Predestination Chapter 14 To what extent does God

Predestination Chapter 14

To what extent does God control our destiny ? Things like… 2 • Prosperity and decline? • Fortune and misfortune in human life? • Salvation and damnation? • Even the rise and fall of nations?

Christianity 3 Support Predestination Deny Predestination "And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. “ Romans 8: 30 AFTER THE FALL: "And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. " Genesis 6: 6

Islam 4 Support Predestination Deny Predestination "No soul can believe, except by the Will of God, and He (Allah) will place doubt on those who will not understand. ” Quran 10: 100 “God changes not what is in a people, until they change what is in themselves. ” Quran 13: 11

Sikhism Support Predestination "All existence theater of God’s play. . . All happens as by His will; Nothing by our power comes to pass. ” Adi Granth, Majh M. 5, (pg 103) 5 Deny Predestination “By one’s own hands is one’s affairs set straight. ” Adi Granth, Asa M. 1 (pg. 473 -4)

Hinduism 6 Support Predestination Deny Predestination “God’s power of wonder moves all things puppets in a play of shadows - whirling them onwards on the stream of time. “ Bhagavad Gita 18: 60‑ 61 "I have given you words of vision… Ponder them in the silence of your soul, and then in freedom do you will. " Bhagavad Gita 18: 3

Buddhism 7 Support Predestination Deny Predestination "Any wrong or evil a man does, is born in himself… and this crushes the foolish man as a hard stone grinds the weaker stone. ” Dhammapada 12: 161 "Make of yourself a light. Rely upon yourself: do not depend upon anyone else. " Digha Nikaya 16, (TB pg. 10)

Predestination of God’s Will 8 God’s Will Absolute, Unique, Eternal, Unchanging “Predestination” of God’s Will = Absolute For example: 1. Purpose of Creation 2. Providence of Restoration

Predestination of Fulfillment of God’s Will Absolute God’s Will But, the fulfillment of God’s will: God’s Responsibility 95％ + Human Responsibility 5％ Predestination of the Fulfillment of God’s Will is Conditional. 9

Two Types Scriptures 10 Verses that Support Predestination Verses that Deny Predestination Focus on the predestination of God’s Will which is: Absolute Focus on the fulfillment of God’s Will which is: Conditional

Qualifications of a Central Figure ① Central or Correlate history. ② Ancestry. ③ Inborn nature. ④ Character traits. ⑤ Providential time. 11

Accomplishment of God’s Will is Not Absolutely Predestined It Depends upon us fulfilling our responsibility God’s Responsibility 95% 12 Our Responsibility 5%

The Value of a Perfected Person 13

The Relationship between God and the Universe mind Man External Form ＋ － God Image All Things body All Things Symbol (Flag) － ＋ mind Embody the Principle 14 (Map) ＋ － ＋ body －

Realizing the Ideal of Creation through Love God created the world in order to realize love. He created the universe so that He could rejoice over people and all things as they become one centering on His love and making a harmonious world of love. 15 CSG, pg. 90

The Original Ideal of Man Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? I Corinthians 3: 16 16

The Original Ideal of Man Offering and keeping Precepts make the foundation necessary to build a great castle on. Endurance and Endeavor are the walls of the castle… Avatamsaka-sutra 6 (Teachings of Buddha, pg. 169) 17

The Original Ideal of Man "And when a man sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts not himself by hurting others: then he goes indeed to the highest Path. " Bhagavad Gita 13: 28 18

The Original Ideal of Man We have indeed created man in the best of moulds. Koran 95: 4 He (Allah)… breathed into him (man) something of His spirit. Koran 32: 7 -9 19

The Original Ideal of Man. . . Our Soul is the image of the Transcendent God. Adi Granth, pg 868 20

The Value of a Person Who has Fulfilled the Purpose of Creation Perfect God Perfect True Person Mind First Mind Body Second Mind Perfected Person: Divine Value Eternal Value 21

The Value of a Person Who has Fulfilled the Purpose of Creation God A B Joy A C Joy C Only One B Perfected Person: Unique Value 22

The Value of a Person Who has Fulfilled the Purpose of Creation Spirit World Internal Character Spirit Self God Cosmos External Form Physical Self Physical World Perfected Person: Cosmic Value 23

The Person Who has Fulfilled the Purpose of Creation God Mind Body Man ① ② ③ ④ 24 Divine Value Eternal Value Unique Value Cosmic Value

Swami Sivananda “What you are, is God’s gift to you. What you become, is your gift to God. ” 25

Lessons Learned • Absoluteness of God’s will • Absolute necessity of human beings to fulfill their responsibility • Perfection of our individual character is based on our relationship with God. 26

Thank you ! 27