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Freewill, determinism and predestination (Freewill (Non Religious (Some…
Freewill, determinism and predestination
Freewill
Definition: the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability at one's own discretion
Religious
We have a tendency to choose sin - Augustine argued that the soul is divided and even though it knows what is morally good, it is weakened by the desired of the body and chooses sin
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Aquinas said that God created human beings with knowledge and evil and reason to guide our decision making
Non Religious
Some people argue that, even though our past choices and our personality does limit our choice to a certain extent, we are still responsible for our actions because we are not fully controlled by them
Examples that show that humans do have freewill include where people who grow up in environments where gangs, drugs and crime are normal, make the choice to not lead this life when they grow up
'Man is comdemned to be free' John Paul Satre. Satre blieves we have no choice except to choose. - This is the 'human condition.' - we exist in a perpetual state of what should I do next?' '... man is free, man is freedom.' John Paul Satre
Some people argue that we are completely free to make our own choices in life. They say that this is important in order for us to have responsibility for our actions. This position is known as 'libertarianism'
Predestination
Christian Views
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Calvin argued that God chose who to give the gift of salvation to before they are born. Those who are given the gift of Salvation are called the ELECT. Those who are not given the gift of salvation are in their naturally sinful state and are therefore destined form hell. They are called the REPROBATE
Protestant John Calvin (1509-1564) argued that since the Fall people are inherently sinful and nobody can be good enough to earn their way into heaven.
Calvin thought that the Holy Spirit would be active in the lives of the elect which would enable them to do good deeds, The reprobate would not have the Holy Spirit helping them so they would naturally give in to their sinful nature. Thus good people are the elect doing good because God helps them and bad people have no choice but to bad because it is natural human nature. Either way their actions are predestined and not free
Christian views FOR
Calvin's theory perhaps makes more sense if you put it in context. Calvin was writing during the Pretestant Reformation and one of the criticisms that the Reformers had od the Roman Catholic Church was that it was claiming to have control of who could get into heaven.
Priests told the people that they could not get into heaven without the sacraments and this meant that excommunication was seen as sentencing a person to hell. The Church also offered 'indulgences' which were prayers which promised a person time off purgatory so they could go more quickly to heaven. Calvin wanted to emphasizes that who went to heaven and hell was entirely up to God and not down to what the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy said.
Christian views AGAINST
An important Christian idea is that humans have freewill to obey or disobey God and choose good or evil. We are then judged by God at the end of our lives. If predestination is true then judgement is pointless
If predestination is true, then we hav eno responsibility over our actions. Those who do good are guided by God and those who do evil do so because of their sinful nature.
Why would an omnibenevolent God create the repobate and not give everyone a chance of reaching heaven?
Many Christians believe that God wants all people to be saves. It says in the Bible that Christ died for the sins of all people: 'For God so loved the world, that HE gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life
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