telluro wrote:Why do Christians emphasize free will when God asks for a complete surrender of that will?
it wouldnt be Free Will if there wasnt choice, we can and we need from soteriological perspective to align ourselves with the Higher Realms of existence, but we are not forced on that but asked if we like, as Souls we have fell from Higher Ground and unlike angels as beings we got second chance to redeem ourselves but again if we like to ...
here are few explanations that are worth to be considered ...
Abba Pimen said: 'Our own will is like a wall of brass between us and God, preventing us from coming near to Him or contemplating His mercy.'
http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/willofgod.aspx
There are three wills in the world: God's will, Satan's will, and man's will. Just as man is dependent upon God or Satan for his spiritual life, they are the two preeminent spiritual forces, his will must be in harmony with God or Satan. Matthew 6:24 says, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." Jesus gives the New Testament explanation of this. Man in the garden sought his own will. He refused God's will in seeking his own will and became in bondage to Satan's will. The life of man began created in God's image, but now he finds himself spiritually dead and separate from God.
http://www.lightinside.org/light/reign.htm
tho we were deceived, and we are still by our free will prone to deceiving life
The Apostle Paul says (to the Romans) that all living creatures are suffering and wailing in wait for the revelation of the sons of god because the creation was subjected to frustration not by its own choice but by the will of the one who subjected it (Romans 8:19-22). [1]
http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/evolution_kuraev.htm
the beauty in the Free Will Gift (that is next to the Gift Of Love and Hope) is so great that no eartly ism can reverse it, we are now inbetween the Eternal Joy and eternal damnation living in world tied by causality in same time with dual choice,
and is to us alone to chose whether we will strive upwards or loosen ourselves and fell further! with conscious effort we can rise above our delusions for seeking heaven on earth through lusts, and as Souls we are facing three levels of obstacles lusts greed and pride i.e. hedonism materialism and egoism, its so simple we need just to despise idolizing them, yes we need them in some extent but balanced one enough so we can endure the temptation to see this life as now-or-never, and for this there is the need for spiritual awakening what could be achieved by contemplating about Higher Realms of existence for what we already have help in form of direction from our ancestors who through their ascetic scarce lifestyle were more open for knowledge from above ...
... they were not at all naive but way more aware that us today indulged in the triviality of the meaningless modern abundance, when even those who strive for Salvation are stumbling on the tempting noise from the comformism and individualism,
as we are too loosen for higher feats and life in peace through humbleness and frugality, seeking mostly joy in possessive than sharing manner, eg. many even do Christians they will not live in communia and praising Our Lord through Liturgical Togetherness but retreating in own prayerful solace way, what for city people is dangerous making them strange if not scare, although there where anyhow the spirit of this world has entered in the Church - in any form of modern vibes - this retreat by many is maybe understandable, but I cant grasp how that is becoming trend nowadays even in Orthodox Christianity where the services rests on the Christian Classicism from the early times that reached full standardization in the byzantine realm ...
... I am offering this last example just so I can point that per-se Free Will is not enough People to step on the path of Salvation, but they need to fence themselves with Grace what is most quickly achievable through Holy Inchurched Life using all the Holy Mysteries of the Church along the Praising, in this respect the individual Prayer is used so we can keep the focus as more as possible upwards, while think its enough for layman to be substituted with good deeds i.e. those who dont have means to help others anyhow They should do that with Prayers, having Christocentric mindset to live and work for the common good ...
but when the modern secular educational system along the liberal capitalism is shaping the souls of kids from the early age to be competitive and profitable on top of that later drawn to indebt life as consumeristic glitch, so as grownup they are almost like soulful invalids, usually waiting to robe someone energetically instead pump in energy through nature creativity unity and most of all singing what is the eternal emanation of divinity of the soul, it is said the Angels live also for that Praising The Almighty Lord constantly, and we as their younger siblings we should imitate them if we want in this casual world by the principle of action reaction to Praise also so we could gather more Grace and thus like that live life in foulness even do we are not wealthy or gifted or special or exceptional and from all that are it would be asked greater feat in their life so they can become compatible with Higher Realms where earthly filthiness cant survive or thrive, and that why we need directions and cleansing thats why Christianity became religion and use the Liturgies for faster way of cleaning of the soul when is loathed coz filth or spiritual growing when is already cleaned ...