Fate

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

I wish someone would explain this to me.

My understanding is that every last little thing you do, is part of God's plan. That God wants you to do these things, and created you to do these things. Or in other words, God makes you do these things.

So...
Then why do some people go to Hell? Why do they get punished for disobeying God? Does not "Fate" mean that every little thing you do - including the sins that send you to hell - are a part of God's plan - are written by God - and are done by God though you?

I personally don't believe in this sort of Fate. I believe that certain things are supposed to, or, not supposed to happen to you. Like that story about the church that blew up the day everyone happened to be late.

My personal take is that God decides certain major events are to happen to you, or, not to happen to you. He may decide this today, or, 10,000,000 years ago. If I am to meet my future wife in London, England, on August 28th 2012, God will find some reason for me to go there, even if he has to make me win the Lotto (which I'm not opposed to!!) but what seat I sit in on the airplane, when I use the in-flight washroom, and if I do #1 or #2 while in there, is not important, and God does not control this, nor is it part of his "master plan". However, if there is a sentence in a magazine that they give you to read on the plane that will change your life, know it or not, then God has planned for you to read it.

Putting it another way. If 12 pennies are dropped around the city, and 12 people pick it up, and one of those persons, losing the 2 seconds it takes to pick up the penny, misses his bus, which connects to a train that crashes, then God has decided that... for that 1 person. The other 11 just found a penny. The thing is you can never know if you are the 1, or the 11.

If that makes sense.

[Derek]

Technically your fate is always in the past because it means that you couldn't have acted otherwise.

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

ahhh fate. I myself don't believe in that. Because i believe we have free will to a certain extent. if you believe in fate then you are saying you really don't have free will. whatever you do god had destined it for you. thereby eliminating the option of being able to determine your 'destiny'. funny how fate, free will and existentialism all fit in a funny way.

I believe that reincarnation has a role in that. that depending on how bad the previous person was is how bad god will view you in your next life. and I also think is has to do with that some people must be 'fated' to go to hell to keep the fear of god in their eyes to keep order.

[Derek]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

hmmm so what would you think the opposite of fate for the future is?

[Derek]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

hmmm so what would you think the opposite of fate for the future is?

opposite would be just free will. Your future is whatever you make of it Annie.

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

hmmm so what would you think the opposite of fate for the future is?

opposite would be just free will. Your future is whatever you make of it Annie.

when you say free will, you mean absolute free will?

[Derek]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

hmmm so what would you think the opposite of fate for the future is?

opposite would be just free will. Your future is whatever you make of it Annie.

when you say free will, you mean absolute free will?

What do you mean by absolute? I mean we do things because we decide to do them and nothing is forcing us or pre-determining it. Your nick name I find inappropriate Annie.

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

hmmm so what would you think the opposite of fate for the future is?

opposite would be just free will. Your future is whatever you make of it Annie.

when you say free will, you mean absolute free will?

What do you mean by absolute? I mean we do things because we decide to do them and nothing is forcing us or pre-determining it. Your nick name I find inappropriate Annie.

I mean as you put it complete free will. there is not even a little of us that is predetermined? if not then why are some people just talented at certain things?

aww I spent all night looking for what ecr called me. let me guess you want me to change it.

[Derek]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

hmmm so what would you think the opposite of fate for the future is?

opposite would be just free will. Your future is whatever you make of it Annie.

when you say free will, you mean absolute free will?

What do you mean by absolute? I mean we do things because we decide to do them and nothing is forcing us or pre-determining it. Your nick name I find inappropriate Annie.

I mean as you put it complete free will. there is not even a little of us that is predetermined? if not then why are some people just talented at certain things?

aww I spent all night looking for what ecr called me. let me guess you want me to change it.

Changing it would be appropriate. People have talents out of nature. It's something we're born with. We're all different in our own ways. Gnite though lol.

[Countess Anya of the North Parish]

I believe in complete free will too but if fate is always looked at as something that couldn't have happened otherwise and as a past term rather than future then fate happens out of necessity and by definition. If I get a root beer out of the vending machine, then could I have acted otherwise? Yes but now it's too late.

hmmm so what would you think the opposite of fate for the future is?

opposite would be just free will. Your future is whatever you make of it Annie.

when you say free will, you mean absolute free will?

What do you mean by absolute? I mean we do things because we decide to do them and nothing is forcing us or pre-determining it. Your nick name I find inappropriate Annie.

I mean as you put it complete free will. there is not even a little of us that is predetermined? if not then why are some people just talented at certain things?

aww I spent all night looking for what ecr called me. let me guess you want me to change it.

Changing it would be appropriate. People have talents out of nature. It's something we're born with. We're all different in our own ways. Gnite though lol.

right but wouldn't that not be complete free will? we are not able to choose what we are naturally talented at no?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I think "fate" is the thing that allows you to meet the woman of your dreams, for example, but free will is what you do after you meet her.  So don't screw it up

[Derek]

I think "fate" is the thing that allows you to meet the woman of your dreams, for example, but free will is what you do after you meet her.  So don't screw it up

Well said. What part of the keystone are you from?

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I think "fate" is the thing that allows you to meet the woman of your dreams, for example, but free will is what you do after you meet her.  So don't screw it up

Well said. What part of the keystone are you from?

[Derek]

An excerpt from Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/con-phil.html

I highly recommend reading it.  Fate and Providence are not the same thing, but stand opposite to each other, very similar to Spengler's destiny vs. causality.

Man I'm so out of the loop. I've forgotten alot of Boethius.