#Predestination (2014)

As his last assignment, a temporal agent is tasked to travel back in time and prevent a bomb attack in New York in 1975. The hunt, however, turns out to be beyond the bounds of possibility.
#TwistEndings #filmMastodon

Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxG-YfedrfU

Asking,

Do you believe there's #predestination in our lives?

#poll

"Thus also it has been determined that this man is to be a shoemaker, that man a parish pastor, yet another a preacher, etc. If, therefore, all these things, both our professions and our names, have already been defined and foreknown, why does a man wander about in his opinions, attempt many things, and desire things that are beyond limits? Why does he act outside his assigned station? For he does not accomplish anything except to bring greater and greater affliction upon himself."

~~~Martin Luther, in his Lectures on Ecclesiastes, comments on Eccl. 6:10-11.

#Luther #vocation #predestination #profession

Eternal Security

This is also known as “once saved, always saved.” It’s the belief giving Christian believers with an absolute assurance of their final salvation.

Its development, especially in Protestantism, has given rise to a plethora of different interpretations. Especially when defining aspects of determinism, libertarian free will & the significance of personal perseverance.

In the early 5th century, Augustinian soteriology views of predestination by predetermination came about, they didn’t validate Eternal Security. Soteriology is the doctrine of salvation.

By the 16th century, this idea became meshed into the theology of John Calvin & other reformers. Calvinist circles initially embraced Eternal Security under the name of “perseverance of the saints.” Eventually, the name became a synonym of the Calvinist doctrine of perseverance independent of its practical interpretations.

Then in the early 20th century, Eternal Security started to become a defining doctrine of Southern Baptist traditionalism. Around the same time, it also became a part of Plymouth Brethren theology. In this, the 2 forms represents its main form today.

In the 1980s, the Free Grace movement voiced that Eternal Grace was independent of the idea of the “Hyper-Grace” idea.

Eternal Security is based on the faith that the believer is an elect by divine determination. This is in Calvinist circles & has the minority worldview.

In some non-Calvinist circles & the prevailing worldview, Eternal Security is based on the faith that regeneration leads to unconditional perseverance & then salvation.

In other non-Calvinist circles & currently growing in the Free Grace views, Eternal Security is based on the faith that regeneration leads to salvation independent of perseverance.

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#16thCentury #1980s #5thCentury #Augustinians #Calvinist #Christian #Determinism #DivineDetermination #Early20thCentury #EternalSecurity #FreeGraceMovement #HyperGrace #JohnCalvin #LibertarianFreeWill #Perseverance #PerseveranceOfTheSaints #PlymouthBrethen #Predestination #Protestantism #Reformers #Regeneration #Salvation #Soteriology #SouthernBaptist #SouthernBaptistTraditionalism

St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Augustine of Hippo was a theologian & philosopher of Berber origin & the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. Hippo Regius is in modern-day Annaba, Algeria. He was born I 354 in the municipium of Thagaste (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) in the Roman province of Numidia.

His mom, Monica/Monnica, was a devout Christian. His dad, Patricius, was a pagan, who converted to Christianity on his deathbed. Augustine, in his writings, mentions his identity as a Roman African.

His writing deeply influenced the development of Western philosophy & Western Christianity. He’s viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers of the Latin Church in the Patristic Church.

Patristics, a.k.a. Patrology, is a branch of theological studies focused on the writings & teachings of the Church Fathers, between the 1st-8th century AD.

St. Jerome said of Augustine: he “established anew the ancient Faith.”

In his youth, he was drawn to the Manichaean faith & later to the Hellenistic philosophy of Neoplatonism. After his conversion to Christianity & baptism in 386, Augustine developed his own approach to philosophy & theology, that had a variety of methods & perspective.

Believing the grace of Chris was indispensable to human freedom, he helped formulate the doctrine of original sin & made significant contributions to the development of just war theory.

The just war theory is a doctrine of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just.

When the Western Roman Empire began to fall apart, Augustine imagined the Church as a spiritual City of God, which is distinct from the material Earthly City.

There’s a segment of the Church that follows the concept of the Trinity as defined by the Council of Nicaea & the Council of Constantinople closely identified with Augustine’s On the Trinity.

Augustine is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheran church, & Anglican church. He’s also a Catholic “Doctor of the Church.” And he’s the patron of the Augustinians. His feast day is on August 28th, the day he passed away. The Church of England also celebrates August 28th as his feast day. In the Greek & Russian Orthodox Churches, his feast day is June 15. He’s the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, & a number of cities & dioceses.

Many Protestants, especially Calvinists & Lutherans, consider Augustine one of the theological fathers of the Protestant Reformation due to his teachings on salvation & divine grace.

In the East, Augustine’s teachings are disputed. The most controversial doctrine associated with him is the filioque. It was rejected by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Other disputed teachings include Augustine’s views on original sin, the doctrine of grace, & predestination. Despite this, Augustine is considered mistaken on some points, he’s still considered a saint.

Filioque is a Latin phrase meaning “and the Son.” This was added to the Nicene Creed by the Western Church to clarify that the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Father & the Son.”

In 1842, a portion of Augustine’s right arm (cubitus) was secured from Pavia & returned to Annba. It now rests in St. Augustin Basilica within a glass tube inserted into the arm of a life-sized marble statue of the saint. It’s considered a relic.

Augustine was canonized by popular acclaim. He was later recognized as a Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII.

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#1298 #1842 #1stCenturyAD #354 #386 #8thCenturyAD #Algeria #AnglicanChurch #Annaba #August28 #Augustinians #Berber #Calvinists #CatholicChurch #Christ #Christianity #ChurchFathers #ChurchOfEngland #CouncilOfConstance #CouncilOfNicaea #Cubitus #DivineGrace #DoctorOfTheChurch #DoctrineOfGrace #EasternOrthodoxChurch #Filioque #GreekOrthodox #Hellenistic #HippoRegius #JustWarTheory #LatinChurch #LutheranChurch #Lutherians #Manichaeism #Municipium #Neoplatonism #NorthAfrica #Numidia #OriginalSin #PatristicChurch #Patrology #Pavia #PopeBonifaceVIII #Predestination #ProtestantReformation #Protestants #relics #RomanAfrican #RomanNorthAfrica #RussianOrthodox #SoukAhras #StAugustinBasilica #StAugustineOfHippo #StJerome #Thagaste #Trinity #WesternRomanEmpire

Predestination

Predestination is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. This usually references to the eventual fate of an individual soul.

Predestination often seeks to address the contradiction of free will. God’s omniscience seems to conflict with human free will.

In this way, predestination can be regarded as a form of religious determinism/predeterminism. Also known as theological determinism. Determinism is a metaphysical view that all events within the universe can occur in only 1 possible way.

Josephus wrote, during the 1st century, that there were 3 main Jewish sects. They differed on this subject. Josephus argued that the Essenes & Pharisees thought that God’s Providence orders all human events. The Pharisees still maintained that people were able to choose between right & wrong. Josephus wrote that the Sadducees didn’t have a doctrine of Providence.

In the New Testament, Romans 8-11 speaks on a statement of predestination, in Romans 8:28-30. People have interpreted this passage in some different ways. Some say this only has to do with service & not about salvation.

Others say that this passage should be interpreted to the Christian community as a group rather than individuals. While some Catholics believe that this passage teaches that God has predestined the salvation of all humanity.

Some Protestants believe that this passage is teaching that God has predestined a certain set of people to salvation, & the remainder of humanity is predestined to reprobation. Reprobation is a doctrine that teaches that a person can reject the Gospel to a point where God can, in turn, reject them & curses their conscience.

Origen when writing in the 3rd century taught that God’s Providence extends to every single person. He believed God’s predestination is based on God’s foreknowledge of every human being’s merits, whether in their current life, or a previous one.

Valentinus believed in a form of predestination. In his opinion, people are born into 1 of 3 natures. This depended on which elements prevailed in a person. In Valentinus’ view, a person born with a bad nature can NEVER be saved because they’re too inclined to evil.

Some people have a nature that’s a combo of good & evil. They can choose salvation. The 3rd type of person has a good nature & will be saved because they’re inclined to be good.

Irenaeus attacked predestination that Valentinus set out. Irenaeus argued that it was unfair. For Irenaeus, people were free to choose salvation or not.

In the 4th & 5th century, Augustine of Hippo also taught that God orders all things whilst preserving human freedom. Prior to 396, Augustine believed that predestination was based on God’s foreknowledge of whether people would believe, that God’s grace was “a reward for human assent.”

In response to Pelagius, Augustine said the sin of pride consists in assuming that “we are the ones who choose God or that God chooses us (in His foreknowledge) because of something worthy in us.” Augustine argued that it’s God’s grace that causes the individual act of faith.

Scholars are divided over whether Augustine’s teaching implies double predestination, or the belief that God chooses some people for damnation, as well as some for salvation.

Catholic scholars tend to deny that Augustine held this view. Some Protestants & secular scholars believe that Augustine did indeed believe in double predestination.

Augustine’s view raised some objection. Julian of Eclanum said that Augustine was bringing Manichean ideals into the Church. Tensions became obvious, eventually, with the confrontation between Augustine & Pelagius culminating in the condemnation of Pelagianism. As interpreted by Augustine, at the Council of Ephesus in 431. Pelagius denied Augustine’s view of predestination in order to affirm that salvation is achieved by an act of free will.

The Council of Arles, in the late 5th century, condemned the position “that some have been condemned to death, others have been predestined to life.” This seems to follow Augustine’s teaching.

The Second Council of Orange in 529 also condemned the position that “some have been truly predestined to evil by divine power.”

In the 8th century, John of Damascus emphasized the freedom of the human will in his doctrine of predestination. He argued that acts arising from peoples’ wills aren’t part of God’s Providence at all. Damascene teaches that people’s good actions are done in cooperation with God, but aren’t caused by Him.

Cassian believed that despite predestination being a work that God does, God only decides to predestinate based on how people will respond.

In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas taught that God predestines certain people to the beatific vision based solely on his own goodness rather than that of creatures. Aquinas also thought that people are free in their choices, fully cause their own sin, & are solely responsible for it. According to Aquinas, there are a few ways in which God wills actions.

Again in the 13th century, William of Ockham (Of Occam’s Razor fame.) taught that God doesn’t cause human choices & associated predestination with divine foreknowledge. Ockham/Occam taught that God predestines based on people’s foreseen works, he sustained that God’s will wasn’t constrained to do this.

John Calvin repudiated the idea that God allows rather than actively decrees the damnation of sinners, as well as other evil. Calvin didn’t believe God to be guilty of sin. But rather he considered God imposing sin on His creation to be an enigmatic mystery.

Though he maintained God’s predestination applies to damnation is caused by their sin. but that the salvation of the saved is solely caused by God.

In Roman Catholicism, free will isn’t denied. Predestination plays a very small role in Roman Catholicism. The “heretical” 17th & 18th century sect within Roman Catholicism known as Jansenism preached the doctrine of double predestination.

Although Jansenism claimed that even members of the saved elect could lose their salvation by doing sinful, un-repented deeds, implied in Ezekiel 18:21-28. According to the Roman Catholic Church, God doesn’t will anyone to mortally sin & so to deserve punishment in Hell.

The Mormons (LDS church) rejects predestination. But they believe in foreordination. Foreordination teaches that during the pre-mortal existence, God selected (foreordained) particular people to fulfill certain missions (“callings”) during their mortal lives.

For example, prophets were foreordained to be God’s/the Lord’s servants (Jeremiah 1:5), all who receive the priesthood were foreordained to that calling & Jesus was foreordained to enact the atonement.

However, all such people foreordained to retain their agency in mortality to fulfill that foreordination or not. The Mormon church (LDS church) teaches the doctrine of mortal agency, the ability to choose & act for oneself, & decide whether to accept Christ’s atonement.

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#13thCentury #17thCentury #18thCentury #396 #3rdCentury #431 #4thCentury #529 #5thCentury #Cassian #ChurchOfLatterDaySaints #CouncilOfArles #CouncilOfEphesus #CouncilOfOrange #Damascene #Determinism #Essenes #Ezekiel182128 #Foreordained #IrenaeusOfLyons #Jansenism #Jeremiah15 #Jewish #JohnCalvin #JohnOfDamascus #Josephus #JulianOfEclanum #Late8thCentury #Manichean #Mormons #NewTestament #OccamSRazor #Origen #Pelagius #Pharisees #Predestination #Predeterminism #Protestants #Reprobation #RomanCatholicChurch #RomanCatholicism #Romans811 #Romans82830 #Sadducees #SecondCouncilOfOrange #StAugustineOfHippo #TheologicalDeterminism #ThomasAquinas #Valentinus #WilliamOfOckham

Psalms 139-143

“I praise You because I’m fearfully & wonderfully made.”

Psalm 139:14

Psalm 139

O Lord, You’ve searched me & You know me. You know when I sit & when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out & my lying down. You’re familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.

You hem me in – behind & before. You’ve laid Your hand upon me. Suck knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?

If I go up to the Heavens, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me & the light becomes night around me.”

Even the darkness will not be dark to You, the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. For You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise You because I’m fearfully & wonderfully made.

Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame wasn’t hidden from You, when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before 1 of them came to be. (This is where the doctrine of predestination came from.) How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awaken, I’m still with You. If only You would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of You with evil intent.

Your adversaries misuse Your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, & abhor those who rise up against you? I’ve nothing but hatred for them. I count them as my enemies. Search me, O God, & know my heart. Test me & know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, & lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 140

Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence, who devise evil plans in their hearts & stir up war every day. They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips. (Check out Romans 3:13.) Selah.

Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked. Protect me from men of violence, who plan to trip my feet. Proud men have hidden a snare for me. They’ve spread out the cords of their net & have set traps for me along my path. Selah.

O Lord, I say to You, “You are my God.” Hear me, O Lord, my cry for mercy. O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle. Don’t grant the wicked their desires, O Lord.

Don’t let their plans succeed, or they’ll become proud. Selah. Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with the trouble their lips have caused. Let burning coals fall upon them. May they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise.

Let slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down men of violence. I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor & upholds the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise Your name & the upright will live before You.

Psalm 141

O Lord, I call to You; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You. May my prayer be set before You like the evening sacrifices. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Let not my heart be drawn to what’s evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers. Let me not eat of their delicacies. Let a righteous man strike me – it’s a kindness. Let him rebuke me – it’s oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.

Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers. Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, & the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. They’ll say, “As one plows & breaks up the earth, so our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.”

But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign Lord. In You, I take refuge – don’t give me over to death. Keep me from the snares they’ve laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.

Psalm 142

I cry aloud to the Lord. I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him, I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it’s You who knows my way. In the path where I walk, men have hidden a snare for me.

Look to my right & see. No one is concerned for me. I’ve no refuge; no one cares for my life. I cry to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Listen to my cry for I’m in desperate need.

Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they’re too strong for me. Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of Your goodness to me.

Psalm 143

O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy. In Your faithfulness & righteousness, come to my relief. Don’t bring Your servat into judgment, for no one living is righteous before You. The enemy pursues me. He crushes me to the ground.

He makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me. My heart within me is dismayed. I remember the days of long ago. I meditate on all Your works & consider what Your hands have done.

I spread out my hands to You. My soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah. Answer me quickly, O Lord. My spirit fails. Don’t hide Your face from me or I’ll be like those who go down the pit. Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I’ve put my trust in You.

Show me the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in You. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

For Your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In Your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In Your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy my foes, for I’m Your servant.

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#Predestination #Psalm139 #Psalm140 #Psalm141 #Psalm142 #Psalm143 #Romans313 #Sheol

#Insane #Religious #Harms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYXvTkNWAyk

#divinerightofkings #predestination #prosperitygospel #christianity #cults

A quotation from Omar Khayyam

Omar Khayyám (1048-1123) Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher, astronomer [عمر خیام]
Rubáiyát [رباعیات], Bod. # 148 [tr. Roe (1906), # 73]

Sourcing, notes, other translations: wist.info/omar-khayyam/77767/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #rubaiyat #omarkhayyam #damnation #divinejustice #entrapment #God #predestination #sin #snare #temptation #rap

Free Will is an Illusion in #Religion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWe56kHnGak

#FreeWill
#ReligionAndControl
#Atheism
#ReligiousLogic
#DivinePlan
#OmniscienceVsFreeWill
#QuestionBeliefs
#GodAndFreeWill
#Predestination