by John D Carmack

Created on: February 26, 2009

Does a person have free will, or is a person's fate predetermined? What is fate, anyhow? How do various religions view fate, such as ancient Greece and Hinduism? What of Calvin's view of predestination? What does the Bible say?

According to Dictionary.com, fate is "The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events. The inevitable events predestined by this force." Perhaps you have heard the saying, "You can't fight fate." It is pretty much the belief that your life is drawn out before you were born, and there's nothing you can do about it.

The word "fate" comes from Greek mythology. The Fates were those which had control over a person's destiny. Supposedly, even the Greek gods feared them. Perhaps you have heard of a "Greek tragedy", which is a play that shows forces set in motion over which the protagonist has no control. The story of Oedipus Rex is a prime example, where a prophecy is made that he will grow up to kill his father. Later, an oracle tells him that not only will he kill his father but that he will also marry his mother. The characters, in trying to prevent the prophecies from being fulfilled, instead cause the situations that bring them about.

Hindu stories also carry with them the concept that you are not in control of your destiny. While there is division amongst Hindus about the role of karma, it is evident that you can suffer for acts done in a previous life. However, there are sects in Hinduism that contrast with the teaching of karma. One sect known as Ajivaka preached a form of determinism. They believed that all human endeavor is a waste of time. These seem to be in the minority in modern Hindu teaching, however.

Interestingly enough, the Hindu teacher Sri Aurobindo in 1910 brought up that "unless we adopt a Calvinistic fatalism, the admission of the guiding and overriding will of God does not exclude the permission of freedom to the individual." John Calvin taught a form of predestination often referred to as "double predestination". The basic argument is that God predetermined who He would call and save. Since God's call was "irresistible" by his theology, those people were saved without having any real choice in the matter. Therefore, by excluding some people by not calling them, they were eternally condemned to Hell. Thus, they were also predestined, but in the negative sense. Most who adhere to Calvinism today try to moderate his stance somewhat, but the true teaching of Calvinism is that the individual really doesn't

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>