Predestination Essay, Research Paper
The bible states many different opinions and ?facts? on predestination. I say ?facts? because that is what one is led to believe that the bible teaches. In one area the bible says that a certain number was chosen at the start and that the number will neither increase nor decrease. Yet in another section it states that god chose all and man chooses his fate although god already knows it. Certain people become utterly and totally confused by these contradictions. I was one of them until I fashioned my own judgement and beliefs on the subject. I believe that everyone was predestined before they were born and that some people were predestined to go to hell. Although many people dislike this harsh thought one must question if it wasn?t this way then why would such a loving god create a hell or for that matter give us free will. It seems a bit sadistic in the sense that he created certain ones to suffer.
The bible also states that god is a merciful god and doesn?t like to see his children suffer. This also creates controversy in that it totally disproves the theory that I had taken to. Which is a theory that many have long since related to. But if the bible says that there is a hell and that god is a loving god than how are we to believe that either a hell exists or he is merciful one simply cannot believe both. Both ideas completely contradict each other yet many Christians share the same beliefs yet each has an equal faith.
The bible states that those who were chosen will forever be in his glory. It also mentions universal salvation in terms of god bestowing his love and forgiveness on all of us. But I ask how can universal salvation exist if the bible says itself that god chose a certain number of people to be his own? I do not have the answer and I have yet to meet someone who does. But I can provide a few theories. The theory that god predestined some to be saved and some to be damned is a very prominent one among the atheistic community and yet at the same time also involved within the Christian and catholic religions as well. Another theory is that god has chosen all to be saved and at the same time given us free will to deny him if we do so choose. This second theory is controversial in and of itself because it doesn?t even mildly provide an answer only an opening for more unanswerable questions. I have become discouraged with this theory quite a few times even though it is the one adopted by the Christian church. This also presents one with a moral dilemma by way of not believing one of the main beliefs of the Christian church yet at the same time calling oneself a Christian. This, to my understanding, has been the basis for a lot of Christian to atheist turnovers. In my encounters with other atheists I have found that many have just given up because they could not find the answer that they needed and they often found no reply from the deity to which they originally had faith in. Most of the questions to which they needed answers had to deal with this twisted idea of predestination. I also know of many Christians whom believe that predestination simply does not exist. I think that these people have a more difficult time in life trying to keep themselves on the straight and narrow. But those whom follow predestination also have to struggle with the idea of how to figure out where they are predestined to be. And also when they will be predestined.
The bible has always been chock full of contradictions to itself and yet so many people follow what it says purely because they feel they must. Then there are the logical thinkers who, when encountered with the Christian faith, refuse to believe in it because they do not possess an ability to conjure up a blind faith. I respect those who do believe in it in light of its many rebuttals and recants, because these people are some of the most holy people in the world purely by way of there blind and loving faith. If predestination does exist then I honestly and truly fear for my well being. If it does not then it will make difficult decisions so much harder so one is to be sure of making the decision that will work for the blessed outcome.