Theological determinism Theological determinism (predestination) and (predestination) and religious ideas of free willreligious ideas of free will

Predestination: The belief that God has already decided who will be saved (and go to heaven) and who will not

LO: to evaluate the theory of predestination

The big question: Why are the concepts of

freewill and determinism difficult for

Christians?

The problems centre around the characteristics of God.

If God is omniscient, then he must be fully in control of what is happening/has happened/will happen.

If God is omnibenevolent, then he must be loving and give us freewill to choose.

Can God be both? Does it matter?

Traditional ViewTraditional View

In Judeo-Christianity humans are free and autonomous.

Seen in Genesis where Adam and Eve exercise freewill in choosing to eat forbidden fruit.

They’re held responsible for their actions by God and are punished.

Christian Church ViewChristian Church View

Most denominations say that humans are free to choose good or sin.

Reward = heaven.Supported by Aquinas:

“..man chooses not of necessity but freely..”

ArminianismArminianism

Jacobus Arminius

"The providence of God is subordinate to creation; and it is,

therefore, necessary that it should not impinge against creation, which it would do, were it to

inhibit or hinder the use of free will in man. . ."-

Arminius started a movement that believed in the importance of freewill. Others didn’t agree.

Is there a problem with this?Is there a problem with this?

Traditional theism – God is omniscientHe knows all that is in the past, present

and future. This is a problem for Christians who

believe God gave humans free will.If he knows the future – he knows what

decisions we will makeCan we have free will? Does God

determine our choices?

Is freedom an illusion for Christians who believe in an omniscient God?

Well, we can make free choices - it doesn’t necessarily mean that God causes us to make these choices.

Some Christians say he had to give humans freewill, even though he knew the choices they would make.

Freewill is essential to beliefs about salvation – humans have to be able to make free moral choices of whether to obey or disobey God and accept the grace that saves them.

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Augustine of Hippo (354-430)Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

People need the help of God’s grace to do good

This is a free gift from God regardless of individual merit

God alone determined who will receive the grace that assures salvation.

The potter has authority over the clay from the same lump to make one vessel for honour and another

for contempt

John Calvin (1509 – 1564)John Calvin (1509 – 1564)

Protestant reformer mid 16th century.

Man is a complete sinner who is incapable of coming to God and has a sinful freewill that is only capable of rejecting God.

God is in control and we can’t do anything to achieve salvation.

Calvin’s reading of the Scriptures influenced Calvin’s reading of the Scriptures influenced his ideas about predestinationhis ideas about predestination

The faithful, who loved and obeyed God were few. Many were faithless and fickle people. ‘For many are called, but few are chosen’. (Matthew 22:14)

People are not created with a similar destiny:

Predestination is the eternal decree of God, by which he determined that he wished to make of every man. For

he does not create everyone in the same condition, but ordains

eternal life for some and eternal damnation for others

HomeworkHomework

Read and summarise the article about John Calvin.

What are the implications of this What are the implications of this view for humans?view for humans?

Answer the following questions;

Q. Do we, as Einstein said, ‘dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper’? Why?

Q. If God has already predetermined whether we will be saved or damned, does this mean that it is irrelevant whether we live a moral life or not? Why?

People have no free will when it comes to ethical decisions.

God makes his choice about who should be saved – independently of their qualities. God doesn’t look into someone and recognise something good.

He simply decides who will be saved and the rest are left to go to hell.

People only do good because God made them that way and put them in a certain environment.

The rest are limited by their naturally sinful nature and can only choose to be sinful.

Therefore, if we have no control over our actions, we have no responsibility over them.