Human Experience

But how often in life are we confronted with our own free will? In such simple matters as whether to have tea or coffee to life-changing events like marriage, relocation or changing occupation.
At times such as these when we feel the weight of destiny in our hands can we really doubt that we truly possess freedom of the will? Indeed, throughout the reign of the "clockwork" universe Spiritual and religious traditions continued to flourish, suggesting that at essence humankind knew better than science.
So what of fate? Does our free will make redundant the concept of predestination? Not at all. Despite the randomness of the sub-atomic universe the perceived world consisting of the effect of huge numbers of these micro-events does behave deterministically to a large degree, hence Newton's observations. For example, if you save a few dollars each week your bank balance will grow, if you don't wrap in cold weather you'll likely catch cold…

The Scientific View

In the 17th Century Isaac Newton formulated his laws of motion and gravitation which gave rise to the concept of a mechanistic "clockwork" universe in which everything proceeded deterministically. Everything that happened was no more than the inevitable consequence of all it followed, including human behavior. God and the soul were redundant.
The clockwork universe was shattered in the 20th century. First Einstein discovered neither time nor space are as we perceive them, but are intertwined in a 4-dimensional continuum. Next Quantum physics found that, far from following principles of cause and effect, reality at its fundamental level is inherently indeterministic.
Yet the prevailing view of science as expounded by the likes of Richard Dawkins is that life (including humanity) is no more that sophisticated machinery.

The Spiritual Interpretation

In Spiritual terms we choose the lessons for a particular incarnation before we are born. While on earth our Spiritual memory is hidden from all but the most enlightened to prevent it distracting us from fulfillment of purpose. Instead we have the earthly free will necessary for us to gain the experience we came for. Thus we have free will throughout our time here.
However, Spirit arranges for us to be presented with the conditions that give us the chance to learn our chosen lessons. Of course our free will may avoid these lessons, in which case we will continue to be presented with conditions suitable for fulfillment of our chosen purpose.
Our free will is our greatest gift. It is the manifestation of the spark of Divine (Spirit) within us all. It is what separates us from piece of rock.

Fate vs Free Will

Predestination, Free Will, or Both?

Are we victims of inescapable fate, or do we really have the power to create our own destiny? That is the age-old question.
This world, and this lifetime, have infinite possibilities yet you will travel one path. How do you really know if this path is for you? The age-old concept of Karma views every action as the cause of one or more effects. In essence ourselves and our lives are the result of countless past actions, as well as contributory causes to the destiny of the universe