“you are not responsible because ultimately God allowed or made you do it.”
Very good! I knew you were going to go there.
That is indeed a conundrum - if we have no control over how we’re made, that means we really can’t be held responsible for what we do. That is a very valid argument. So how do we square that with the fact that we as a society justify holding people “responsible” for their actions and meting out punishments and rewards?
Well it’s not really about responsibility but about controlling behavior. We don’t really care if you behave the way you do because God made you that way or whatever other reason.
What we care about is whether we have some control over how you behave. And we do.
People’s behavior is controlled in most cases by consequences or the threat (or promise) of consequences. When humans come together as a society there are certain behaviors that are frowned upon and some that are welcome, and societies through their collective force impose consequences that reward for what it deems to be good behavior and punish bad behavior. (BTW, that is the essence of religion. )
For most people the threat (or promise) of those consequences is enough to keep them on the straight and narrow, and thus contribute to “domestic tranquillity”.
However, there are some for whom the range of consequences we have so far come up with don’t seem to work. They don’t change their behavior in a desirable direction.
So, what we do with them? Well, we lock them up. We keep them out of circulation so the rest of us can enjoy a more peaceful coexistence. Thus the concepts of “responsibility” and “free will” don’t really enter the picture. It’s just about how people respond to particular stimuli. A bit like the way a car responds to pushing the gas vs the break pedal
What we consider “responsible” is behaving in a way that avoids negative consequences. Or, in other words, consciously behaving in such a way that promotes your long term happiness.
Does that make sense? Is that not the way humans and societies work?
You are a sneaky one! Your circular reasoning makes sense to you because that is the perspective you have chosen as your means to absolve yourself of responsibility. That is not my belief system.
We will not be discussing much longer if you try that false transposition again.