First I wanted to find a little history on the subject. So I chose my first article out of the book, “Church History”. I found it very interesting because, like my research, it showed that people really had no belief system, and they were trying to find answers, or at least a religion that would save them from an eternal fate. It is amazing that one man took it upon himself to show light at the end of that tunnel. He must have had a lot of courage, and had amazing faith in the Christian God. Second, I wanted to question the power of the higher being. Since I am a believer in the Christian God, I wanted to find out what exactly his power entailed, and how is power is used. I really liked the article, because unlike other articles, it broke the power down into a mathematical equation. I usually do not like math, but it is something that I understand. I tried to summarize it, and I tried to make it clear of what the author was talking about, but I may have fumbled on that. I did understand what the article was saying, but reading my summary of it, well, it might be a little more confusing. The thing I took away from that article was that the Christian God does have omnipotent power, but I believe that he chooses to use it in his own way.

Third, I needed to compare my belief system with another strong culture. What  better way than to find one that has been around since the beginning of time and explore what they believe. It is very informative. It starts by telling how the human soul is determined, how long it has on Earth, and what affects it through the lifespan. A few things were revealed to me in this article that I could accept if I was to change my belief system. The first was the ora candle that is lit when a person is born and only has a certain amount of intensity and fuel. The second was the body having an essence that is on the tip of the tongue and stays there until a few days after the body dies. That would explain why a person can be revived after dying. The third would be the animal that is attached to a person’s soul. This is a little hard to believe because most animals do not live as long as humans, but I do like they way it was compared to that of a human soul. Some people could have a humble soul like the rabbit, while others could have an “A” type personality like the lion.

The answer to my question is, there is no such thing as fate and determinism. Searching through all the books, articles, references, it is clear to me this is just a lazy person’s belief so they will have no responsibility for their actions as humans. Why would an omnipotent God put a universe together, like a toy train set, and let is just run on the predestined path? Like with toys, that would get old after a while.

There were many arguments for and against Eusebius’s doctrines. The strongest one for him was that mankind would naturally be lazy, and it would eliminate the will to achieve, because, why try if the outcome is going to be the same anyway. The other one that he used in his teachings was the “moral argument”. It said if a person has no control over his own actions, then if he kills another, he cannot be responsible for that person’s death. It was merely fate intervening.  The one against him was in the form of disabilities. For example, if one sets out to be a painter, and has his/her arms cut off, how is fate not a factor? 

The biggest factor of Eusebius doctrine was that all other doctrines of fate were of a destructive nature. Any doctrine of Fate was hindering the world from going forward. Any person could stop and analyze his/her life and see what got them to that specific point, but also, that person could change the future by learning from the past. Anyone that was tied to fate would rely on the factors that be, and the world would never move forward. 

This excerpt has to be the most influential pieces that I have come across in my search to find an answer to my question. Although it is predominately about having faith in the Christian God, the reasons behind that are substantial evidence that the world is not comprised of just fate. The fact that fate is of a pagan nature really emphasizes the difference between predetermination and free will. 

Seeing how all the people were looking for a way out of the grip of fate shows how bad it must have been. People were looking for any spiritual believe just so they could leave fate behind and have free will. That is a world without any justice system or morals. If a society believes and relies totally on fate and predeterminism, then it is sure to fall. Believers would always blame their actions on outside forces. Would the society have any basis for punishment and justice? I really found this article to be of importance because the historical nature. 

Chesnut, Glenn F. Jr. , “Fate, Forture, Free Will and Nature in Eusebius of Caesarea”

Church History, Vol. 42, No. 2

So if God knew what we would be doing today, then could he could have made alternatives to what we would be doing. It is an illustrator and an objector’s point of view. The illustrator believes, given that God knew before hand, then maybe he did make the alternatives to our lives. The objector believes that this is not necessarily true, for if he knew all things before hand, then why would he have made an alternative? The illustrator believes that God gives us two or more choices, but he already knows what we are going to choose. If the illustrator is right, and God does know everything before it happens, and has chosen a path for each individual, what is God’s goodness over evil? 

Whatever a person believes, premise one, two, or both, determines God’s abilities. If God really does have both premises, then a person must believe that their life is predestined because he is omnipotent, and created everything before hand, therefore, knows you before you were born. 

In response to this article, there are a few points that give me some clarity. For this article to make sense, one has to believe in a God of omnipotent power. There are several things that lead to the fact that God has created parallel situations to the ones that are given to us.  For instance, we see other humans live out these situations on a daily basis, and we are, in fact, biologically the same in species. So we are able, physically, to carry out these situations just as others do. However, the part that comes into play, and is not biologically known, is our mind processes. God does know us individually, not on a biological plane, but on a mental plane of existence. 

This article seems to depict God as having omnipotent power or not, never realizing that while he may have the power, he may choose to use it in a different way. It would take a being of omnipotent power to actually be with each person everyday, and to make constant decisions. It would not, however, take a being of omnipotent power to create something, like our universe, and then let it be for a predetermined existence. Each individual experiences a feeling of a “higher being” throughout life. It is possible to believe in each premise, but instead of looking at each premise as an absolute, I choose to believe in each premise as the start of an existence.  

Becker, L. “Foreknowledge and Predestination”

Mind, New Series, Vol 81, No. 321

ENG 112 Wednesday 1900

Isearch Introduction

I was given the gift of helping others, and it seems as though everyone that I have had the pleasure of meeting has one specific thing they are great at. Now, if we are all of the same species, and we all have the same basics in life, then why are we so different? I believe my role in life is to take care of other individuals, and though there are many other things I could take an interest in,  I still remain in the healthcare profession. I have had other jobs in my past that I felt relaxed in with no pressure, but when I’m taking care of a person that just came out of heart surgery, I am stressed out. This makes me wonder why I care so much about helping others.   What drives me to stay in this stressful environment? I get paid less than the other jobs I have done, and the day to day stress is just overwhelming, but I stay here.

When I was growing up, I always took an interest in science. I was looking to the stars with my telescope, looking at things under my microscope, and studying the innards of the animals we used to kill for food. Some kids found interest in playing sports, others liked camping, my sister liked music, and my brother liked to torture things. My dad was always trying to get my brother and I to be like him and go hunting everyday. My brother did, but I stayed home to study. My brother, sister, and I came from the same background, but we have very different lives. How is this possible? We came from the same household, and we grew up with the same parents that taught us the same things.

I have to believe that there were some pretty strong influences on me as I was growing up. The influence to be like my parents, the influences from other kids to play sports, or just the influence to stay stress free for the rest of my life, and live in the deep woods of Mississippi. It is hard to tell if the influences had an effect on my life. I mean, I love the country, and I loved being secluded from most problems, but what drove me to leave home, and to live in Virginia for ten years? I would much rather be back home with my family, but every time I want to go back, or have the means to go back, something comes up, and I lose that ability.

I can clearly see how my road has lead me to Virginia and my current profession. I had wanted to move out of my parents house like every other kid does in their teenage years. My sister had already moved out some years before, so I went to live with her. Sitting there late at night browsing the internet, I was having plenty of time to wonder what I really wanted in life, but just did not have the means. Then I saw an ad that popped up on the next webpage for the Army. I filled out the information, and the weirdest thing happened. The next day the Navy called instead. To this day, I still don’t know how that took place, but it sure made a huge difference. I had everything in my head when I went to the MEPS station. I wanted to be a mechanic, and that’s all I wanted to do. Well, after taking the test, the recruiter told me that I had only one choice, and that was to be a hospital corpsman. I asked about the mechanic rate, but I was told it was overmanned. I now know that was a major change in my life, the one that lead me here. I could list the several events that has kept me here, but we could be here all day. Every time I have tried to change my role in life, a major event keeps me on this track. When I put no resistance, and just go with the flow, my life has less problems, and I retain everything I learn. It is interesting to me how life pushes you right back into the position where it wants you.

So now I wonder about everyone’s lives. Are we all fighting the same current in the river of life? I read a brochure once that gave daily problems, and then gave the references in the Bible on how to fix the problem. I tried it, and it worked. Could we really have a manual about life? If so, then would this not be a predetermined existence? I am the type of person that believes everything happens for a reason. If this is true, then I want to find out more about fate and predetermination to see if what I believe has supportable evidence. It seems as though we might have free will to make day to day decisions, but in the end, do our lives end in the way they are meant to?

The Chamula live in southern Mexico, and have a thriving 40,000 people in their society. They believe that humans today are the fourth in a four part creation to establish proper beings by Christ. Since the sun is the ultimate power, keeping everything on Earth alive, they believe it is Christ. He is the ultimate being responsible for order, and he is the first principle of the universe. He and his saints are constantly remembered through heat metaphors such as candles, incense, rum and tobacco. Their being is based on a hot/cold hierarchy, where the hot is most desirable and normal, and the cold is the opposite. For instance, if a person is very successful, and is respected by many, he is said to have a heated heart. They believe the human life cycle begins cold and is always heating until it reaches its hottest point, where soon after the human dies. 

The question arises, what determines a person’s difference and personality? A person that is going to be socially useful, their heat intensity must be controlled. If the intensity is a high burning, they are said to be very dominant, low burning would be submissive, and the heat that is really intense with no control is usually drunkenness, anger, or witchcraft. The same intensities also govern fertility. 

The Sun/Christ is not alone in his plan for maintaining order in the universe without some help. He gave delegation of power to his mother, Mary(Moon). He gave St Jerome the power of destiny for each individual. St Jerome controls each person’s destiny with three souls. First is the ora, a candle lit at the time of birth for each individual. Ora means time, fate, or destiny. Each candle is different in size and intensity. When an ora goes out by any means, either by burning all the fuel or prematurely where a witch(thrower of sickness) intervenes, the individual dies. Second is the ulel, which is like an invisible flame at the tip of one’s tongue. It ties in with the ora, but it has 13 parts that may be afflicted illness. It attaches to the tongue at the same time the ora candle is lit, and stays there until a few days after physical death. The third and final soul is the canul. It is the individual’s animal soul companion. For everything that happens to the animal, happens to the individual in life, and vice versa. It is also the same sex as the individual. Strong people have strong animals such as the jaguar, and weaker individuals have animals such as rabbits or opossums. Individuals in the middle usually have an animal such as a coyote. The jaguar is said to have lived through all of the four creations of man, hence, he is the strongest and most knowledgeable. The weaker/newer animals are in abundance, and it would make sense because there are fewer stronger people left in this creation. Every animal is wild with five digits symbolizing the unity between animal and humans. From there, the canul has 26 parts, which can be afflicted in different ways to cause illness or injury to the canul. 

I left out some of the more detailed parts of this article because it was quite long. It really breaks down how an individual has a set fate, but can be afflicted by other things in life. It also tells how an individual can seek out and find their canul, but it is usually not worth the trouble, and secondly, an individual cannot do anything about it. It is interesting to open up to a new form of beliefs. To actually believe in this would put a peace of mind to certain questions I have about fate and destiny. The ora, animal soul companion, and the heat analogies really make light of a person’s existence. I always hear comments like “that person spoke with a heated passion” or “that person has a lot of fire in their soul”. Although, I have much to learn in life, this belief system is too profound to ignore.

Gossen, Gary. “Animal Souls and Human Destiny in Chamula”

Man, New Series, Vol. 10, No. 3

    Dawkins is straight forward in believing there is no God, and there is a scientific answer to all things that happen in the natural world. When asked could the two be intertwined, Dawkins believes there is no middle ground. Either a person believes in science to explain everything or a person believes in faith. To choose a middle ground or faith is just a “cop-out”. As a believer in evolution, he explains that all beautiful things, intelligence, and the universe is nature running its course and where only the fittest things survive. He asks the question, if there was a God, why did he wait 10 billion years to create life and another 4 billion to create humans, sinning, and worship. It just does not make sense to him. Dawkins finds people would rather take the easy way out by explaining difficult things as miracles, or the work of God, instead of working them out on a scientific level. He says there is no worse word in science than the word “miracle”. Its a slap in the face to science. He argues, to our ancestors, would they see our new inventions such as telephones, planes, etc. as miracles of God?  

     From a moral standpoint, Dawkins does not believe in good or evil. He says either good things happen or bad things happen, but all can be explained by science. The world’s sense of morals comes from primitive societies. During these periods, everyone lived in tight communities, where doing the right thing was a way of life because everyone knew each other.  When asked if it was moral to do stem cell research, he explained there was no suffering involved because the embryos have no nervous system, but also explained that people were not concerned with that fact. It was the fact that these cells were from humans. He also believes people of faith are only concerned with human lives rather than all life. 

    Collins on the other hand is a Christian and believes there is a grand designer of all things, God. Although he is a scientist, he sees himself as studying the work of God. Through Collins’ eyes, God is a supernatural being that does not obey the natural laws of science, therefore, he is on the outside of nature, time, and space. When things cannot be explained by science, he refers to them as miracles. He says that miracles are when God intervenes nature and its laws. He gives the Big Bang theory as an example. When all the constants of the universe aligned just right to create this universe, it was not just by chance, but the work of God. 

    Morality and judgement is not just the work of evolution, he argues, but the work and characteristics of God. He asks how can one rule out the possibility of a supernatural being that gives us reason, morality, and intelligence, but believes in something like parallel universes. He asks Dawkins why would all of science be plausible without having another existence after this one. 

     Throughout this dialogue, both scientist finally found the key point of their argument. Collins is asking why’s and Dawkins is asking the how’s. Both have understood each concept and agreed to keep an open mind, but Dawkins believes that if there is a God, it would be one of something so great, that humankind could not even begin to dream up.

I wonder why some people get great things in life when they do not deserve them?

I am puzzled by people acting as though they should just be handed everything in life.

I doubt that most people really use the one true talent they have.

I am bothered by people’s judgements based on appearance. 

I am sad we live in a society that will never eliminate the need for money.

I am angry about the one thing that would make our world a better place isn’t free; education.

I have always thought individuals could play a bigger role in life given the opportunity.

I am surprised by illiteracy rates throughout the world in the 21st century.

I am interested in seeing what other people’s thoughts on a free education system would be.

I wish I could see my one true skill so I could follow that education path.

I worry about people that rely on money more than other people. 

I am afraid that I may never understand the meaning of the things I do on a daily basis.

Does everyone have just one talent imprinted into their DNA that they can excel with?

Are our lives predetermined?

Can we change our destiny by changing one moment?

Since society instills in us the idea of “we can be anything we want to be”, is this true?

Part II

Are our lives predetermined? This is the question I ask myself on a daily basis. I read articles about 24 year olds already being billionaires, and turn on the TV and cant help to see Britney Spears all over the news. I mean, these are just kids! I try on a daily basis to break out of this shell of my life to be as popular or to be as rich as some of the kids I read about. Am I really waiting on my ship to come in, because right now, it feels like I am stuck at the bus station. Then I ponder the idea that my role that I do on daily basis is what makes up my part of society. Maybe I was put here just to be the guy next door, and work at the hospital to take care of the people that make a difference in the world. Somehow I was given the gift of caring and nurturing for sick patients. I am really great at it. I doubt this will ever get me fame or fortune, but is this my predetermined life? Some may argue that I could be much more, and with the right training, I probably could, but why not do what I am great at? 

Part III

This topic is very interesting to me because like every other human, I want to know the meaning of life, and do I really have control over what I do. Will one path bring me closer to happiness or lead to certain death? I am always taking the safe approach to everything I do. Is the instinct in me telling me that I better be safe or else my clumsiness will lead to great hurt? By researching this topic, I know that I will encounter a lot of opinions and not much fact, however, I just want to know does everyone feel the same way I do, and are they feeling like they are fulfilling their right existence. Does anyone else sometime wake up and have the strangest feeling of “I’m not supposed to be here, and I’m on the wrong track.”?

-I believe people are given one unique gift in life which is designed to create a working society.

-I believe society leads us to believe we are all capable of being anything we set our minds to.

-I believe that government is the backbone that holds our societies together.

-I believe that justice is only a state of mind and is often too lenient.

-I believe that knowledge is the written form of everyone’s experiences.

-I believe that science provides us the past, present, and future of nature.

-I believe that reality is the moment by moment continuum of time in its present state.

-I believe that life is like puzzle pieces and once they are all linked together, we have the full picture of life.

-I believe that happiness is the exercise of the gift we have and the sharing of other’s gifts.

-I believe that death is only the next step once we have made up our individual piece of life.

-I believe that God is responsible for each puzzle piece that brings our chaos to order.

Part II 

I believe that people are given one unique gift in life which is designed to create a working society. When I was growing up, I saw people all around me doing things like skateboarding, hunting, fishing, and they were all great at it. Now that I am older, I see the same things only in the mature sense. A surgeon cutting people open, professors teaching, etc. I see others struggling trying to make sense of things. The ones that let their inhibitions go, seem to do the best and the ones always having fear and procrastination are always left behind. A person’s gift maybe simple as fixing a car which could lead them to owning a major business one day, but they decide that isn’t much in the grand scheme of life so they never excel in it. However, the one person that accepts their gift usually ends up with major rewards because they have filled their piece of the puzzle. So I live my life doing things I love to do. No matter how insignificant they are to one person, I know I am fulfulling my piece and I have peace with myself, which leads to my constant happiness.

From another person’s prospective, this may seem outrageous. Take for example a cardiac surgeon would have his son grow up following in his footsteps, but the child never shows interest. That would usually make the parent aggravated or feeling like a failure, because given the means, that child could have a successful career, but is that child going to live a fulfilled life? If this child does go on and follow the father’s footsteps, this could lead the child to fill the steps of someone else that was passionate about being a doctor. Special favors to a well known doctor would give his son unfair advantages. The son would probably never be much more than a doctor, however, the one that was supposed to fill the footsteps would have excelled at it, and may have invented a mechanical heart or something of the sort. In the view of the father, he made the right choice because his son was a success. He was probably raised believing that anyone could be anything. I agree with this to a certain extent, but a person with a passion to learn something verses a person without passion is like night and day. If you don’t have passion, you might as well be the programmed machine that replaced the human.

Part III

I believe that each person is born with a unique gift, when put together, they form a coexisting world and unique societies. Growing up, I was often puzzled how people could get on skateboards and do tricks, but the minute I stepped on one, I would hit the ground. My father always took me hunting and fishing, but I was always left just sitting there bored hour upon hour while he was bringing in the meat. I sometimes felt like a complete failure because my father wanted me to be just like him, but I was far from it. It was about then I realized that everyone is made differently. I followed my father’s rules up until I was of age, then I signed up for the Navy. Everyone in my family was very sad, and felt like I had fell off course somewhere along the way. They tried to talk me out of it, but I was set on following my own path. 

Now that I am on my own, I have more insight about life. I learned early on that I was horrible at public speaking, while others excel at it. I have also learned that with repeated routines, things get easier, but never mastered. Its all about passion and using the one unique gift you are given. I think when you surmise to the fact that everyone cannot be doctors, everyone cannot be professors, but you can be the one that you are intended to be. For example, if there was a society made completely of doctors, who would give them electricity, or make their sterile equipment? Every society is made of different professions because everyone serves a purpose. When we learn to accept our one true gift, it may not seem to be the best gift, but in the end, it will have the most rewards. I do not have the best job in the world, but I am great at it. At the end of the day, I can honestly say I lived my life to the fullest, and my piece of the puzzle was filled each day.