Do angels have free will?

Good question, I love watching the Christians sweating all over trying to create logic out of fiction.

Angels do have free will. When Satan tried to convince the Angels of the Lord to follow him, one-third of them followed him. If they did not have free will, they would have not followed Satan. Now, let me compare what i think the angels are to something, lets say, religion (haha ironic?). Well, think of Satanists and Christians. Both are forever pitted against each other if they follow the religion, but yet, the person who follows has a choice to follow God or Satan. Angels are the same way. The choice they made to stay or leave from God determined them forever. The demons (fallen angels), serve Satan forever and are eternally the most evil thing ever, and angels serve God forever as the most Holy beings ever (besides God himself) and are there by choice. Angels clearly have free choice, but once they choose, there is no redemption for the sins they commit. I hope this helps clear that up!

Is that kinda like saying that if I interact with my baby child, he or she no longer is a person???

The angels are not physical, so they can not die. When the 1/3 of the angels rebelled, it was a done deal, and sealed.

Furthermore, because they DID know directly of God, their rebellion was far greater, because the more light (Truth) you have, the greater is the fall when you reject that light.

Implicit knowledge of God does NOT destroy free will. I don't know WHERE you get your notions from, but your basic premise is wrong, and therefore your conclusion is wrong.

God already appeared, but you rejected Him. John 1:10-13 says: "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. (11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: (13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Furthermore, John 1:18 says, "No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known."

The catholic church and Thomas Aquinas in particular have a lengthy idea of how this is. However to simplify:

The angelic intellect is not constrained by matter and time as ours is. The angels were created by God and were aware of God, but not in union with God which is heaven or the beatific vision. Just like we here on earth may be aware of God but not in direct union with him due to the fall of Adam and Eve, until our death when we will not be constrained by time or matter as we are now.

The angels were given the choice after their creation to be in accordance with the Divine will of God or their own wills, the rebelling angels, chose to rebel against the Divine will and tried to set up themselves as God. This act which, which they were full aware of because they aren't limited like we are, seperated them forever with God. The angels whom chose to be in union with God therefore entered into full union with him: heaven or the beatific vision as it is also called.

If you really want to get into it here is a link to Aquinas's thought on the issue:

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1063.htm#1

Keep in mind also that this is a mystery to humans. We are given the ideas in terms which we can understand. The true reality is that we have no idea what it was exactly like to be an angel or how the angels fell. We are given a small picture of something our limited intellects can grasp.

Free will is an illusion. If our free will is destroyed with the implicit knowledge of God, but we could still rebel even if we knew for a fact that He is there, then we can never make a choice except the one that we have already made.

We personally would be destroyed if in the presence of God in our fallen state. It does not say that our free will would be destroyed, we would be destroyed.

Angles are made differently than humans as well. How else could you explain Satan living since the beginning of time? Satan in his fallen state could be in attendance of God because he is made differently than we are.

If God were to appear in all his glory, our physical beings would be destroyed. Also, God wants for us to come to know him and love him because of his love and attributes not because we fear him. We are also an example to all the universes (yes, I said more than one) of what sin does to humanity and God's perfect plan. Once this controversy is settled, no one will want to sin because they will understand God's complete mercy and also the results of sin.

Since Satan and the fallen angels attempted the take over of Heaven, Then I'd say yes, They have free will.

St Augustine reported that Angels had loose will yet that being suited creatures they desperate in an on the spot whether or no longer they could serve God. In that sense an Angel won't exchange. people who serve God, chosen to yet will constantly do in simple terms His will. people who chosen to no longer serve God won't in any respect exchange their techniques.

They had free will. Satan was perfect in Eden when assigned as the guardian cherub. Ezek. 28:13-15. Jesus, the brightest of these sons of God/morning stars (Rev. 22:16, Job 38:7) also had free will and could have failed. That is why Satan kept tempting him and trying to get him to break God's laws. Matthew chapter 4. Satan tempted all God's sons as well as the sons of men (humans).

Debbie

Angels can choose, but they have no redemption for their choices.

Lucifer was the #1 angel. He was in command. After seeing how God created things, and ran things, Lucifer decided that he wanted to be God.

When he tried, he was beaten. It could very well be that the 1/3 angels that followed Lucifer were assigned to him and did what they were told by Lucifer.

Angels have free will and follow gods order if they don't follow gods orders they get sent down the other way.