IS THERE PREDESTINATION?

T he idea that our lives, the events that occur to us every day and even our own salvation, has already been determined by God from before we were born, has occupied the mind of humans from various religions and philosophical schools at different times in history. In Hinduism, Krishna, the Hindu god, tells his charioteer Arjuna not to fear going into battle and kill his enemies, because he had already predestined Arjuna’s duty and the death of his opponents. (Bhagavad Gita 11:31-34, 200 BCE). Earlier Egyptian literature, as in the story of “The Doomed Prince”, also reflects the belief in a pre-appointed fate for humans among ancient Egyptians. 1 As this belief in a higher power beyond our control, marking and determining our earthly existence expanded, Judaism was no exception. Their belief in their own election as a privileged nation in Abraham was deeply rooted in God’s sovereignty (Ex 33:19; Dt 7:7-8; Jos 11:20; Mal 1:2); and from them, passed onto Christianity and Isl