Calvinism: doctrine of faith and predestination: the religious doctrine of John Calvin, which maintains that salvation comes through faith in God, and also that God has already chosen those who will believe and be saved.

The Calvinistic doctrine of predestination is a doctrine of Calvinism which deals with the question of the control God exercises over the world. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, God "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass." The second use of the word "predestination" applies this to the salvation, and refers to the belief that God appointed the eternal destiny of some to salvation by grace, while leaving the remainder to receive eternal damnation for all their sins, even their original sin. The former is called "unconditional election", and the latter "reprobation". In Calvinism, men must be predestined and effectually called (regenerated/born again) unto faith by God before they will even wish to believe or wish to be justified.

In effect the decision who will fry eternally or who will sit beside god in heaven has already been made. This doctrine effectively eliminates free will. Whatever will be will be. Your fate is set in stone. God knows everything, and knowing everything, he knows who will choose everlasting life and who will choose death.

What a moribund philosophy. What a depressing outlook, lacking any hope. Here you thought what you were doing in life had some importance. Knowing now that this life is but a game, why do anything?

Or, you’ve been duped. This great plan for humankind is simply a story, a hoax. Your fate is not sealed, and you can actually change the outcome. There is no fate, but what you make.

You can choose to believe a story written thousands of years ago by an ignorant people seeking to explain existence, or you can dismiss it and take charge of your life. In the rejection of the philosophy of doom as depicted in the bible, there is real hope. Knowing this natural world is all there is, without gods of any kind your initiative is freed and real steps can be taken to preserve it.

The fate of the world is in our hands.