Do you believe in destiny or fate?

No.

I believe in free will.

Ditto. Believing that your life is preplanned almost seems absurd to me.

My belief is mixed. Some things are up to free will, but Fate can intervine and vice verca.

I think that you choose your own destiny.

I don't believe in fate so much as that doors open for your as you journey through life. Some of us get caught up in the pace of things, and when we look back, we think that we have no other choice. Others strive to achieve prosperity or comfort, and prove that they decide their future. Regardless, all roads end, so enjoy life while you're in it.

I belive in free will, but i also belive that fate and destiny are mixed in becasue there's crap that happens no matter what you do.

I mean, I believe in free will, and I feel that's all there should be, but I think I only believe in it because that's what I want it to be.

Y'know?

Like, if I had a choice, I'd want free will. Cause nobody wants to be predetermined. They want to make their own choices. To be, well, FREE.

But then again, fate and destiny are possible if there is a higher power.

So I guess I just like to live thinking I have free will. But I don't entirely say that fate isn't possible.

I believe in destiny and fate. Our lives are planned out for us whether we realize it or not. Sorry, this is coming from a Christian's point of view, but still, it's my opinion.

God has a perfect plan for each of our lives, sure we have free will and we get to choose what we do in life, but even before we make the decision to do that certain thing or not do whatever it is, God already knows beforehand what'll happen. So, yea I definitely believe in destiny and fate.

Sorry if I offend anyone, but I'm a Christian, and I'm not going to just deny it or whatnot...it's my belief. =]

I don't believe in Free Will (in caps) if we're referring to the right to choose to our actions in order to go to heaven or hell. Fact of the matter is that I would choose the same actions over and over if I did not know the consequences beforehand. If I knew the consequences beforehand (and it outweighs my choice), I would've changed my decision. Simple as that. I guess that's fate/destiny.

If we're talking about Fate/Destiny as in for some distinct meaning in life, I don't believe that. Except for reproducing and taking care of people around you, there's not much else.

As for free will, I don't believe it. I would choose steak over chicken probably 75% of the time. The other 25% would be when I'm bored of steak. Our "choices" in life are affected by either our genes or environment/situation. I don't really understand the concept of "free will".

I am a Christian too. My belief is similiar to Concrete Angel's. I believe the situations we face are given to us by God (fate/destiny). What we do in those situations is up to us. For example, someone offers you a drug. Do you take it or not? Your choice. Do you use it or not? Your choice again. There are always choices. The trick is finding the right one.

How can you have free will when God already knows what you're going to choose? Makes no sense...

Omniscience isn't knowing what you'e going to choose before it happens. It's seeing all actions, past, present and future, as now. Technically, time doesn't apply to deities, so everything they see is simply now. That's why free will and choice can still occur in any religion.

It's insanely abstract, I know. But such a use of imagination is helpful. :)

That's the same exact thing. If we interact inside time, and God already knows the actions outside time, that means that he already knows what we're going to do. He created us; he knows our beginning and end. He knows what we're going to choose before we do it. He has a "plan" for us. He's freakin' God. How could he not know? I thought God has this infinite knowledge and power (omnipotence).

Well, if we're talking about Yaweh, maybe. But I don't know if you can apply that to all gods.

Again, no it doesn't. It doesn't logically make any sense.

Uhh...I don't know if you're trying to offend me and say I have a lack of imagination or you're just stating this to the general public.

Well, I have a different interpretation of destiny/fate when concerning religion and God. I'm sorry if this doesn't make any sense but I'll explain more in-depth if need be.

Anyways, I believe that life is like a maze with more than one finish and many paths cross each other. Well, consider each path a different path of life. Each fork you cross, is where you have to make a decision, big or small. So we can go in circles or actually progress in life or even go backwards into oblivion. With that in mind, I believe that God knows the maze of each person in and out. However, this where I believe free will comes into play. God doesn't exactly know which choice we'll take, but He knows where all the opportunities will lead to until we have make another decision, either staying on course or diverting somewhere else. And I hope that made sense.

But straying away from religion and towards a pessimistic point of view, everyone has the same destiny/fate: death, the journey itself is yet to be determined.

I don't intend on offending anyone, so it's more of a general statement. Also, it's difficult to go into great detail, as I said, because it's such an abstract idea. And, if you keep saying that the idea of free will and a divine force (such as is detailed in the Old and New Testament, as well as the Quar'an and other texts) isn't possible, it usually entails an unwillingness to search as to HOW it could be possible.

I'm not saying you're wrong. What I'm saying is, look into it more.

Also, when I hear the word "logic", I suddenly think of preconceived notions that people have. I'm not pointing any fingers, since I've done the same thing, but its just an irritant that pops into my head every now and then.

If you believe that God doesn't know your choices, that's cool I guess. You're basically saying that either god is not omniscient, or he chooses to not know what you're going to choose (which I think it just sounds like he's pretending he's ignorant to something that he clearly knows..if he exists).

So abstract that it's senseless.

Well, I would consider myself a Christian before I unconverted myself into an atheist. You might not believe that I was a "true" Christian (though it doesn't really matter). I could, however, say the same thing to you. Maybe you're the one unwilling let go of your beliefs as absolute, and be alittle more skeptical about your beliefs. And the religious texts you mention aren't exactly the greatest books to look for answers...but I'm not going to get into that.

Oh, I have. I have for years. And one of the reasons why I stopped believing in Yahweh or any other deity is because I started questioning my beliefs. Doesn't mean you should go as far as me and become an atheist. I'm not trying to unconvert anybody.

Logic is a powerful tool to understanding and examine life. To me, the belief in this divine force/free will duality is illogical (or "beyond" logic, though that doesn't make much sense...but if its outside the logical world then what does it matter...2+2=5). I can't really explain my lack of understanding of this topic without using logic. Believing the sun will rise in 3 more hours is fine. Letting go, and having fate to this notion of free will and fate coinciding is too far for me.


Well...I could be wrong. But I have a feeling that there's little chance that I can believe that fate coincides with free will unless there's someone that explain it to me in a logical way (maybe Yahweh or Allah or Jesus or my neighbor or whomever).

Life is what you make of it, good and bad. There will always be different paths for you to take. No destiny, no fate.

I don't believe in destiny or fate.

if such things are true then whoever planned my destiny/fate has no imagination.

besides, who needs destiny, we all know how our lives end.

we die.

how do we know.

simple, it will be the last thing you ever do.

so no worries.

*sings "always look on the bright side of death" from 'The Life of Brian'

Fate? The only fate that is assured is that we will die.

I see no master plan in our lives. From a Christian standpoint, why would a just and loving God directly plan for Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and bad?

Can God change what will happen to what he plans? Yes.

Does he do it with our entire lives? No.

I believe only that God may make us do one thing or another, but only for our benefit. Destiny as in I'm writing this right now because God is forcing me and whatever I do is because my life is scripted must be false since no one would do this to one they love.

i believe that the flying spaghetti monster alows us to choose our way in life, just be sure to dress as a pirate and his noodleness will forevor reward you with beer volcanoes and strippers.

screw destiny/fate, his noodleness has not placed upon us restrictions for how we must conduct our life, just eat your daily carbs, drink beer, and dress as a pirate.

Flying Spaghetti Monster FTW!

:huh what the hell? i don't get but i don't belive in fate man/women makes there own path in life

Haha, you've never seen stuff about the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster before?

It's satire, btw. But that's why it's awesome.

Lol, this is so much cooler than the Invisible Pink Unicorn. Screw atheism, I am now a Pastafarian.


I don't believe in fate/destiny simply because of Occam's Razor. Some things are just random. The inability to realise that there doesn't have to have a prime mover for everything, in my opinion, lies at the heart of religion and superstition.

Give me an incredibly powerful computer, an accurate model to predict the interactions of matter and energy, some way of getting to the point of the Big Bang, and some way to survive there without affecting the aforementioned explosion, and I can predict the future.

Who says the two concepts are mutually exclusive? As I see it, who cares if your choices are pre-determined? They're still choices.

Anything is possible, alongside personal choices. You make you own life after all, planned or no plans, it's there either way.

Its not that i dont believe in it, its more of the idea that i hate that i cant make my own choices in life!

No. I believe in chances and coincedences.

no

life is what you make it. simple as that.

I agree with Storm, you make your own way.

Fate is the excuse both the tyrant and the coward uses, we live to make our own destiny.

Do not let my name fool you.. hehe

I dont really believe that there is a fate for you...

You control your own life