Fate and Free Will: Friends or Frenemies?

Free will and “destiny” or “fate” or “God’s will” are often believed to be at odds with each other. Some people wish that they could know their future and make the right decisions towards bettering themselves while others see the idea of destiny and fate as damning if a person’s “fate” turns out to be to do evil.

This misinterpretation of predestination stems from Protestantism, specifically Calvinism, which believes in double predestination, as in some are damned while others will be saved. Being Catholic, we know better than to think that God would willingly send people to Hell.

God’s will for all mankind is that everyone be holy. However, God also gave us free will, which means that we can choose to answer the call or refuse the call. God won’t force anyone to do something against their will. Evil deeds done by humans are always done by choice, never a “fate” or “destiny.”

If it seems like a lot to wrap your head around, Fr. Robert Barron puts it this way in his review of The Adjustment Bureau: think of a child learning how to play the piano. The child would have to learn basic notes and simple melodies before moving on to more complicated pieces. But is the instructor being a dictator for doing so? No. The instructor is simply laying the foundation for the child to eventually play whatever he wants to play.

God’s will works in a similar way. Holiness is the foundation for what God wants for everyone, but we work together with God using our free will to eventually become the best version of ourselves. Fate and free will, much like faith and reason, are meant to be cooperative forces instead of opposing ones.