Free will, a gift and a curse.

I believe in years long ago that many of the diseases that infect us today simply did not exist. Before the Industrial Revolution, before chemistry took hold and the progress of invention had changed the world. Once upon a time we did not have pollutants from cars, we did not breath the poisons from industrial plants, or have micro-plastics and long chain carbon molecules inside our bodies (the chemistry from the creation of non-stick coatings on pans). We did not see novel viruses as often, because in those times the balance of nature had not been disturbed in the way it has today. Make no mistake, I understand that our lack of knowledge in days gone by, regarding hygiene, led to loss of life. Deadly viruses and bacteria took their toll, nonetheless, the diversity of disease has undoubtedly increased.

We have lost much of our rainforest and our cities have grown. We are in conflict with nature. Today over 8 billion people inhabit the earth, this is projected to rise to perhaps 11 billion before we hit our peak, despite falling fertility rates. The pressures we place upon our resources are growing and with that comes the likelihood of more war, disease and destruction. All of this, it can be postulated, has come about from free will. Whether that is the freedom of choice from a single dictator, or a scientist, or a population at large, is a moot point. The choice was made by somebody. Behind some of this could have been a desire to do good, to make things better, but much of those wrong turns were driven by greed, by selfish acts to obtain power and wealth. The oil industry is a key example, how many of you reading this believe that the oil executives all work for the betterment of humanity? It’s true that we are now dependant on the black gold, but when it’s value was first discovered, the drive to have it was one of becoming incredibly wealthy.

The above should set the tone for what I say to you now, and I’ll start with this; how many of you have heard of Pascal’s wager? In short, it’s a gamble upon the existence of God. Take two people, one who believes and one who does not. Then take two outcomes, God exists, or does not. The person who does not believe and is proven to be correct will not gain any advantage or disadvantage at the point of death. The believer, on the other hand, will have led a more considered life and perhaps not indulged in those acts which would be considered morally questionable by a creator. The cost to the believer will have been living a life without indulgent pleasure. However, if God exists then the believer will have an eternal life beyond the material world, whilst the nonbeliever will be condemned. Pascal’s wager is one that we are all faced with. If we knew that God existed and therefore the truth did not require faith, then would the world exist as it does today? I think the whole point of this life is based upon free will. Without it, I would argue that the fabric of society, our economy and behaviour could not be as it was intended. To live a life, to be free, and therefore to choose.

I was around 60 years of age when I got off the fence and made my choice. I stepped over a line. I had lived as an atheist and as an agnostic. Believing in the possibility of God was not sufficient for me. This was the hard truth I was faced with. Saying, ‘maybe,’ was the same as saying, ‘probably not,’ it was a rejection. Playing devil’s advocate, sitting on the fence, or straddling the line isn’t good enough. If God came down tomorrow everyone would suddenly believe in him, but that’s not enough. You have to choose in the same way you choose to do the things you do throughout your life. The world could not exist as it is meant to if you were constantly fed all the answers you needed. The purpose of life is free will, and with it, if you choose to believe, there has to be faith. Faith is the foundation of God’s desire to see us all live with him when our days on this world come to an end. Some people say you have to surrender your heart. This is a very poor choice of words as it suggests conflict. This isn’t a war, it is the acceptance that God’s presence is with you, and it always has been. 

Let me begin here by stating I came to believe in the Holy Trinity through decades of deep thought and in more recent years through what I believe to be, supernatural experiences that have rocked my world. I couldn’t have been given any more clues, short of receiving a solicitor’s letter from God saying, ‘I’m here, you idiot. Believe in me before it’s too late!’ So your heart doesn’t surrender, it accepts and opens to Him. But that acceptance to follow God must not been seen as a one off act. You can’t believe on a Monday and forget about it for the next week, month or year. It has to be genuine. That’s why it’s such a difficult step to take for so many of us. Sitting on the fence isn’t good enough, and yet, when you’ve made your choice, you must be true to God in your heart. He wants nothing less than that.

I believe that I did not exist before the spark of life, my soul, was placed into the embryo that became me. My soul was new, completely novel, and when I die it will go on in heaven. If I reject my faith then I believe my soul will simply cease to exist, I would be undone. This world, this life, this universe, none of it can be classed as being normal (read my book, it’s free and in the Library section, called, My Esoteric Truth). We live a supernatural existence and it is beyond our comprehension. Science can work out so much, we have become so advanced, and yet, in so many ways, we are failing to understand this supernatural gift of life. We are given the clues, everyday we are led to think about life, but know this, you have to make the choice yourself. Without free will our lives could never be the same. The foundation of our world must be made from truth, and with that comes faith, and ultimately, God. You decide.