In high school, I remember having "The Great Fate Debate" after reading Romeo and Juliet in class. I remember having little to no opinion as a sophomore in high school. Now, I can think about it a little more than I did back then. I have often thought about this in a couple of different ways since that strange day.
Being Wesleyan, I had to say that not everything was fated, but I came down as a "gray fater" at the time. The only thing I could say at the time was that I believed in Free Will which means that everything cannot be fated. I still feel that way, but I think about things differently now. One thing I think about is whether something is fated to happened as divinely ordained by a higher power, i.e. God, or whether everything that is about to happen is determined by the actions of everything else in the past. Although the latter is hardly fate, it does say that we have little choice in life. Everything is predetermined by the events of the past. Of course, the beginning of the events had to come about by acts of freedom, or free choice. Thus, free choice is something that is outdated. It's so last year!
I also cannot really get on board with the idea that God, or any other higher power, ordains everything, which I believe is a misunderstanding of Calvin's doctrine of predestination. The ability to choose what you have for breakfast is not what Calvin at all had in mind. He really only meant who is going to receive salvation and all it's rewards, and who is not. The rest of life is pretty much up to you.
Alright, so back to Romeo and Juliet, which by the way is probably the most overrated play ever! But is sparks a conversation about star crossed lovers! I can't really believe that everyone has one true "soul mate" out there. This doesn't really make sense to me. Romantic love is not something that is ordained by the stars. This kind of love is a choice and it is hard work. I have met many people in my life that I thought was totally hot, and when I first talked to them I thought they were awesome. But that doesn't mean that I think I should spend the rest of my life with one of these people. The relationship that I am in and the love that I share with my wife is not star crossed (Sorry Shakespeare), but is a result of spending time together and sharing life as completely as we can with one another. This isn't something that God decided, although God doesn't disapprove either as far as I know, but our relationship comes through sharing experiences with each other.
This doesn't mean that I don't believe that there is some fate, or destiny in our lives. I feel that this destiny though does not come at the expense of our free choice, but is much bigger and more universal than that. I believe in new heaven and new earth, and I have great hope that all of creation will be brought into a right relationship with God in Christ through the Holy Spirit. I believe in a hope that comes through God's love made known in Jesus the Christ through Holy Spirit. A hope of a life that will be lived in perfect communion with God and neighbor. This is what I can see as being destined, but I can't seem to let go of some kind of choice we have in all of this. Destiny is universal and does not have complete control of individual choice.
I don't know why I wrote this other than I felt like writing, and this popped into my mind.
Peace,
mark
