Free Will and the Absurdity of God's Judgement There Philip, there are verses in the bible that support your deterministic view of our moral decisions. For example, and I am sure I can find more verse, but there is a verse that says basically that GOD turns the King's heart whatever way he chooses. Also, in the story of Moses and the king of Egypt, GOD says he harden the king's heart so that he would not listen to Moses no matter what, AND he gives a reason for why do does it, "so that the Egyptians may know that I am GOD."
In that story, it also says that the king harden his own heart, and I think it says that first. So, it seems, both are said. Which, constantly in the bible, free will and determinism are put side to side. The most clear example is not unbelievers but believers. Jesus says "No one can come to me UNLESS the father draws him to me" or something of that sort. And also, it says, those who are born again are not born of the flesh or OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of GOD. Which means, if you are a believer in GOD or/and Jesus as GOD, you did not will that to be. And the clearest evidence is "no one seeks GOD."
And consider this verse: "What GOD has made crooked, who can make that straight?" Now the context of that verse may not be referring to souls or a human moral character, but given the totality of the argument, (especially that no one become "born-again" of their own will), make it seem like that verse is not talking about roads, but about human beings.
The question remains, how then can GOD judge a person who he has made crooked. Again let me say here that I do not believe GOD makes people crooked(sinners) in that he tells them to sin, but in that he allows them to reject his word; also, he allows them to be born to parents that rejected his word. Consider that he tells his people constantly to not marry wives that are not Hebrews because they will "surely" turn your hearts away and the hearts of your children. If everyone had free will to choose what every they wanted, it wouldn't matter what family you are born into or who your mother is or father is. It wouldn't be harder for GOD to make a Christian out of someone born in a Muslim home, and it wouldn't matter how you were raised, GOD would still be able to make you straight.
Yet, we find in the bible over and over again, especially in the book of Kings, that your upbringing and surroundings do play a role, and it almost seem like a deterministic role as to what you will believe. "Raise them up in the way to go, and when they are old they will not depart." To say that there is no deterministic element to moral behavior I believe ignore all evidence in all areas of life. Consider fatherless home statistics. Every child that is born today, GOD knows who their parents are, where they will grow up, who will be their greatest influences, etc. and will you really say that none of these things will have an effect on their moral character?
The person that ask this question was focused on the issue from a metaphysic, micro-level, atom based viewpoint, which, given I am not trained in physics, it would be hard to argue his point from that aspect, however, from a social level, and even a theological level, it seem absurd to suggest that the moral environment of a soul as no impact on the moral character of that soul. Here is where I would suggest that despite all this, GOD still has the ability, and I would say the responsibility to judge the world, but I would also add that Universal salvation is the conclusion that I arrived that, which is not to say the absent of punishment for moral action, but the absence of eternal separation from GOD, which is metaphysically impossible in any case, but those who believe in eternal separation, I suppose will not argue a metaphysically separation because it is written everything that happens in hell happens in the present of GOD, obviously he is omnipresent.
But I guest what they will mean by eternal separation is that GOD will stop trying to convince a person to believe in his word. Although I believe that every person has free will, because their metaphysical/moral environment, which I believe dictates who they are, is completely unique to them, yet, I believe in universal salvation because I believe the one constant in every metaphysical/moral environment is a omnipresent GOD, who works to bring about both justice and mercy.