User blog comment:DYBAD/Character Sheet/@comment-11764949-20160524040738/@comment-11764949-20160525215028

continued... Addressing the nature of Jesus view on free will, one of the Bible's major foundation points is free will. I realize Hell has gained a popular notion as a place where God sends bad people. but in the Bible, no one is sent to Hell except Satan and his minnions. Hell is the natural afterlife for humans (though yes, it sucks) and God offers freedom from the normal, sucky version of the afterlife through heaven. The reason God doesn't just bring everyone into heaven is because in order for a being to enter heaven, they have to be made perfect, like God. Most people don't want this, because perfection involves realizing your own failability and the fact that man is not equal to God. That's actually where the idea of the garden of eden comes in. God made man and gave them free will. Along with that, he gave them a way they could become like him, by offering them the knowledge of evil. When man and woman ate the fruit, they became more like God and decided they didn't need him. They figured if they knew what was good, they could choose to be as good as God. However, they also discovered how alluring evil was (they knew the power of the dark side) and ultimately, humans decided they should be like God in deciding what is evil and what is good. Since we don't have that ability, this leads many people into doing evil but calling it good (Hitler anyone?) So really, christians believe free will is the thing that ruined mankind, and the thing that will save us.