Predestination: Fact, Fiction, or Fate

Predestination: A main concept in Calvinism that stated that everyone’s life was predestined, for better or for worse

The idea about free will and fate is still unsolved and debatable throughout the world. Some claim that humans have their own power to create their own destiny, however, others argue that they are inescapable victims of fate. The novel, Things Fall Apart, portrays the relationship between human’s determination to succeed and his or her own fate by describing Okonkwo as a tragic figure. While Okonkwo believes that he can overcome his fate through his hard work, Chinua Achebe reveals that fate is a powerful, inevitable event in the novel.

The truth about predestination is that God gives man a free will that he doesn't take control of or manipulate. So an unbeliever has a choice, he can either accept

This can be seen as even in the year 429 BCE, when Oedipus the King is written, there is the idea that we cannot change our fate and that our life is predestined. This idea can still be clearly seen today in many religions such as Calvinism (carm.org) who believe that God has created a plan for everyone that has ever existed and who ever will exist and whether or not they will go to heaven or hell. If it has been such a prevalent idea throughout history how do we know that this isn’t true and that we actually don’t have any free will and if we do have free will to what extent do we actually have control over what we are meant to do and who we are meant to be. Do we all have a prophecy in this world or is it old stories such as Oedipus the King and others that have implanted the idea of predestination and the lack of free will that is put forward in this book. Is it possible that plays like Oedipus have changed the and formed the way people have thought for centuries and

Whether or not humans have free will is a very popular question. This is because everyone wants to know if the decisions they make are truly theirs or if their decisions matter at all. If everything is predetermined then what you choose wouldn’t matter because it would be bound to happen regardless of if you chose it or not. Without free will many people believe that life would have less meaning to it. With free will comes power and importance. Having the ability to choose what will happen gives humans the possibility of making an impact on the world. As well, people do not really like the idea of having their whole life pre-planned without their input. It is almost impossible to say if humans have free will or not. Without concrete evidence there is no proof that we do or do not have free will and it will most likely stay this way for some time to come.

Every day in our lives and everything we do involves some degree of decision making or choice selection either mental or physical. We start making choices and decisions from the moment we wake up everyday to the second we sleep. Some decisions we make are blatantly obvious to ourselves because of our need to reflect on the choices before choosing. However, most decisions we make throughout the day are made without much thought. We are even, quite often, unaware that we are making decisions due to habituation and preference. Before going further, we must define the terms free will, determinism and fate or destiny. Free will is the ability to choose. Furthermore, it is the power of making free choices that are

Free will: the ability as humans to dictate our conscious decision-making. Does it exist or is it just an illusion, our every thought and action being decided when the universe was created? This question has puzzled philosophers for ages. There is no doubt that this issue makes those who ponder about the meaning of life even more unsure. If our actions are predetermined, what does this mean for personal and criminal responsibility? For respect, religion, morals, ethics, and the law? Our world has evolved based on the assumption that free will exists, so what are we to do if everything we have experienced can boil down to some simple (or maybe not so simple) chemistry and genetics? What happens if everything we believe in turns out to be just an idea?

We are raised to believe that we are the makers of our own destiny. Every decision we make is our own, and we are free citizens in every sense of the word.

So that's why i think that free will and fate are both great, because everyone wants to be free; or at least have some choice in life. We all have our professional, family and social commitments. On the other hand, most people believe that they are free to choose what to do, from the simplest to the more complex form: like should I drink coffee with sugar or sweetener do I put some money in the savings or do I spend it all, should i vote in the upcoming election.free will is essentially a question of one’s own opinion, of who is in charge as we go through our lives making all sorts of choices.It seems that the question of free will is not simply a black and white or yes-no kind of question, but one that embraces what it is to be

Predestination in West World and back in the day, is strongly debated because it raises some of the same issues we are faced with in Adam and Eve situation. Can freewill exist in a world where God is all knowing and all powerful? What does it mean for us to live ethically when these choices were made in advanced by the “Maker”?

Although we have the right of freedom and to make our own decision, are these decisions really made by us, or is there an almighty power that can control who, what, where, when, why and how something happens? We have been told our entire lives that we control our own fate and how our life pans out. But have you ever thought of a higher power that sees over all and possibly controls what and when everything happens? So in fact if there is a God or someone who oversees all does in fact know what and when something will occur to someone on Earth, that would mean that they would not be free and have no control over there actions.

Despite knowing that God is sovereign and controls all, it is extremely important to know that our choices and actions still causes the future to happen. God may control everything and know everything, but that does not diminish the fact that humans still have the power to choose their actions. God loves humankind to where He has made man and given him the power of willing choice. Joshua 24:15 shows a situation where man is given the choice to decide to serve God or John 3:16 where man can decide to accept Christ. Man has free will to decide what to do.

In contrast, I believe that predestination and free will can coexist. The free will lies in what a person learns from his experience and what he does after destiny plays her course. If the murderer owns up to his crime, repents for his sin, asks for forgiveness from those he wronged and from Allah, then he has passed destiny’s test because he got closer to Allah. Some of the babies who are predestined to be born in non-Muslim families have their whole life full of experiences; they have the ability to gain knowledge about Islam, but it’s up to them whether or not they follow the religion. Their free will lies in their ability to choose right from wrong. Adam was destined to come to earth. If it wasn’t for eating the fruit from the forbidden tree, then it would have been another way. But Adam’s free will laid in his decision of begging Allah for mercy, instead of cursing Him. He prayed for 300 years rather than turning away like Satan. Therefore, even with predestined situations, the idea of free will comes down to what a person learns from his experience and how he lets it affect his relationship with

First, whether men are predestined by God? According to Damascene predestinated is not determined by God. Damascene says “it must be borne in mind that God foreknows but does not predetermine everything, since He foreknows all that is in us, but does not predetermine it at all.” Damascene believes that if human merit and demerit are in us and we are the masters of our own acts by free will than it all pertains; therefore, to merit or demerit cannot be predestined by God making predestined irrelevant. Also, if other creatures cannot be predestined by God than men can neither be predestined by God. Predestined is also not suitable

Predestination has always been, for me, a tricky topic/doctrine. I find it very difficult to reconcile God’s choosing the elect with the implications for those who are non-elect. It seems very contradictory, and contrary to His nature, that an all-loving God, who loves unregenerate persons as much (?) as regenerate persons, would essentially choose, whether actively or passively, individuals to spend eternity in hell. Admittedly, my own theological grasp of hell is somewhat lacking, as I don’t really understand how allowing people to live in torment for all of eternity can be a loving action on God’s part, although I know that it must somehow be loving. While I despise universalism, I can understand why Christians might wish to twist their