactic used by people who cannot defend their beliefs.
What goal post did I move?
What you have done however is defeat your own argument by presenting what would otherwise be known as a argument from definition. The definition of gravity is (roughly) the acceleration of one object two another and is expressed in mathematical terms as g = GM/r^2 and on Earth that yields your number of 9.81 m/s^2.
Not the definition of gravity. Also, not 9.81 m/s^2. 9.8 m/s^2 is more accuracte because of the dependence on latitude.
The equivalent argument in favor of biblical free will is that which I have already presented which is to quote passages which demonstrate the ability to choose between alternative possibilities.
The EXACT point being that the bible doesn't need to use the word in order to employ the concept. A fact that you already knew before you made that assinine comment about the words "free will" not being in scripture.
Since "freewill" is not in the Bible, one can't use the Bible as a reference to determine its meaning. In my opinion, using the language of the Bible whenever possible is better so that one does not accidentally create something which does not exist.
Again, make an argument or keep your personal opinions to yourself.
Why do you behave like a child? This is a forum where people express opinions and ideas which others may disagree. If you don't like others sharing opinions then ignore them. No one is forcing you to be here.
No! That's just the exact point! They DO NOT mean different things to different people. THEY DO NOT!!!
Repeating yourself and screaming and yelling does not make it true.
The only reason to define terms is to ensure that the same concept is being discussed. If someone is talking about something other than the ability to choose between to possible alternatives then they are NOT talking about free will. I don't care what they call it.
Which is why you likely talk
past people more often than
to them.
"and" nothing! You brought up Greek philosophy, not me!
Ok. There was no point to what you said.
Irrelevant. Words mean things Hilltrot! You can pretend like they don't but it won't make it so.
Not arguing that words don't mean things. Some words have different meanings to different people. If you don't adjust for this, you will often misunderstand others and they will misunderstand you.
The term "free will" refers to the concept of choosing between possible alternatives. That's what it means. Anyone who tells you differently is lying to you and has something to sell you, like a particular brand of religion.
This is your definition of "free will" (now with a space . . .) Others have a different definition. I was asking someone else what their definition was so that I could communicate with them. You might try communicating with people who don't agree with you sometime. Try to build bridges instead of throwing grenades.
Nonsense.
The fact that words mean things doesn't mean that language doesn't evolve or that a particular word can eventually come to mean something different but that's a very macro/evolutionary scale type change that occurs over extended periods of time and has nothing to do with what we are discussing.
No. Changes happen very quickly in language. There are regional differences as well. And then there are words which carry a lot of baggage. People who use this words have a certain philosophy or world view which guides their meaning of the word. I try to avoid using such words for this reason. And when I talk to someone else who insists on using such words, I ask them to define them.
I don't give a Mexican Peso about your personal opinions and I will be reporting this post since you decided it necessary to call me a fascist bigot for no reason at all.
fascist - having a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control.
Hmm . . . demanding that people don't give their opinions . . .
bigot - a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices
Definitely intolerantly devoted to your own opinion.
Yeah . . . the wording was strong, but that is why I put the happy face there so that you would hopefully realize how ridiculous you were being. (And unfortunately, still are.)
Liar. Why believe doctrines that you can defend no better than this, you weak minded fool?
I'll explain one more time. You are choosing your definition to fit your doctrine in the same way Luther and Calvin choose their definition.
There isn't one, NOT ONE, single cult in existence that does not redefine common words in order to conform the language to their doctrine. No one but you would be stupid enough to think I was suggesting that it was the only tactic needed to form a cult. It's simply one of them.
You said
Playing with the definition of terms is how cults are formed.
Now you moved the goal post to
There isn't one, NOT ONE, single cult in existence that does not redefine common words in order to conform the language to their doctrine.
What did you say about people moving goal posts? Matthew 7:1?
I am not familiar with
every single cult in existence, but I'm pretty sure that most common words like "motorcycle", "chair", "rain", and "horse" are not redefined. I wouldn't be suprised if many cults do redefine some words and have an internal jargon.
No. Redefining a term in order to win a debate is a fallacy of logic and is irrational by definition. The term for doing it is "equivocation". That is what that word means. Perhaps you should have looked it up before trying to use it in a sentence.
equivocation - deliberate evasiveness in wording
The word does not mean redefining terms. Redefining a term only wins arguments in people's imagination.
Who cares what you believe?
You obviously do. You have written a couple of pages to me already showing that you obviously care.
This is an altogether irrelevant point since there is only one context in which the term in question "free will" is ever used. This is how we can know for a fact that it is the Calvinist (Augustinian actually) who is doing the equivocation and not those of us who read the bible and take it to mean what it says.
I once had a lawyer offer to provide me a free will.
Thank you for that, Capt. Obvious!
You're welcome!
Calvinism(and any other Augustinian sect) is, in effect, Christianized Greek philosophy. The more honest Calvinists and Catholics don't even deny this obvious fact. Some of them are proud of it. Augustine certainly was!
Augustine borrows heavily from Manichaeism as well.
