Fate vs Faith vs Free Will

Fate and faith are topics I am fascinated by. I often seek to gain knowledge from others wiser than myself to do with these subjects. Not being a man of faith myself, yet, not a denier of a higher power either, creates many questions for me. Unfortunately, not a lot of answers come my way...at least, not answers I can easily accept.

Sitting on the fence between science and religion is a balancing act, and at times I wonder if this strategy is a strength or a weakness. My ambivalence; not wanting to jump on someone else's bandwagon, and thereby call it my own. The desire for something, without any idea what that something is, brings many opinions my way...but unfortunately, nowhere near as many facts. My reluctance to simply accept what someone tells me, based purely on faith (or on the other side of the coin, theory), is not thinking, it's following, and I am not a follower...at least, not without conviction.

When it comes to organised religion, I'm sure there would be many benefits gained from this association with other like-minded people. There is strength in numbers and advantages in getting to know others who are perhaps skilled tradesmen or the like...networking in its original form. Also, gaining confidence in 'the fact' that 'we are right' and 'they are wrong'. Not to mention the promise of eternal life in paradise, which is the carrot, and alternatively, eternal damnation as the proverbial stick.

And so, here is my conundrum...when I come to an intersection, free will provides me with the ability to choose to go left or right (or continue straight ahead), depending on where I am going. This decision will inevitably have consequences attached, like when a smoker lights up a pack a day for a lifetime, or a piece of space debris falls out of the sky and lands on a very unlucky random person. If I had gone a different way, there would have been a different outcome. The smoker might live a long life or not so long. And, if Mr/Ms Unlucky Random Person hadn't pressed snooze that morning, they wouldn't have been at that exact spot when the space junk came down.

Free will doesn't quite make us masters of our own destiny, though it does give us choices. Choices we must live, and sometimes, die by. Free will and fate, at least for us humans, can live side by side because we don't know when we wake up in the morning if that day is to be our last. Or a million other mostly unpredictable events that might happen. But, assuming there actually is a God, and one who sees and knows all (as Christian doctrine tells us), then God already knows which way I turn, and every turn I have and will ever make until the day I die. And, if this is so, it certainly sounds like my fate is already set...at least, in God's eyes.

And this is where I have a problem. Why would God give us free will, along with the ultimatum (or perhaps this should read as strong encouragement) that unless we choose Him, we are condemned to hell? It seems, at least to me, that He already knows our choices...left or right...Him or hell and this whole free will thing, it could be said, is a whole lot of unnecessary hoo-hah. A situation where He could have cut to the chase and not created any non-believers in the first place, and in doing so, saved a lot of poor souls from eternal damnation. Then there wouldn't be a need for free will at all. And, considering our fate is already determined (if you believe God is all-seeing and knowing), going by the allegation He has prior knowledge of our choices, this course, in my opinion, makes much more sense.

It is at best a game, and at worst, insider trading. Only it isn't shares or Bitcoins that are up for grabs, it's our souls. My personal view is that if there is a heaven, I would rather everyone be let in, no matter our human flaws, after all, it was God who gave us those flaws in the first place. Surely, we can be forgiven for doubting and not being Christians (the only ones going to heaven, unless you believe in Allah, Shiva or any of the other 'Gods)? After all, who in their right mind would denounce God, especially if He were standing right in front of them?

A classic example would be a paedophile priest. This so-called man of God, who destroys the lives of the innocent and causes so much harm, can and will be forgiven for his sins. And, IF this is so, then surely a person who leads a life of much lesser sin, could also be forgiven for having doubts? I cannot see how destroying the lives of innocent children, by taking advantage of God's name and committing unspeakable crimes against the innocent, could be seen as a lesser sin than doubting if there is, or is not a higher power.

I do wonder if those who believe in a certain doctrine (those who interpret the bible to suit their own agendas), would look kindly at that choice...repentance, after the fact, being given to previous unbelievers. After all, we (doubters and unbelievers) didn't follow the rules while we were still alive (as if Christians do anyway), so, why should we be allowed into the kingdom of heaven, once the final truth is revealed?

There is a quote by the late Danish theologian and philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, that reads, "The self-assured believer is a greater sinner in the eyes of God than the troubled disbeliever." I'm not sure if that is true or not, but it certainly primes the question of the exclusivity touted by most organised religions to access a happy afterlife.

I have always wondered what will become of everyone else...not just non-believers of the Christian faith, but those who believe in a different God. It seems there will be more in hell than in heaven, and I ask this question in all seriousness, is this how a fair and loving God would and should act?

Perhaps it would have been a better gift for His creations if we were given free will without any terms and conditions attached. In other words, a God who doesn't know all, and waits to see who chose Him, instead of having prior knowledge and knowing our choices even before we do. I think it sucks that He knows, yet still allows us to live, until, if we don't choose Him, we are condemned and suffer eternal damnation. I mean, what's the point of it all? Why bother to create us in the first place, and then give us free will, knowing our choices and exactly how many of His creations He will send to hell?

I do not understand why a person, who may have lived a good life, with all of the core values a Christian supposedly has, be condemned to eternal damnation for living just as good a life as anyone else (other than a Christian, of course) Yet, a Christian, who let's face it, is only human, and would have done things he or she will need to be forgiven for, receives first-class all the way. There is something not quite right about that. I can't say what IS right because like everyone on this earth (regardless of their beliefs), we simply don't know.

I get that Christian values are a good way to live, it's just this whole heaven and hell thing and who deserves it and who doesn't, based on a belief system that coincidentally, is not dissimilar to most others, and yet, the irony is that every major religious system says they are the only way to gain entry to heaven. I mean, seriously...is it any wonder that bums on pues are getting less and less over time? That's not to say people are becoming less spiritual because I believe that human spirituality is on the rise.

I admit, I don't know much, but logically, they (organised religions) can't all be right. Or perhaps logic has no place in the argument and everyone may be right. A case where consciousness may create reality. The only fact is that no one knows the answers we are all searching for. But, I cannot help but think that combining exclusivity with a tincture of arrogance (believing who is and who is not going to paradise), and on the flip side, who will receive eternal damnation, is for me, almost laughable. Well, it would be if there was no chance Christian beliefs were right...but I suppose they have just as much of a chance as anyone else.

Coming up next, I would like to explore the practice of tithing, and what benefits it might provide to those who are hoping (Led Zeplin's, Stairway to Heaven comes to mind) to get into heaven. For example, does giving more, gain you more? Such as where in heaven a person resides. Do they have access to a second bathroom or views of God's palace? And is it true that God loves a cheerful giver more than He does a miserly one?

More on this and many other complex questions coming soon.



On the seventh day, God was resting...

As He gazed down upon Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he turned to his angels and said, "I'm not watching the rest...I already know how it ends."