How Much Choice Did God Have When He Constructed the Universe?

Week of November 20, 2002

Comments (0) By Wm. Stage Wednesday, Nov 20 2002

Reverend Paul Spielman
Pastor, St. John Nepomuk Catholic Church
"The theological answer is, since God is all good, he wanted to emanate this good so other beings could perceive that goodness. Good is not self-containing; it is the nature of goodness to spread itself. So it was not so much a choice as it was an exigency."

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Kate Roselle
Client-Relations Manager, Carson Law Firm
"I feel that God couldn't have had complete free choice in the matter. It would be difficult to create anything specific when given no boundaries or limitations. So God had infinite choice but had to develop certain criteria such as a self-sustaining natural environment to work within."

Bruce Burton
Proprietor, Needful Things Whatnot Shop
"I don't believe he had much choice at all -- his mother told him he had to do it or he wouldn't get any supper."

Goldie
Bartender, C.J. Muggs
"There was no choice. Things just fell into place. But don't think of God as a person who starts building the universe the way a carpenter builds a house. Think of God as a concept, a force, a pinch of stardust. I don't think there was choice at all -- did the universe decide to expand? No, it just did!"

Linda Bullock
Resident, Power House Women's Christian Home
"He had an abundance of choices. There was no one there to give him ultimatums. He is the sole Creator, and every little detail was his decision. If he decided birds would fly backward, they would. If he wanted the sky black instead of blue, it would have been black -- however he felt that day."

Chuck Sloan
Volunteer Server, Mid-County Soup Kitchen
for Former IT Workers
"You mean, was he in dire straits and he needed more room? Nah, God's got choices, and so do we. I like to think that he likes to stare, and he just wanted more to stare at."

Thanks to Albert Einstein for this week's question.