Free Will
Religious Studies A: AQA GCSE Religions, topic 5.1.5
Free Will
Jews believe that God gave humans free will to act as they wish. This does not mean that all human choices are good or that they will not get punished for acting poorly.
Choosing good
- Free will means that there is value and reward in choosing good and avoiding bad.
- Sometimes there is so much evil in the world that God’s goodness can be questioned.
- Judaism teaches that free will is necessary and instead of challenging God, we ought to challenge ourselves.
Caring for one another
- Jews believe that after creating the world, God continues to love and care for it, providing mankind with all resources that are needed.
- When some people or countries lack resources, this is a challenge for people to share what we have with those that do not. Often rich countries keep their resources at the expense of poorer countries.
- By looking after each other Jews see themselves as becoming partners with God in creation and making a good world for everyone to live in.
Test yourself on Free Will
Why do Jews believe God gave humans free will?
Why do Jews look after each other?
Sometimes there is so much evil in the world that God’s goodness can be questioned. What do Jews try to do instead?