Fate

[naomi24]

Do you believe in Fate and is the course of your life mapped out from birth?

[dawkins]

I don't Naomi, but I believe in self-fulfilling prophecies. How about you?

[naomi24]

No, I don't believe in Fate either. I believe we have choices to make throughout life, although at times there's no doubt odd coincidences occur which might be construed by some to be Fate.

[luna-tic]

Inevitably we all follow the same path from birth to the next place but freewill determines which street/s(so to speak) we walk down.

[mibn2cweus]

Recycling an answer I gave to a similar question:

Fate is what happens when we relinquish control over our lives. Ask yourself these two questions. Who/what is influencing the direction in which my life is going? How do I gain more control over my life?

The purpose of the first question is to take inventory of what is controlling your destiny. This shows you where the reins are that you must access to steer yourself towards your goals. Once you get to a point where you are confronted with choices than you need to prioritize by what will give the best results. Steer away from goals with rewards which don�t justify the time, energy and risk of failure needed to achieve them, instead steer towards goals that yield satisfactory rewards. Remember that success is the greatest motivator.

The reason for the second question is to understand where choice comes from and what our goals should be. Other (non-human) species have very little choice but to follow their instinctual programming. We however have the capacity to understand what we are and what will make our lives better. This is what makes choice possible and therefore cultivating this ability should direct our goals. Once this is in place our possibilities grow exponentially.

Questioning our ability to make a difference in our lives is a self-fulfilling prophecy. By directing our attention away from what we could be doing we leave no alternative but to succumb to fate.

[Theland]

God, who is eternal, knows, "the end from the beginning," but stiill allows us free will to choose. We are not puppets, but although we make choices, we are still subject to random events.
This is why some good people have only evil visited upon them, and some evil people prosper in all they do. But, the grave awaits us all, and then we give account of ourselves.
So, we cannot change our future, because as sson as we make a choice, that, is our future.
If that is fate, then O.K. I believe in fate.
I do not however, believe in the far Eastern religious "Karma" or the mid Eastern, "Inshallah", (what Allah wills) which seems to deprive humanity of the will to improve matters.

[ludwig]

No I don't believe in fate. I believe that if you stand in the middle of the road you get run over by a bus, and if you don't stand in the middle of the road then you don't get run over by a bus.

[ludwig]

Theland - 'We cannot change our future because as soon as we make a choice, that becomes our future'.
That's crazy talk. That's like saying you can never change your socks because as soon as you change them, they become your socks.

[naomi24]

Theland, in my experience the reason some good people have bad things happen to them, and some bad people prosper, is generally attributable to their attitude to life. I've known good people who feel they suffer misfortune constantly, but they're often pessimistic in nature; they expect the worst, and rarely celebrate the good things that happen. They see themselves as victims. On the other hand bad people are often devious and cunning - they'll do whatever they can to wriggle their way through life in the optimistic hope that they'll succeed, which of course, they often do.

[Ethmer]

�

God and Reincarnation

i believe that God is a Creative Entity, Energy or Force that is found in a state of awareness outside of the universe and time.

i believe that God chose to morph part of Itself into minute particles of Itself described as entities or spirits and gave them the purpose to go forth and experience, gain knowledge and eventually return into the Oneness of God.

i believe that those collective entities created the universe and, utilizing evolution as a tool, created that that is life so that they could inhabit various bodies in order to gain experience and knowledge.

Prior to incarnating into a physical body the entity chooses what it wants to accomplish and what the probable circumstances involving that body and its environment will be. When the situation is right the entity then begins to dwell within the physical body, probably around the time of its birth.

When the body dies the entity dwells in a state of awareness where it can see whether it met its goals and what gains and losses it may have attached to its being. It then, again, decides what future goals it wants to achieve and reincarnates when the conditions are appropriate.

Ultimately, after incarnating as many times as necessary to attain its goals, the entity gravitates back into the Oneness of God adding to the fulfillment thereof.

[Ethmer]

�

i choose

i chose to be born, to live or die,
Even the sex, that would be i;
i chose the race, from which to appear,
Also my wealth, my health and my fear.

i chose my trials and stumbling blocks,
And the legs i would use, in all of those walks;
i chose my sadness, my joy and my love,
i chose to serve and not be above.

i chose this life with all of its dues,
And with each dawn, again i choose;
The experiences for me that wait ahead,
To be alive, or be claimed dead.

And of the future lives i've yet,
It is my choice that i begat;
All the things, however pleasin',
That shall befall me in those seasons.


The above is my opinion which is expounded upon in my treatise A Search For Truth:

http://www.asearchfortruth.com/old

(If it's not an active link then simply copy and paste it into your browser's Address box.)


Ted


From my chosen path i stray,
Yet my God ne'er turns away;
For i have learned -- and understand,
That where God is -- is where i am!