More carnage and death has been visited on the world in the name of religion than nearly any other single concept. The massacres of the Christian Crusades, the 'Convert or Die' of Islam, the Ku Klux Klan, and 'The Troubles' in northern Ireland. Blood and hate are the province of man, not God.
The amount of people in prison that believe 'Gods Will' brought them here disturbers me. They've embraced the good without embracing the bad, using religion or spirituality as an escape rather than a means of healing. Unfortunately, what they end up with is an immature version of life that is intolerant and falls apart when confronted with challenging circumstances. They've forgotten about the freedom of will. Freedom to learn on their own, to make their own choices.
'Gods Will' implies that we are or were destined to do something. It dictates to us, we have no choice in the matter. It robs us of our freedom of will. Once this way of thinking takes hold, we act, consciously or unconsciously, without regard for our actions. Believing all occurrences are 'Gods Will' is merely a way of denying our responsibility, in favor of embracing any whim that strikes our fancy.
My mother prayed for me, prayed to God that I would not go to prison. Accepting the possibility that I deserved to be sent here wasn't an option. She now insists, regardless of what she wanted, God had his own plan. It was 'Gods Will' that I go to prison. I can't and won't support this way of thinking. God didn't tell me to get drunk, drive recklessly, and then point out the car that I would crash into. I'm in prison because of my choices. I exercised 'Free Will', and only I am responsible for those choices.
There is a follow up to this coming.
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