Is Your Future Predestined?
By Alice Henry
@IreneVincent (15962)
United States
July 18, 2016 2:52pm CST
Many people of various religious backgrounds and cultures believe that their life and future are predestined by a higher power. They feel that from the time they are conceived until they die, we follow a script that was already written in the mind of God.
What do you think? If God predetermines everything, including every nasty accident and vile deed that has ever occurred, could we BLAME him for all the misery and suffering in the world? Doesn’t the teaching of predestination paint God as cruel, unjust and unloving-the very opposite of what the Bible says about him being loving and just?
3 people like this
7 responses
@1creekgirl (40425)
• United States
18 Jul 16
I believe God has a plan for every person ever born. But that little issue of free will tends to keep many of us from allowing that plan to happen. God won't make us do anything, we have to choose to let him be in control of our lives.
2 people like this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@jbaraka Sometimes a person chooses one course of life and then later he changes his mind and goes in another direction. For instance, a person may choose a life of immoral living and then decides to change and choose a moral life. Or a person could be living a moral life and then choose to be immoral. So, nothing about a person's life is really predestined. With "free will" a person can change his course at any time.
What IS "predestined" if you want to call it that, is that IF a person chooses an immoral life, he has to eventually pay the consequences of his choice, and if he chooses a righteous path, he will eventually receive all of God's blessings.
The choice is ours. The consequences are set by God.
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@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
19 Jul 16
Yes, I agree that "free will" and predestination do not allow for every aspect of our lives to be planned out. I'm a Bible reader and there are too many scriptures that indicate that we have choices.
For instance, God's appeal to humans is to "choose life." (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) The ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ makes it possible for anyone who exercises faith in him to receive everlasting life. John 3:36 says: "He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life, he that disobeys the Son, will not see life..."
So, clearly, each person has a choice. And that makes sense to me. A loving God, "a lover of justice" would not act in such an arbitrary way so as to predetermine each person's outcome in life. Free will gives us the ability to choose what our life course will be.
Unlike animals, humans are morally responsible for their actions.
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@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
19 Jul 16
Life is sometimes VERY complicated. That's why we need a reliable GUIDE. I find that the Bible is the BEST guide. Even though it is an ancient book, it STILL contains many principles that if we read them and live by them, they can help us to have a much happier and successful life.
Are you a Bible reader?
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@skysnap (20154)
•
20 Jul 16
@IreneVincent I don't read on regular basis. Just randomly. I have app that randomly flashes verses.
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@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@skysnap The Bible clearly shows that the choices we make will alter our destiny. For instance, God appeals to wrongdoers saying: "Turn back, please, every one from his bad way and from the badness of your dealings..." This appeal would be pointless if God had already fixed each individual's destiny.
God's Word also says: "Repent therefore, and turn around so as to get your sins blotted out." Why would God ask people to repent and turn around if he knew beforehand that they could do absolutely nothing to change their destiny?
Freedom of choice cancels out predestination and the Bible clearly shows that humans have freedom of choice. Humans KNOW that they can choose any path they want to take.
2 people like this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
20 Jul 16
I think what destiny means to people is very different for people almost as much as how they view what love is. To define it often for many takes away from their conception of it.
To connect anything vile to our loving God would be just silly and yet evil does exist. That should tell us something?
1 person likes this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
23 Jul 16
@IreneVincent I've want to get back to you on this topic. It is quite the topic and its interesting to say the least what you might read on the internet about it. What a question. Why. or Does God Allow? or ... Why allow suffering? There are many variations.
What if satan was a distraction. Not a good thing and not sticking up for him at all. However, it reminds me of say Hitler. Very bad dude but ... was there more to it than just him. Mankind is evil. Evil out of choice. Wrong choice people!!!!
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
23 Jul 16
@Bluedoll Did you get a chance to read the article? I think that the explanation there is something to consider. I'm a Bible reader and I am convinced that the Bible is God's ONLY message to Christians.. The Bible is an ancient book and discoveries have proven that it is unchanged from ancient times.
That makes sense to me because if God had the Bible written for us, then he would also preserve it for us. The Bible has many critics but has never been proven to be wrong. And now the Bible is available in hundreds of different languages, so it has been made available for all to read.
One of the problems I find to be true, is that most people don't read the Bible for themselves. They let someone else tell them what the Bible says and that is a dangerous thing to do, because the Bible says that "each one of us will render an account of ourselves to God." So, that makes it clear that it is our responsibility to read the Bible for ourselves and not to depend on someone else to tell us what it says.
What do you think?
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
20 Jul 16
Evil comes from Satan and soon God will do away with Satan and all the wickedness on the earth.
Psalm 37:9-11
Here is a link that will explain why there is evil and suffering on this earth. Please read it along with your own Bible.
How did evil begin? Was God’s creation defective? Why so much suffering? The evidence is clear that human rulers have failed. How can we choose God as our Ruler?
@jbaraka (252)
• Nairobi, Kenya
20 Jul 16
Remember God predestined every good thing for us. But with free will u get to choose where u belong. Again we have one who always wages on us Satan n he wants to always compete. That's why Eph 6:10 we are provided with weapons to combat Satan our enemy.
1 person likes this
@Atlshrugged (178)
•
19 Jul 16
I would like you to search about Brahma Kumaris on the internet and read it. They are present in each and every corner of the world. You can visit their center if you're are really interested in finding the answer of your question. Please let me know if you have any doubt..
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@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
20 Jul 16
@jbaraka Ephesians 6:10 says: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
What question does that answer?
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@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
19 Jul 16
I'm sure that many people believe in reincarnation, but since I am a Bible reader, that is not a belief that I accept. You said that "it is the law of nature that whatever you give, it will come to your 100 times."
It is true that doing kind acts to others brings happiness also to the one doing those kind acts. I agree with that.
But, considering the wickedness and violence in the world today, I don't think that human life is IMPROVING by any stretch of the imagination. Things are getting worse and worse instead of better.
Would you agree? What do you think is the cause of that?
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@Atlshrugged (178)
•
19 Jul 16
Future is not decided however it will keep on changing based on the what we are doing in our present. There has been concept of Karms's in India going on from centuries where it is clearly defined taht future changes based on our quality of Karmas. Karmas refers to the work we are doing. If we are helpful, we will get help from people in future. That is how it works. It is the law of the nature that whatever you give, it will come to you 100times. YOu may have alrady experience this but not noticed it. Have you ever wondered when we give happiness to someone or help someone, it is we who feel good insdie..
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@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
25 Jul 16
Giving to others and helping those in need makes a person feel good inside, I agree with that.
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@Huntaking7 (24)
•
19 Dec 22
God is not unjust in predestining evil in the world as he promised in his word that in the end he will make a new heaven and earth in which righteousness is to dwell.
