This is something I have pondered on for quite some time.
Is Destiny the force which governs the events of the future, or is Free Will the reason things turn out the way they do?
Am I writing this of my own Free Will, or was I always Destined to write this?
What is the difference between the two that makes you say "Yes, THAT is why I do the things I do."

I find that many people find the idea of free will extremely scary. Being in charge of your future, being responsible for the things that happen to you through your life choices and the decisions you make IS scary!
But is NOT being in charge better, or even more terrifying? If you really are at the whim of fate then NOTHING you do or say will change a single thing! You are powerless, a mere leaf floating at the whim of an unpredictable breeze called Destiny.
The Fickle Finger of Fate points at you!!!!!
Do you see it? Or do you simply see a chance to make new choices?

Oh! I posted two threads exactly the same. How did that happen?

Please could one of the moderators remove one of these? It is of no matter to me which one at this stage.
Thankyou very much.

OK here I am again to rock the boat, sorry.

I think it is both.
I think that destiny provides you with the opportunities and your free will allows you to choose what you do with them.

Can I have both? Pretty please?

Done that for you Shade
If you want to delete your post about it feel free and I will remove this one too.
(if you don't thats ok as well........We have got to get into the underworld sometime right )

Zygo

I like to believe that I'm in control of the things that happen to me, that my actions determine my future. But of course I've no proof that it's not all pre-ordained.

I don't want it to be destiny, as I hate the thought of someone/something else being in charge of my life.
So I will go for Free Will and hope that I am right.

I'm not sure which one I believe. Partly it is Free Will because I see the choices I make, and cannot think that it has already been decided what decisions I will make, before I even find out that I have to make them.
And yet I WANT there to be a bigger picture to my life. I want to be here for a purpose, and without Destiny I can't see how that would be possible.

I think we need both, but don't know if that is even possible.

I believe it is both. every action has a reaction. by choosing one thing or another you take your own step down a path that will bend just that way. but you can step off that path and onto another if you choose, of course that path will go a certain way as well. the path is already set, all you need to do is choose which one to be on. sure chaos will pop in and throw some obstacle or another on the path, but the path is still going on and you can choose whether to walk it or not.

You are right DarkeDesire, we do need both.

I believe that Destiny gives us the chances and the decisions, but it is Free Will that takes those chances and makes the decisions.

Without Destiny your life would have no course laid or (as katie puts it) paths set out, but without Free Will you would have no incentive to get up in the morning.
Your existence is like one huge map, Destiny lays out the roads before you, but when you reach a crossroads, a fork in the road or a T-junction, Free Will decides which way you go from there.
For those of us who believe we are here for a higher purpose, both are needed to achieve our goals.

That makes complete sense.
How fantastic.

Thankyou Wraith.

I am one for having things to do along the way but how you get there and what goes on in between are entirely up to you.
It doesnt matter how you get there as long as you do and if for some reason you really can't do it due to unexpected illness or outside influence then that is when the Walk ins come into play.
Haunting Silence said as much some time ago.
Her post
and I

Zygo

YAY!!
I like to believe that i am in full control of my life but if i was i would probably make a right old mess of it and anyway your idea is sooo much better.

I considered posting here myself, but to tell you the truth Wraith said exactly what I would have said.
BUT she said it much better than I think I would have.

Sooooo... I'm just going to say...
I agree with what Wraith said 100%.

Lady C.

Oooh you cheating HOUNDS!!!!
You were supposed to pick one OR the other.....NOT both!!!!

I must admit, both does make more sense, and now I read Wraith's post I understand why.
Thanks Wraith.

I believe that we all make our own choices, however I believe the Creator knows everything that will happen.

This is not to say that destiny is controlling our lives, but rather that one Omniscient being is able to predict, with near perfect accuracy, The reactions after the reactions after the reactions after the initial action that started all of Creation of each and every existing being.

Here's an example, let's take an off-duty police officer, who has his pistol on him. This man is a very good and pure and honor bound man who believes in the law and the protection of the innocent. Put him on a street, walking towards home when he passes an alley way with a disturbance ensuing. there is a man being mugged by one assailant. Predict what this off-duty cop will do.

Now that is the action predicted from you just knowing the basics of the officer, imagine now that you have grown up with this person living next door, best friends with them all throughout your life. Do you think you could predict even further what he would do? What if you were a cop too, or at least knew all the protocols for what to do in said situation, could you predict more accurately?

I believe that the Creator has intimate knowledge of everyone and everything, and an intelligence able to process all of that and predict it all, step by step and the vision to see when there is a slight deviation and to take said deviation into account for further predictions.