The first thing to make clear is that I have every respect for Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and people of all faiths and no faith. Our beliefs, whatever they are, are God-given. It is even correct to say that God gives atheists their unbelief, as strange as that may sound.
But the purpose of this article is to explain why I have moved on from Christianity to a new spiritual understanding that isn’t easily categorized. I am close to being a panentheist, which means, literally, “all in God”, but that term doesn’t capture my beliefs entirely accurately.
In a nutshell, I believe that God’s being permeates everything, everywhere, all of the time. I refer to God as The Cosmic Animator because I believe that all activity in the universe, including human activity, is willed and directed by God. There is no free will! When I write it is God writing through me, and when you speak it is God speaking through you.
If this sounds strange then consider this for a moment: What is making our hearts beat? What is making our blood flow and our eyes blink? What is causing thoughts to arise in our minds? Clearly, there is a force or power making these things happen, and that force or power is God, or the divine, or the supreme being, or whatever you might like to call the Almighty One.
A view contrary to this is that of Christians. Christians believe we have free will, which means we do what we choose independently of the divine will. But in my humble opinion this cannot be possible. If God (or the divine) is omnipresent (everywhere) as most Christian theology supposes, then there is no atom anywhere in the universe that is not under direct divine control. God, therefore, is doing everything.
In reality, there is no freedom to respond to divine commandments, as Christians, Muslims, and Jews, suppose. There never was a “fall” away from God, as Christians believe. If God is omnipresent, these things are impossible, and we must also conclude that there is no devil-like being in competition with God – if the devil exists he is also under God’s control.
If you are interested in pursuing this line of thought further I have gone into greater depth in my book Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion which is out now as a paperback and eBook through SilverWood Books. The book is available from this blog and all the details can be found here. Thank you for reading!
Perfect Chaos 
14 responses to “Truth Beyond Christianity: There is no free will”
Just a quick point. Although I follow Christ and God the father and believe the Holy Spirit is in all energy and material.
This does not stop me following the teachings of say, The Buddha and quantum physics. The Holy Bible defines God, or at least I do and I no longer live yet Christ lives in me; as Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and a whole heap of things which due to my brain injury I cannot roll off the top of my head. Sin is separation from God and maybe I am wrong, but I think I am right in that you like me do not want to be limited by a hierarchy of humans telling you the creeds we have to agree to as to be accepted into `their` Godly worship! God is in me and I am in God. I can call Him Krishna or Her loving divine power of generation. Whatever is, is from God and yet we have as conscious beings the choice to forgive and love, or hold grudges and hate..
Blessing be upon you Steve and may you continue to transcend you human body and worldly circumstances.
You bro in light, Peter.
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Many thanks for sharing your thoughts, Peter!
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Nice article! I´m right now travelling through india and was before that no very religious. Through christianity I never felt connected to god. Here in India I experience so many new things and therories about god. You are right! God is in all of us. Om Namah Shivaya!
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Hi Viktor! Many thanks for your comment, and for following my blog. I hope you have a great time in India! Stay in touch… Steven
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For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come,nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
This has been my meditation for this evening.
Blessings to you, from Peter ,
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Thanks Peter. Great to hear from you.
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You too Steven. I went to bed early and got up to read some vitriolic replies on my youtube comments by people who hate me for following my own loving God. So your email helped along with me blessing them, to cancel out any negative feelings. So as it approaches 4am, I thank you.
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Don’t let the negative comments get to you, Peter. You’re a good guy!
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Thank you for that and no I wont. They are like meat to me. My master fell three times under the greater weight of a cross he bore for me. So I bless those who curse me, but I thank the heavenly father for brothers like you Steven.
God bless you and keep up your good work.
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Well I’m christian and I don’t believe in free will. Deuteronomy 28 how can there be free will if God is cursing people before they’re born and their children and children’s children until the end of days until there will be just a few left because some dude from their family leaves the faith…how is that free will?
Innocent people and the whole family tree cursed before their born to walk contrary to Gods ways and no one can come to God unless God comes to them first…so where is the free will?
Everywhere I look so many don’t believe in God and they cannot say yes unless God comes to them first and even then who knows? Many say yes and search for God and are led to false prophets by the multitudes and get snatched into believing a pile of lies.
Why? if they are searching for the Lord why r they getting led to false people?
To me free will is to be completely free with no fear of devils or demons entering are bodies at will…free will is not being monitored by satan or demons who watch us constantly from morning to night from the day we are born to the day we die waiting for an opening to enter.
Ask all the people that were put into prison after the flood when Noah and a few others where spared and many many years decades centuries or who knows how long Jesus after being crucified went down to these people stuck in prison…ask them if they have free will to leave prison and be happy.
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[…] I’m aware that this view is one that is not compatible with the core beliefs of the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism), because, unlike those religions, I believe God is in control and therefore we don’t have free will. I have written various articles on this blog about this (e.g. this one). […]
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Yes, I do see what you’re saying – God breathes our existence, forms us and knows everything we will ever do. But, the Christian view also suggests that a lot of things are our own, sinful desires – like Adam and eve at the fall. God doesn’t make us sin, but our free will does. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know about it. God knows when he creates us, every wrong thing we will do, but he doesn’t abolish it from his plan (even though he has the power to) because he gives us free will. Why? Because he is a gracious God! That’s why Christ came. I respect your views but wanted to share mine! 🙂 the bible teaches that we have free will, but then I guess Christians once deciding to follow Christ, choose not to do certain things, because we are compelled by the love of God – similar to what you say about forces making us say and do everything but slightly different. But hey, we don’t need to fully understand God – he’s a beautiful mystery and that’s okay! We just have to know Christ for ourselves, and live in a relationship with him, as we do our best to follow his example!
Thanks for reading!
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Thank you and know that you are loved. God is love and to one with God we have to be a follower of The Way. The amazing wonder is that we have such a variety of ways to seek the truth and be in the truth.
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[…] Truth Beyond Christianity: There is no free will […]
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