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Articles

Free will & Predestination

Ralph Blumenau argues that there is more to the doctrine of predestination than we might think. To support his theory he looks back to the teaching of Original Sinner St. Augustine.

Martin Tyrrell has written an interesting and entertaining article (Issue 19) on the wager element in religion; but I believe that in the course of it he shows that he shares a widespread misunderstanding of the doctrine of Predestination. Although I have no religious beliefs of Predestination myself, I would like to show that there is more to this doctrine than many people think.

We have to go back to the teaching of St Augustine. He was keenly aware of the burden of Original Sin. A secularist will not believe that there is such an inheritance from Adam and Eve, or that it is associated so heavily with disobedience or with sex; nor may he accept that the consequences of Original Sin imperil the salvation of our souls.

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