It is often said, in any religion, that things are pre-ordained by the higher power. But how far does the pre-destined effect go? Is God or whomever, really deciding what clothes we'll wear the next day? Or how we get our next haircut done? These things seem awfully trivial for our higher powers to be deciding for us. Especially since there are how many billions of people on this Earth?
It is understandable that the larger picture may be pre-ordained, and that at times, the little things in life are as well...in order to reach that larger picture. But to say that every little thing has already been decided for us, it goes against something we humans treasure: free will.
It seems more logical to say that the higher power provides us with choices, paths if you will. These paths may eventually lead to the same place but in the meantime, we choose how our journey goes. It is our choices that make us who we are, and how our lives are. Otherwise we'd have to say that every person is born predetermined good or evil. And that there is no hope for redemption unless it was destined to be that way. I think many beliefs that involve balances of natures such as Yin-Yang, further support the non-predetermined idea.
Even within Christianity you can find instances that seem to show events of choice rather than pre-determination. Now I do not claim to be a biblical scholar, what I voice is simply opinions
based on common knowledge, personal reading or experiences. Take in point, Adam and Eve. God created them and put them in paradise. But in this paradise He put a forbidden tree and told them specifically not to eat the fruit of this particular tree. Does it not seem that they were given the choice to either obey or not to obey? When Eve is persuaded by the serpent to taste the fruit, was she not acting with free will which was guided (misguided) by another voice?
If God had everything pre-determined from the very beginning, what then is the point of putting a forbidden tree in paradise? Doesn't it seem like He may have been testing His new creations? To see what resulted in His giving them this thing called free will?
And then later when God becomes displeased with the way the world is... how evil it has become. He decides to wipe the slate clean save for a couple of good specimens. Doesn't this say that again He seems to be experimenting, allowing man to make mistakes using their freedom of choice?
Another commonly known story is of Lot's wife. Lot and his wife were told to flee and not to look back upon the city. But Lot's wife turns to take one last glance and becomes a pillar of salt. What would be the point of telling them to flee, if it had already been determined that she'd end up as a pillar of salt? Doesn't it make more sense that she was given a choice, and she made the mistake based on her free will?
I'm sure scholars could go on and on with instances where it seems free will reigns over fate. I've just never heard the argument ever brought up on TV or other media within my lifetime.
I believe that people tend to lean upon pre-determined paths because it is easier to explain why things happen (especially bad things) when you can pass it off as something that was meant to be because of a higher purpose or end. And I do believe that SOME things occur because of a higher purpose or plan, but definitely not ALL things. The world would be very boring and unpurposeful if we were not allowed to choose our paths. There would be no real point of us existing if there is no freedom of choice in our lives. We'd be nothing more than thinking rocks or trees that walk. We rightly treasure free will. I thank God we have it. Even if I don't wholeheartedly believe in Him altogether. I think there are force(s) out there but whether they be called God, Allah, Zeus or Osiris, etc. that is still being determined.
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