Predestination vs. Everything Happens for a Reason

The life of a Puritan was based around the individual’s relationship with God. Puritan literature focused on promoting the absolute sovereignty of God through the realization of Puritans that God is the only necessity in one’s life and “His gift is made [your] own” (Bradstreet 50). However, Puritans believed in predestination which is defined as the consequence that God foreknows all events, and will lead those who were chosen for salvation. By this definition, only Puritans who were diligent in their religious duties would achieve salvation.
I, on the other hand, believe in divine powers and that everything happens for a reason. Resembling Puritanical beliefs, I believe God has a plan for each life he puts on Earth and that it is your life’s mission to carry out His plan. However, I believe that all of God’s children are offered salvation in heaven and that God is always striving to find the “lost one”. When a person strays from the path of salvation, God uses one of His disciples to help the lost, but it is the responsibility of the human to respond to God’s calling. Others challenge my ideology most when unfortunate events happen in one’s life. God has a purpose and in times of sorrow, it is hard to remember He is still on your side. An event might seem tragic now, but God makes all decisions with His children’s best interest in mind and later He will reveal to you why in the moment you were hurt, or why He was testing your patience. A Puritan, on the other hand might think of an unfortunate event as a punishment or a work of the Devil which could threatened their relationship with God.

Accordingly, I agree with the belief of the Puritans that God is in control and that he is a necessity of life, however I don’t concur with the fact the everyone is predestined or that God only leads the chosen. God works with purpose, and therefore everything happens for a reason. 

Comments

  1. tyonOctober 28, 2017 at 9:46 PM

    It's interesting to see how your view differs from that of the Puritans. It definitely follows your theme: your view that everything happens for a reason has some parallels with Puritan belief and some dissonance with it as well. One can definitely see how diverse the Christian belief is; while all of them share similarities like believing in God and Christ, they all have their own beliefs and do things differently.

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  2. UnknownOctober 28, 2017 at 11:05 PM

    I like the way you organized your Post. By first explaining puritans beliefs and then your Beliefs. Its interesting to see the similarities between you belief and Puritan belief, like how you both believe that god is a necessity to life.

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  3. ChristineOctober 29, 2017 at 9:20 PM

    Jenna I really like this take on things. I agree with you with how God wants to lead all to salvation, not just the chosen ones. Additionally, I enjoyed how you touched on the fact that even though it many seem God has left you during times of sorrow and grief that those are the moments he's actually working through you the most. I also thought you did a nice job linking your opinion and take on things back to the Puritan beliefs about God.

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  4. UnknownOctober 29, 2017 at 10:52 PM

    Yes! I totally agree with your perception on how everything is influenced by a divine power. God does have a plan for everyone in this world, it is just our job to follow it. I also enjoyed that you said that even with bad things that may hurt or leave pain, as a greater significant and beneficial reason in the end.

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