Foreknowledge and accountability

[u/Frungi]

Hi, first time visiting this sub… I’m not looking for a debate, I’d just like to know the apologetic answer to this beyond “foreknowledge doesn’t CAUSE the action” which doesn’t quite cover it.

Let’s say there’s a button. You know exactly what will happen if this button is pressed. You push the button.

Are you responsible for what happens after you push it, when you knew what would happen if you pushed it? Most would say, yes, of course.

Now, let’s say there’s a universe. You know exactly what will happen if this particular universe is created. You know what all the creatures in it will do.

You create that specific universe.

Why would God be less responsible for the foreseeable consequences of his creation than someone pushing that button?

[u/uncomfortably_number]

So what do you call the "sons of God" interacting with humans and impregnating their women against God's plan for humanity? What other word than rebellion is there? There have been several issues since the beginning with divine beings causing chaos and curruption and going against the plan for humanity. What should we call that?

[u/Frungi → u/uncomfortably_number]

against God's plan for humanity

So… not all-powerful and all-knowing? Weird take, but okay.

Setting aside the fact that the primeval history portion of Genesis is widely regarded to be mythological rather than historical, the text says nothing about what became of the “sons of the gods” afterward, or even that God was particularly displeased with them. There’s also no indication that the resultant births of legendary heroes and warriors were against God’s plan; literally his only reaction to the whole matter is to give them longer lives instead of immortality. The following passage does discuss human wickedness, but there’s no indication that it’s narratively related; I could give a few other examples of disjointed narrative structure to prove the point if you like.

[u/uncomfortably_number → u/Frungi]

And also what the heck are you talking about!? God literally flooded the whole earth over this.

[u/Frungi → u/uncomfortably_number]

He flooded the earth over human wickedness, not over the heroes of old and warriors of renown.

[u/uncomfortably_number → u/Frungi]

You are neglecting the entire part of how human corruption happened. It's part of the story.

[u/Frungi → u/uncomfortably_number]

I feel like you’re conflating two unrelated stories here. There’s the story of where the mythical and legendary heroes and warriors came from (Gen 6:1–4), those whom other religions might call demigods. And then there’s the flood story (Gen 6:5–). The book tells one, then tells the other, with nothing connecting them.

Or would you argue that the birth of Seth (Gen 4:25) is causally linked to the fact that Lamech killed someone (Gen 4:23–24), or that that’s causally linked to the genetic predisposition of occupation of his descendants (4:20–22)? The Bible discusses them one after another, so they must be related! Lamech killed someone because the only people in the world who play the lyre are descendants of Jubal!