This spawned from the “free will” discussion.
Let’s say there’s this god. We’ll call them Jod. Jod is everlasting and knows everything before it happens. Jod knows everything you will do in life before you are even born.
You are born. You grow to a ripe old age of 25 and you want dinner. You head to your kitchen. You have two meals remaining: lasagna and frozen pizza. Jod knows you will cook that frozen pizza eons ago, long before the notion of “pizza” even comes to the mind of human beings. Are you able to pick lasagna if Jod knows you will have the pizza? Remember, Jod doesn’t control your meal choices–just knows which you will pick in advance.
You’re done eating the pizza which you believe you chose of your own free will, and now want to do something before settling in for the night. There’s this book you’ve been wanting to read, but you also would like to take a walk to burn off some of the calories from the pizza. Jod knows you’ll read the book. Are you able to go for a walk if Jod knows you will read the book? Remember, Jod doesn’t control your after-dinner activity–just knows which you will pick in advance.
You turn in for the night. Do you check your email or leave the email for morning? Jod knows you will wait to check your email for morning, so are you able to check your email now? Remember, Jod doesn’t control when you check your email–just knows which you will pick in advance.
This isn’t about the Christian god specifically, but the whole idea of predestination, which many of the followers of the Christian god believe in.
Why does predestination not violate free will, even if the deity in question already knows what you’re going to do?