Fate Or Freedom Series

One of the best known stories of the ancient Greeks is that of

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. The story is had an influence on both

theology and psychology. Briefly the story is this: A child is born

into a royal family, and the oracle brings bad news, for he says the

child is destined to murder his father and marry his mother. A

gruesome future which the parents with good reason did not care to

anticipate, and so to defeat the decree of fate the king ordered the

child to be destroyed by exposure on the mountain side. This, of

course, would have solved the problem, but the servant in charge of

abandoning the child had a tender heart. He gave the child to some

passing pilgrims, and they carried it to a far country where a royal

family adopted him.

When he grew up he learned of what the oracle said of his

destiny, and thinking he was living with his real parents he fled

from the palace so as to defeat the decree of fate. He went into a far

country which happened to be the land of his birth, and there he

met the king and queen. Not knowing they were his parents, he fell

in love with the queen and killed the king, and took her as his wife.

Only after all had been fulfilled did he learn that in spite of all the

efforts to outwit the decree of fate, he had fulfilled it to the letter.

This ancient story is a classic example of the world view called

fatalism. This is a philosophy of life that is wide spread and claims

the allegiance of many millions. It was made popular by the song

that said, "Whatever will be will be." The poet has stated it like

this:

All that is was ever bound to be;

Since grim, eternal laws are beings bind;

And both the riddle and the answer find,

Both the pain and peace decree,

For plain within the Book of Destiny,

Is written all the journey of mankind,

Inexorably to the end, and blind,

And helpless puppets playing parts are we.

Author unknown

This view of life that all is determined may not appeal to you, but

do not think you can dismiss it as a obvious falsehood. There have

been very few ideas more influential in history than determinism.

The evidence in its favor is so massive that there is no way to prove

it wrong, and those who believe in free will must do so ultimately on

faith. Faith in our consciousness of freedom, and more important,

faith in the words of Christ that they have meaning when he says,

"The truth shall make us free," and, "If the Son shall make you

free you shall be free indeed."

Before we consider our freedom in Christ, however, we consider

some of the support for the concept that all of life is determined for

us, and the only freedom we have is the freedom to do what fate has

decreed for us to do. Most, if not all, primitive societies were based

on determinism. In fact, most of their life was largely determined.

Their attitude was, what has been done must continue to be done,

for it is evil to break precedent and tradition, and so all customs

became law, and they determined how each generation had to act.

These societies became fixed, and since they allow no change they

see no progress, and so they are determined to stay primitive.

Oriental life was controlled for centuries by a practical and

theoretical determinism. Except for a modified concept of free will

by Confucius, most of the major religions of the East are based on

determinism. You have Hinduism, Buddhism, and

Mohammedanism. Mohamet declared, "When God creates a

servant for heaven, He causes him to go in the way of heaven until

he dies, after which He take him to heaven; and when He creates a

servant for the fires of hell, then He causes him to go in the way of

those destined for hell, until he dies, after which He takes him to

hell." The Koran says, "Everyman's fate hath God fastened about

his neck." One's earthly and eternal destiny is all cut and dried,

therefore, and so there is nothing to do but wait and see, for one is

saved, not by faith alone, but by fate alone.

Any initiative is futile if this is true, for the present life and the

future is already set, and only a fool would work hard to get rich if

it is already determined, for he will be rich if he does nothing. A

Hindu states, "The possessions which the Creator has written upon

our forehead, be it small or great, we shall surely attain even in the