Exploring Theology and Determinism

IB Philosophy Core Theme: Theology and Determinism Core Theme: Theology and Determinism > Determinism: the belief that choices are influenced by factors other than the individual – events and actions are predetermined by other events, therefore freedom of choice is an illusion. Predestination: > Predestination: the belief that God has decided who will and will not enter heaven – this argument is based upon concepts of God and the idea of revelation in the bible; it is very different from the materialistic scientific outlook which focuses on physical processes such as determinism. – (assumption #1) – “God created everything and has perfect knowledge of the future – it follows that he would have determined our future actions – free will is therefore nonexistent.” – (assumption #2) – “Christians are ‘elected’ by God for redemption and so may count themselves as the recipients of a great favor or ‘grace’ – our present actions have no bearing upon our ultimate salvation.” – (assumption #3) – “All are equally unworthy of God’s Grace, claimed John Calvin, and so it is only God’s decision or election which counts.” Setting: This outlook is chiefly associated with Saint Augustine in the early Church and John Calvin in the reformation era. However, Augustine does not wish to deny human freedom altogether – God knows what we will do in the future, but this is not same as saying that God causes us to act in a particular way. Augustine’s theology was taken up and developed by the racial protestant reformer, John Calvin who emphasized God’s infallible knowledge of who would be damned and saved in a doctrine of ‘double predestination. For: – (positive #1) – “it fits with God’s power and knowledge and his creation of the future as well as the present.” (To argue against this view can be taken to mean rejecting God’s omniscience. Of course, the particulars of the criticism has to be considered carefully.) Against: – (criticism #1) – “some Christians emphasize free will, since we must freely choose to have faith in Christ.” (The idea of predestination rejects free will. This criticism raises the point that faith to God, an important element of being a Christian, required free will. This means that the idea of our actions being absolved of free will rejects the value of the faith we have to God.) – (criticism #2) – “God is said to be omni-benevolent – if God really loves everybody, then why would he ‘elect’ only a small remnant to be saved.” (It can also be argued that God’s love to us is embodied by the free will we have. Because we are given free will, we have the choice of going back to God. God’s omniscience shows Him whether we will choose to do so, meaning that the idea of him ‘electing’ may be an inaccurate choice of wording of his love for us.) – (criticism #3) – “accountability – if the actions of human agents are inevitable, then it seems foolish to blame or damn them for what they have done.” (In application to modern court systems, a criminal can be punished because he is accountable to his actions. Some cases raise accountability as an important point.)