This week’s essay is a comparative analysis of the theories of freedom (indeterminism) and predestination (religious determinism).
Our analysis will attempt to prove the superiority of the theory of freedom over the theory of predestination. First, we will examine the theory of predestination as it is explained in the text “Ethics: Theory and Practice” (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2012). The organization of the text lends itself to our analysis since it highlights differences between the two theories in its defining process. We will illustrate the theory of predestination by offering an example which will humanize the theory.Next, we will explore the theory of freedom through the lens of predestination.
We will then exhibit the theory of freedom with an example. Finally, we will analyze and compare the two theories by demonstrating their applicability for today’s society and arguing the superiority of the theory of freedom over the theory of predestination. According to Thiroux and Krasemann, “religious determinism, or predestination, is derived from the attributes assigned, especially in the chief Western religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), to some supernatural being. These attributes are omnipotence and omniscience. ”The text goes on to say, if “this being has decided I will lead a good life and “go to heaven,’ then I will; if, on the other hand, it has decided I will lead a bad life and “go to hell,’ then I will do that instead.
I have absolutely no say over what I or anyone else does because everything has been predestined, preprogrammed, ‘predetermined’ by an almighty supernatural being (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2012). The theory contends that since this supernatural being has unlimited power and unlimited knowledge, it is in complete control over the actions of the created human beings. The humans are merely robotic figures playing out the pre-ordained roles hard-wired into their software. The theory further goes on to claim that this is an accurate depiction of the three major Western religions.
For an example of the theory of predestination, we will look at the life of Judas Iscariot as portrayed in the Christian Bible.According to the theory of predestination, from the day Judas was born, he destined for hell. Judas was born for the sole purpose of betraying Jesus Christ. He had no choice in the matter. After betraying Jesus, Judas went off and hanged himself.
It was his destiny to be damned for all time. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled (Bible, John 17:12).It is my contention that predestination is not an accurate representation of the three major religions. For the sake of brevity, we will look at only one of the three major Western religions, Christianity.
I will use the defining text of Christianity, the Bible, as my reference. One of Jesus’s disciples, Simon Peter, also betrayed Jesus on the night of his arrest. Although, Peter declared that he would never desert Jesus, he in fact denied knowing Jesus three times before the sun came up for the next day.According to the tenets of predestination, Peter, like Judas, was not a good person.
He was not faithful to Jesus. In predestination there is no room for rehabilitation. We are either born good or born bad. Peter should have followed Judas on a path of destruction.
But, that is not what happened. Peter repented of his betrayal. He returned to a life of dedication to Jesus, albeit after Jesus’s death. According to the Bible, Peter went on to live an exemplary life doing many good works for the sick, poor, and needy. Here is where I think the theory of predestination is deficient.It presupposes that since a being is all-knowing and all-powerful then it is also all-controlling as well.
We find nowhere in the text of the Bible that this is true. Instead, we find example after example of mankind making decisions with no instance of God overriding the will of anyone. I contend that this all-knowing and all-powerful God decided to give each human being the right to choose between a pathway to heaven, as elaborated by his prophets, or a pathway to hell for rejecting the redeeming sacrifice made by Jesus.Each human being is given an equal chance to pursue whichever path he is more comfortable with.
I am not contending that the reader must accept the Bible as proof of indeterminism, but I am contending that the predestinationalist’s conclusion that and all-knowing and all-powerful God must necessarily also an all-controlling God. I feel that the theory of freedom more accurately represents the human activities of the people in the Christian Bible and it more accurately represents the activities of mankind as I observe them.
