Essential Question Response #8

After I was reflecting over the troubles that had accumulated over the past few weeks, I began to question why these things were happening to me. This ultimately led me to begin questioning religion. One such question was what exactly does God do?

One belief is the Christian belief that God has a great plan for us all, and every single event is the result of him carrying out this plan, which would make every person that exists nothing more than a pawn on a chess board; we need to rely on the hand of god to move us, whether it be towards salvation or suffering. This idea that we are completely hopeless seems idiotic: if I can’t control my fate, then why could I go into the kitchen right now, pull out a knife and stab myself? If I were destined to live so I could cure a disease to contribute to this plan, then would the blade become dull as I picked up the knife or would God slap the knife away with an invisible hand? I admit that although I was raised with Christian beliefs, I don’t go to church often, if at all, so I can’t really be in the position to be able to question this belief. For instance, maybe it was God’s plan to for me to pick up the knife to prove him wrong, and maybe that causes a ripple effect that affects someone important to his plan. But if God really did have a great plan, then why would humans even exist? It would be pointless for God to create us just so he could play a game of chess with himself. Instead of controlling our fate, maybe God is just trying to guide us along a path using his teachings?
I am a firm believer that God doesn’t control our fate and rather probability and choice are the driving factors behind our life. Even our choice is not the will of God, but rather a set of chemical reactions occurring in our brain that dictate our actions based on past experiences. Maybe that is how he “controls” our lives; he uses his word as a hand to guide us. This is why I believe that God is just observing the world while it forever spins on an invisible axis, occasionally interrupting the normal flow of life with a messiah who gives voice to God’s word, like Jesus. That is why I carefully examine each choice in my life; I am trying to set up my own life like I think it should be. If God does exist, then I believe that he only affects our life if we choose to heed his word, and that no matter what you do, he gives you the freedom to choose.