Yeah, not really going to say what I'm brainstorming about, but I am going to ask a question that has a little to do with what I'm thinking about.

And here's that question:



Answer honestly, do you believe in Fate, Destiny, God, or something to do with our lives being determined before we live them and who we meet is determined before we meet them? If so, why? If not, why?

P.S. - This is a topic of discussion I chose to help me with something I am planning on writing. Please do not take offense to any answer that is put here and do not become offended if I question your beliefs. I am not asking to challenge what you believe, I am asking for purely researching reasons and would be highly grateful for your cooperation.

Thank you.
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It's true! For example...my roommate and mine's discussion on religion (the second one we've had so far):

Me: "...you know, I wish they had a theology course here...I'd so take it."
Her: "You're really curious about religion, aren't you?"
Me: "I'm curious about why people believe the things they do. I mean...I believe there's a God and whatnot...but somethings I don't get."
Her: "Like...?"
Me: "Well...why is God perfect? Honestly, I can't see someone who made mankind being omnipotent and perfect--well, I can see a being being able to influence things and whatnot, but I just CAN'T see Him as PERFECT."
Her: "But God is perfect."
Me: "How can someone who's perfect make a race that wasn't?"
Her: "But Humans were perfect before Eve ate the apple--"
Me: "Wait, wait...but the definition of 'perfect' is 'self-reliant', right? But Adam WASN'T self-reliant. He was lonely, so God made Eve--"
Her: "But they were perfect because they were made that way. They had no sin, they were made by His will--"
Me: "But the definition for 'perfect' is 'able to take care of one's self by one's self', right?"
Her: "That's not a real definition for it--"
Me: "But what do we view as 'perfect'? Something that can run on its own, with no help, and new additions, right? But God made Adam, Adam was lonely, God made Eve, Adam and Eve listened to the Serpent and ate the apple. So if God created Humans in His image and we have the flaw of Free Will, does that mean God has the same flaw?"
Her: "There's no such thing as Free Will."
Me: "Why can't we have Free Will? I mean, I can see God as my Daddy--hi, Daddy!" *waves to ceiling* "But even every parent's child has their own lives, so why can't we have our own souls, our own choices? Why can't we choose to say yes and not have him decide we're going to say yes?"
Her: "He preordains us to say yes but gives us the right to say it on our own--"
Me: "So he controls everything we do now?"
Her: "That's what I believe. I believe He has a hand in everything we do."
Me: "Then why doesn't He show us that wrath He showed to Solomon and Grammora (sp?)? I mean...especially with things have been going--"
Her: "Well, that place took years until He punished them--"
Me: "And we have wars, poverty in the streets, drugs, crime...and he hasn't done anything? Why not?"
Her: "...I can't really think of an answer, though I KNOW why..."
Me: "...you want to hear one of the answers I've gotten from that question before?"
Her: "I don't want to--"
Me: " 'Because God chooses when to interfere.' "
Her: "Well, that's true."
Me: "Oh! That reminds me of a quote I've heard. Goes like this: 'When someone says they're speaking with God, people call it "praying". When someone says that God is speaking to them, people call it "skitzophrenia".' "
Her: "..."
Me: "..."
Her: "...you should come to Bible Study with me...they could help you with questions better than I could--"
Me: "GEH! Bible Study? Scary~~"
Her: "Not really."
Me: "You know I'm scared of those things. They'll have those awkward silences and stare at me for the 'why' questions I ask. Not to mention my name thing..."
Her: "You and you're name problem...why don't you go by your middle name?"
Me: "Because of the fact that depending on the pronounciation, my name can have two meanings. The first one being what my mom meant to name me with, which is 'weary' and they second one being 'female leader.' Which causes a lot of fuss with my first name."
Her: "..."
Me: "..."
Her: "...you really need to get over your name issue."
Me: XDD;;;

So...might be going to yet another Bible Study to see if this group of people can withstand my quizzical mind. This is why I hate having a scientific, rational view on religion. It creates a lot of awkward silences and makes others feel confused, annoyed, or threatened.

It's not MY fault that I take every view of the world and combine them...I mean...Creation and the Big Bang theory could work together. Who's to say that the Seven Days mentioned in the Bible wasn't really 7 millenia or something. I mean...is God's sense of time the same as ours?

...yes...religion has always made me curious...I have never understood how someone could whole-heartedly believe in something that has nothing to be acknowledged with except the many wars and crimes committed in history in the name of God and Christ...such as the Spanish Inquisition which was done to eliminate the old pagan ways and bring in the strong Catholic way of faith...

So...yeah...this is why I'm going to dabble in Theology at some point...gonna have a time in Psychology, too, since my sister made me really pissed off about those narrowed-minded viewings of why and how people are different from each other (which really pisses me off because she likes to think she and I can do the same things but we CAN'T because we're different personality types, dur).

...did I mention I have an insatiable curiosity? XD;;;

Oooh...just had a thought on the perfection issue. Okay, when God created Man, there was an uproar in Heaven because a group of Angels didn't like what God was doing in creating Humans, didn't understand why Humans were created. That was why Lucifer was banished from Heaven, right? Because he argued the case that God had made a mistake in creating Flawed Human Beings. But...if God is perfect, and we're created from his image and if we're created from his image and have flaws, that means God has those flaws also, right? So maybe perfection means to have flaws and be able to persevere even with these flaws. So Angels, which have no flaws, are not perfect.

...or am I totally taking things WAY too far in thinking? Argh...this is why I'm writing that Phoenix story...WHICH MY FRIEND KENDRA STILL HAS! CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP! I WANNA FINISH THAT STORY, DAMN IT!

...okay, I'm done ranting ^_^;;
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