free will?

As usual, I am loving Michael Patton's Parchment and Pen Theology Blog and have been reading it a lot. Here is an excerpt from his blog entitled "What do you mean by Free Will?" Some of these ideas I have personally dealt with and have continued to ask these questions. Free Will vs. Predestinati0on has been one of the most interesting issues that I have dealt with and continue to deal with in my life...


"Do you mean:

1. That a person is not forced from the outside to make a choice?
2. That a person is responsible for his or her choices?
3. That a person is the active agent in a choice made?
4. That a person is free to do whatever they desire?
5. That a person has the ability to choose contrary to their nature (who they are)?"

Michael explains what he believes and what many other Calvinists believe. I have to agree with him on the matter. I agree that the first three are true and that the fourth and fifth I do not agree with.

QUESTIONS:
"Does Free Will mena you choice agianst nature? If “free will” means that we can choose against our nature (the power of contrary choice), if “free will” means that we can choose against who we are, what does this mean? What does this look like? How does a free person make a choice that is contrary to who they are? Who is making the choice? What is “free will” in this paradigm?"


"...even if this were not the case,—even if total depravity were a false doctrine—libertarian freedom would still be untenable. Not only are you who you are because of your identification with a fallen human race, but notice all these factors that you did not choose that go into the set up for any given “free will” decision made:

• You did not choose when you were to be born.
• You did not choose where you were to be born.
• You did not choose your parents.
• You did not choose your influences early in your life.
• You did not choose whether you were to be male or female.
• You did not choose your genetics.
• You did not choose your temperament.
• You did not choose your looks.
• You did not choose your body type.
• You did not choose your physical abilities."

Anyways there is more to this post...but it got me thinking and I really enjoyed reading it....I am still deciding on which theory I completely agree with.