The God Squad: Fate vs. free will is an argument as old as religion

Question: I’ve been taught that on the Jewish High Holy Day of Yom Kippur, our fate for the coming year is decided and sealed. We read that it is determined who shall live and who shall die, who shall be ill and who shall be healthy. Because of this belief, I’m always conflicted when I say my daily prayers.

Although I understand prayers of gratitude and reflect upon all I have to be grateful for, why ask for G-d’s help with everyday challenges if my fate has already been decided? Of course, I ask anyway because I believe that G-d can change anything, but I still question the concept of fate. — L., Floral Park, N.Y., via godsquadquestion@aol.com

Answer: The seeming conflict between our free will and God’s omniscience is an old and deep issue in the theologies of all the major faiths. On the one hand, if we’re not free to act in one way or the other, but rather predetermined to act in a way fated for us by God, then how can we be held morally accountable for what we’re forced to do by fate? If, on the other hand, we are totally free, then we must conclude that God is not all-knowing and all powerful, which would violate our theological beliefs about God. This theme even penetrated popular culture in the recent film “The Adjustment Bureau.”

So how can we resolve this dilemma? The solution, I believe, is to embrace the idea of a limited God. God knows and controls everything in nature where free will does not exist. The birds and the butterflies are not free to refuse to migrate; it’s in their nature to be driven to certain behaviors.

We human beings, on the other hand, are given free will to act in accordance with God’s revealed will, or resist it to our spiritual and moral peril. This is the meaning of the teaching in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

God has freely chosen to limit his power so that we can use our free will to grow toward moral virtue by our own choices. So God knows everything that will happen in nature, but God does not know what we will choose to do next. In fact, this is not a real limitation on God’s power but rather a perfect and necessary gift from a perfect and necessary God that enables us to achieve our full humanity.

The Jewish prayer you mention is an old medieval interpretation that places too much emphasis on fate, but even that fatalistic prayer concludes with the important caveat and balance: “But repentance, prayer, and charity avert any evil decree (of fate).” So act as if nothing is determined, and pray that whatever God has in store for us in the year ahead is more of a probability than a decree.

Q: Different branches of the same named religion appear to view a certain action or inaction as a sin, while other branches do not or are ambivalent. If I commit a sin in one religion and then my path of faith leads me to another branch of that religion or a different religion entirely without confessing my sin, is there still a sin “outstanding”? Was there ever a sin? What if I end up back at the first religion?

This is probably a conservative vs. liberal issue, but I get upset when someone from another religion accuses me of a particular sin. I am a sinner and have enough on my plate without anyone’s help. — N., via godsquadquestion@aol.com

A: In my view, there are only two kinds of sins: theological sins and moral sins. Theological sins are those that arise from wrong beliefs according to the teachings of each religion. Within Christianity, the refusal to accept Jesus as one’s personal savior and the Messiah is a theological sin. It believes something that the religion does not believe.

Moral sins are not sins of belief. Moral sins are sins of action, such as murder or theft. Moral sins are also accessible to atheists and anyone who uses reason and not just revelation to determine the right moral course. (Of course, atheists would not label moral lassitude as sin, but rather a morally unjustified act.) For this reason, moral failure links religions and religious people to people of every faith and no faith at all.

There are debates about what constitutes immoral behavior but those debates are accessible to all and the discussion helps clarify and hopefully resolve the great moral issues of our time. Theological sins remain particularistic and cannot be resolved because they’re part of a unique religious understanding of the world and our response to our need for salvation.

This distinction has been helpful to me in setting the foundations for interfaith dialogue, as well as dialogue with those who don’t use faith to find their place in the world. Don’t feel put upon or confused by the various beliefs concerning theological sin. A prayerful life will help you find your way to right beliefs about God.

I would urge you, however, to always try to do the right thing in your moral life. Moral virtue is the link that binds all people of good will into the journey and effort to fix our broken world and help those who sleep in the dust.

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