Understanding Fate in Weatherhead’s The Will of God As I continued to chat with my pastor that day, I really sensed the hurt in his eyes – the anger that comes from an unsolvable injustice, the tiredness of a problem. “What’s wrong?” I finally asked, “Having a bad day?” Sensing that I was truly concerned, he let the truth be told. “I talked with a woman today whose baby died suddenly of unknown causes. As we worked through her grief, she talked about how numerous friends and family, even a religious leader had patted her on the back, shook their heads and said, ‘It was God’s will.’ I find few things worse to say to a grieving parent. Saying nothing at all would be of more help.” It was obvious from our conversation that he had an understanding greater than I about God’s will, and his insight created in me a curiosity and desire to learn more. There is so much mystified confusion surrounding the will of God in today’s society. It is evident in the ways that people use the term that views about it differ widely; there is even contradiction in two things the same person might say. It is because of the recommendation of my pastor and others that I decided to read The Will of God, written by Leslie D. Weatherhead. This book was published only after it was first a series of sermons delivered in England right after World War II. According to Weatherhead, God actually has three types of will: intentional will, circumstantial will, and ultimate will, which are all distinct from one another. Intentional will is defined as God’s will for humans from the very start on a personal level with each human being, and as a wider goal for humanity. It is the way he would like for human life to... ... middle of paper ... ...is seems to line up well with the serenity prayer: “Lord, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Our task as humans is to discern these wills in our lives and separate them. We must not become embittered, but rather empowered, clinging to the knowledge that there is an ever-benevolent God constantly working for our good, and that he always has a plan for us amidst trial presented by life on earth. In order to discern this will though, we have to be on the lookout for it with an awareness of its separateness from our own fears and desires. This discernment is also difficult because of our limited perspectives as humans, and thus we need humility in our search. The most important thing, however, is the search itself: we must all continue to search for the will.
Granted that according to Will, the Southern Presbyterians believe that “what is to be is to be,” this belief on predestination becomes evident when Cretia and Looly, a covey of Presbyterian ladies, visit Will after his survival in the train- trestle incident and begin to express their predestination, saying that God spared Will because it was not his time to die, and it was God’s will that this boy should be alive. This expression makes Will puzzle with a question: is he alive because of God’s will? When he puts forth this question to his Grandpa, Rucker Blakeslee, Rucker replies Will that God gave him a brain that he could use wisely; therefore, he lied down betwixt the tracks to save himself. Eager to know more about predestination and God’s will, Will further asks his Grandpa whether it was God’s will that Bluford Jackson should die of Tetanus. On hearing Will’s question, Rucker explains that Bluford’s carelessness while bursting crackers was not God’s fault in anywa...
This prayer summarizes Vonnegut's message to his readers. Parts of life are inevitable and must be accepted, but many parts of life can and must be changed. As human beings, we do have free will. We have control of our lives and what we want to make of them. We must learn to see what is beyond our abilities to change and also what we must have the strength and perseverance to alter.
The reconciliation of God's nature and Man's free will has long been a subject of debate for philosophers and theologians. Christianity rests upon certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe. The Bible speaks of God as eternal, all-knowing, and as the very author of reality. The concept of God as a benevolent, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent entity is rooted in thousands of years of church tradition. This tradition is so ingrained in Western culture, that, when one mentions "God", these ideas almost invariably come to mind.
As a matter of fact, Augustine does not realize that if it is as he argues that God foreknows every event in the world, then God created determined creatures that have no knowledge of being determined. Augustine points out that, “…although God foreknows our future wills, it does not follow from this that we do not will something by our own will.” (3.3.7.27). Augustine’s argument here supports my criticism. Namely, what follows from this argument is that humans in reality are not free because every action that they will is necessary, thus already pre-determined by God. What Augustine does not realize is that his argument actually proves that humans have no knowledge of being determined—but they are determined! Therefore, as I shall point out, God could have created a determined world, without evil, where beings act freely not knowing that they in fact are determined.
While Will is talking to Grandpa about his frightening encounter with the train, he asks Grandpa if “[he is] alive [because] of God’s will” (97). Without fail, Grandpa responds with wise words. He tells Will that “God gave [him] a brain” (97). This shows that Grandpa believes God doesn’t deal with the everyday mumbo jumbo, only the things that are life altering. He believes that God doesn’t need to be there for us twenty-four hours a day, but will give us certain abilities that assist you when you need assistance.
As mentioned above many products from different industries were discovered and invented which made life easier and cheaper. The factories did not spend fast amount of money on making the products as they were allowed to pay their workers as much as that suited them so it did not cost them much and the innovation of factory machines also helped them produce in big quantities. These products were very demanding which meant that it grew the economy of the making nation, “Britain’s output of coal soared from 5.23 million tons in 1750 to 68.4 million tons a century later” (Strayer, 2012; 835). The industrial revolution did not just grow the economy of industrializing countries it also helped grow the economy of non-industrializing nations. For example, Latin America was one of the non-industrialized nations however its economy grew unexpectedly as they exported demanding raw materials such as rubber, silver, coal and many more resources that were essential for the growth of the industrial revolution (Strayer, 2012; 854). Latin America’s economy depended on the export of these materials and because of their popularity and essentiality it grew the state’s
The Industrial Revolution came gradually. However, when measured against the centuries people had worked entirely by hand, it happened in a short span of time. Until the inventions of the flying shuttle in 1733 and the spinning jenny in 1764, the making of yarn and the weaving of cloth had been much the same for thousands of years. By 1800 a host of new and faster processes were in use in both manufacture and transportation.
Communication and transportation also enhanced during this period. Three main types of transportation that developed during the Industrial Revolution were waterways, roads and railroads. The cheapest way to carry iron and coal is transported on waterways. Businessman and merchants used big ships to carry cargos, and th...
A foundational belief in Christianity is the idea that God is perfectly good. God is unable to do anything evil and all his actions are motives are completely pure. This principle, however, leads to many questions concerning the apparent suffering and wrong-doing that is prevalent in the world that this perfect being created. Where did evil come from? Also, how can evil exist when the only eternal entity is the perfect, sinless, ultimately good God? This question with the principle of God's sovereignty leads to even more difficult problems, including human responsibility and free will. These problems are not limited to our setting, as church fathers and Christian philosophers are the ones who proposed some of the solutions people believe today. As Christianity begins to spread and establish itself across Europe in the centuries after Jesus' resurrection, Augustine and Boethius provide answers, although wordy and complex, to this problem of evil and exactly how humans are responsible in the midst of God's sovereignty and Providence.
will is making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances such as fate or divine
The Industrial Revolution was an important time period in American history. It greatly affected the economy, industry, and standard of living for people in the United States. It still has everlasting effects to this day. Most of the products we use today are made quickly by the process of mass production. Today, people work on assembly lines using power-driven machines. People of ancient and medieval times had no such products. They had to spend many hours of hand labor to create very simple objects. The energy came from their muscles. Eventually some advancement occurred when people began using animals to help with the work they used to do alone. The Industrial Revolution was the movement in which machinery changed the methods of manufacturing goods and ultimately changed everyday life for workers (Remini).
The Industrial Revolution involved many different areas of the world including Great Britain in Western Europe, the Yangzi Delta in China, and Japan (Bentley and Ziegler 652). Before the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing was done in people’s homes, using hand tools or basic machines (A&E Television Network). Technological development had a huge contribution to the development of producing goods by machines rather than by hand and sources of energy such as coal and petroleum (Bentley and Ziegler). Without this technological development, the increase of productivity would not have occurred. Much advancement leads to power machinery, factories, and mass production. With the increase of products being produced faster, a better system of transportation was improving (A&E Television Network).
Most famously recognized as a time of great technological innovation, the Industrial Revolution gave birth too two of the most transforming technologies, which came to spur the revolution on; cotton spinning and steam power. The two technologies are closely linked, the improved Steam Engine, invented by James Watt and patented in 1755, was originally used ...
Allah has a plan for every thing HE does and when HE gives you a
...lways act according to their wish. In regard to this argument, it is clear that god cannot control human action. This is because if he could, he would have stopped them from committing evil. Therefore, it is absurd that despite being omnipotent god created beings that he cannot control (Perry 34). According to belief, it cannot be realistic because god has power over everything in the world. However, using the theory of free will, god cannot control human actions. This contradicts the belief that god has total control over everything. Therefore, it disregards god’s powerful nature.