I know I've written about this before, but read a Facebook status today saying something along the lines of, "Life is good. I knew God had a better plan for me."
It seems like 40% of Christians believe exclusively in free will, 40% believe in predestination and 20% believe in both. I have no sources to back up these numbers and I honestly have no idea how accurate they are, but it's just a rough guesstimate.
I understand the free will argument. I don't believe in it, but understand if one believes in predestination. I can't for the life of me understand the two concepts co-existing with one another. But, also bothersome to me is this illusory self-designated predestination. "He has a plan for me" or "He has a plan for you". Really? Isn't that a tad narcissistic to think like that? Things are going well for me, so that translates to God having a good plan for me? What about the child born with AIDS? The raped woman? The abused homosexual? Were those God's plans too?
That's always bugged me. When things are going good, then let's praise God and make it known that our good fortune is all part of his divine plan. When things aren't going so well, then let's not even mention his name. When a sports team wins a championship, give thanks to God, but when the team loses, well, we were just outplayed.
All I ask for is consistency. Is there free will for all? Does God have a plan for everyone? Is it part of his plan only when things go well and not so much when things don't? Does he have a plan for a select few people and everyone else is on their own?
I shouldn't get my hopes up, though. Perhaps I should just start drinking the kool-aid and see where that gets me. Tropical Punch please...
It seems like 40% of Christians believe exclusively in free will, 40% believe in predestination and 20% believe in both. I have no sources to back up these numbers and I honestly have no idea how accurate they are, but it's just a rough guesstimate.
I understand the free will argument. I don't believe in it, but understand if one believes in predestination. I can't for the life of me understand the two concepts co-existing with one another. But, also bothersome to me is this illusory self-designated predestination. "He has a plan for me" or "He has a plan for you". Really? Isn't that a tad narcissistic to think like that? Things are going well for me, so that translates to God having a good plan for me? What about the child born with AIDS? The raped woman? The abused homosexual? Were those God's plans too?
That's always bugged me. When things are going good, then let's praise God and make it known that our good fortune is all part of his divine plan. When things aren't going so well, then let's not even mention his name. When a sports team wins a championship, give thanks to God, but when the team loses, well, we were just outplayed.
All I ask for is consistency. Is there free will for all? Does God have a plan for everyone? Is it part of his plan only when things go well and not so much when things don't? Does he have a plan for a select few people and everyone else is on their own?
I shouldn't get my hopes up, though. Perhaps I should just start drinking the kool-aid and see where that gets me. Tropical Punch please...
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