I have a very simple question that I haven't seen considered much here.

Does omniscience imply prescience? Is prescience the necessary byproduct of omniscience?

omniscience does indeed encompass prescience, though omni is all knowing while prescience is knowing of things which will come...so i'd say your second question is also true, though supposedly one can be prescient, without being omniscient. just my two cents though...

In what sense are you speaking? Are you speaking in the sense of a God?

I believe all knowing would encompass future events. I don't think the ability to see future outcomes is the byproduct of being all knowing just a part of it possibly.

However it brings an interesting question and debate that has plagued the religious community forever...freewill versus predestination.

Just off note I found something I read pretty interesting. A book by Micahel Newton, "Journey of the souls." It talks about the ring of destiny. We are shown our possible paths and the outcomes of each event. It is interesting because than we still have freewill however the outcome is still known. Just thought I would throw that in.
BTW: very good question.

Zero, you take this one okay LB. Namaste Sheri

Hell no, Sheri. Sorry but I've been here done that so many times I'm sick of it. Lol.

Anyone who wants to find what I think about free will, do a search. Too bad I forgot the topic names. >.<

I'm not referring to free will at all, necessarily. Just whether or not being omniscient necessarily means being prescient.

Well, I was referring to the post above Sherri's. He talked about free will and predestination, lol.

It's still a very complicated subject. I don't even know if we can understand omniscience. Wouldn't the general nature of it be beyond human comprehension? If not, then omniscience isn't so great.

In literary terms, omniscience includes prescience. The omniscient narrator knows all: past, present, and future.

Well, yes, but in literary terms, the story has essentially already taken place in the narrator's (writer's) mind.

Exactly, Phyltre. If [G-d] is the omniscient creator of all things, then past, present, and future were/are/will be determined by [G-d]. All Things is [G-d]'s "book."

And a very good question at that. With respect to the answer, the first factor for consideration is Omnipotence . For something to be known, something must first have been created, or exist in order to hold the power of omniscience.

Therefore, if god is all powerful and the creator of all things and knows all things, then all that is created by actions committed in the present, must be forseen as the resultant future, by the omnipotence that first creates all that is and is to be. If god made it, god knows about it. Consequently omniscience must include Prescience


All this leads to a future question; What gave birth to god if the trait of god is omnipotence?

I don't necessarily agree. There's a difference between creating all the components in a system and assembling them, and then letting that system work.

Early on in the Bible, God seems very much like a scientist with infinite equipment and manpower but limited (relatively speaking) experience. I needn't direct you to all the "and He saw that it was good" 's. In this context, I think that God follows His creation in complexity and understanding. Did God create an Earth replete with all animals and cities in place? No...He followed a progression that suggests learning (but not necessarily trial and error, which in this case has different meaning.) The Bible uses simple terminology to explain it (science not being very developed in that society) but it appears that God doesn't know the future, necessarily--at least not all of it. Obviously some things are predictable, near and far, but our emerging knowledge of physics tells us that theoretically infinite outcomes are possible in each situation. That doesn't come down to shortsightedness on God's part, it comes down more to something akin to chance.

Of course, that doesn't address free will, either. Or Heavenly dissent, sin, that sort of thing. At least not in a Biblical context.

Your initial question did not refer simply to a biblical God.

Well, I dare you to find another example (even if it's a religious one) of omniscience without the idea of a God!

Imagine when man were just Hunters & Gatherers we knew so little.Now we have climbed the tree of knowledge to become masters of our circumference to map the Stars, Read, Draw, Write and communicate with each other.I also think that theres an omnipresence cause where did Knowledge originate from some say Atlantis or from the Phoenotians and the Sumeriens

many Buddhists don't believe in God but believe in enlightenment.

Star there is no god in buddhism, enlightenement IMO is simply observing what is so and doing what works to benefit the most, i know a few buddhists and i'll tellyou these people are inspiring and gentle and non violent, they really honor the truth they find inside, just my 2 cents

Hey miss Sheri.
In the religious aspect of Buddhism as in regards to God you're absolutely right, they do not believe in God. I know in zen Buddhism that the final level of spiritual evolution and realization and the highest realization is a state of being all knowing (omniscience).

However the greatest thing about Buddhism is the philosophy of living selflessly and the fact that you can live the philosophy and believe what you want. Its definately been a philosophy that has helped me on my way...though I still have a very long way to go.
Yes I know a few too, I get to marry one, yeah.

Star i'm so happy for you may you be as happy and i'm sure you will be and from whereI sit i think you are one of those people i described, he is also very blessed to have you