Free Will cannot exist as defined by Christians. Especially as relating to the Garden of Eden.

The debate on free agency has become one on many other subjects as well, such as: Foreordination, Justice & Mercy, God's eternal purposes, his motives, and if he is accountable. In this final round of debate I will answer to the best of my ability the topics that my opponent has brought up in round 2. Keep in mind that as in a court of law the evidence of proof is necessary for both persons defending their arguments. After looking over the points presented by my opponent have tried to condense them down into 4 main questions: 1. By providing us a way to attain immortality and eternal life, is God's intent for us to have happiness? 2. Is God evil, or immoral because of the principle of foreordination? 3. Do we have free agency if God knows what our ultimate outcome will be? 4. Has God done all he can for us to help us chose good over evil? Even if he has not revealed himself to us in person. I urge my opponent and those following this debate to look up the following passages of scripture. They are extremely important to gain an understanding of the questions and issues brought up in this debate. Book of Mormon: Alma 42: 1-28 Argument # 1 In round 2 my opponent pointed out that just because God's purpose was to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, this did not mean that God's purpose was to provide a way for us to be happy. Alma 42:8 Now behold, it was not expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would destroy the great plan of happiness The "great plan of happiness" as stated in this verse indicates that God's plan was created for us to give us eternal happiness. From this scripture one can plainly see that God loves us and that one of his main purposes is our eternal happiness. Argument # 2 God is moral because of the doctrine of foreordination or predestination. Foreordination is different that predestination: Is God a loving God if he allows foreordination? Quote from Apostle Niel A. Maxwell. .. The idea of predestination is unscriptural. Not only does it deny what Paul and other prophets taught about agency, but it also limits God's love to only a select few. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith stated emphatically that "no person is ever predestined to salvation or damnation. Every person has free agency. " Similarly, the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob taught that "one being is as precious in God's sight as the other. " (Jacob 2:21. ) The problem is one of definition and interpretation. Many Christian churches regard the words predestine and foreordain as synonymous. However, our modern-day Church leaders have distinguished between them. Predestination is not a part of Latter-day Saint doctrine; foreordination is. The Prophet Joseph Smith clearly taught that individuals were foreordained in pre mortality to certain missions in mortality. "Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council in Heaven before this world was," he wrote. Several scriptures refer to foreordination; they tell us that Abraham was "chosen" before he was born (Abr. 3:23) and that Jeremiah was "ordained … a prophet unto the nations" before his birth. (Jer. 1:5. ) The Book of Mormon says that others were also "called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works. " (Alma 13:3. ) Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote that "the Lord foreordained chosen spirit children in pre-existence and assigned them to come to earth at particular times and places so that they might aid in furthering his divine will. These pre-existence appointments, made ‘according to the foreknowledge of God the Father' (1 Pet. 1:2), simply designated certain individuals to perform missions which the Lord in his wisdom knew they had the talent and capacities to do. " Argument # 3 God is accountable, culpable because we did not know in advance about freedom of choice and about good and evil, thus he consigned us to be miserable because we all sin. In round 2 evidence was presented through the scriptures that we lived in a pre mortal existence with God, and we chose to come to earth and to gain knowledge, chose good or evil, and to have to opportunity to achieve eternal life with God again. Let's go forward from that point. "In some ways, our second estate, in relationship to our first estate, is like agreeing in advance to surgery. Then the anesthetic of forgetfulness settles in upon us. Just as doctors do not de-anesthetize a patient in the midst of authorized surgery to ask him again if the surgery should be continued, so, after divine tutoring, we agreed to come here and to submit ourselves to certain experiences; it was an irrevocable decision. " Quote from Niel A Maxwell - Apostle in the LDS church. Justice & Mercy "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— "And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:20–21) Alma Chapter 42:22-25 states: But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. 23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice. 24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. 25 What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God. Argument # 4 God has not done all he can for us because he has not revealed himself to us. God does reveal himself to us in many different ways as stated in my arguments in round 2. Please refer to them. In addition, "the Spirit teaches us the truth of things as they really are, and really will be (Jacob 4:13) He has also appeared to Adam, Moses, and other prophets and in 1820 to Joseph Smith. Moroni 10: 4-6 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. In conclusion, I contend & believe I have proven that God is not culpable for giving us free agency or free will because we chose to come to earth. We wanted the right to choose for ourselves. That we knew the consequences and rewards that would come from our choices. That God is good and kind and loves us. In fact, God loved us so much that he allowed his son to die for us. This sacrifice was done willingly by Jesus Christ who loves us also. l John 4: 10-11 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. That he has provided a way for us to be able to return to his presence again through repentance and the atonement. That even though God knows all things, and some people are foreordained to carry out his work, that he has not predestined us to either heaven nor hell. That God has done all things necessary and prudent for us to choose the good and to gain eternal life.