Free will: GCSE Religious Studies Definition

What is free will?

In GCSE Religious Studies, free will is generally understood as the idea that humans have the ability to make their own decisions and choices, which religious believers think was a gift from God to allow people to choose good or bad deeds. 

Different religions interpret the idea of free will in slightly different ways. However, generally free will is a key element in making ethical choices. God created people as essentially good. However, they have a choice over their actions: choosing the good path will result in rewards in the afterlife, while choosing the wrong path will lead to punishment. The idea of free will helps believers to overcome the problem of the existence of evil: they would argue that while there is a benevolent God who has created a good world, people making bad moral choices has led to the existence of evil in the world.

Sunni Muslims have a slightly different interpretation of free will. They believe that the supremacy of God’s will means that he has already determined what will happen in their lives, and they should trust in his will and good intentions for what happens to them and that they should try to fulfil these intentions in their actions. This idea is known as Al-Qadr or predestination.

Free will Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

Use the Save My Exams GCSE resources to explore the topic of free will further. You can revisit your learning using revision notes. Use past papers and exam questions to check your understanding of free will.

AQA GCSE Religious Studies Revision Resources