God Please Save Your Planet...from us.

Chapter Ten- Providence or Predestination?

More than 1200 years have passed since Constantine saw something in the sky that changed his religion. Out of the coupling of the Christian church and the state of Rome, a universal church known as the Holy Roman Catholic Church was born. This religious system of worship began to govern human affairs, not only in Rome and its colonies, but throughout Western Europe.

Constantine had separated the empire into two major regions by the year 330, with the completion of Constantinople. He made this the capital city of the eastern portion of his empire. That division eventually contributed to the decline of what was once the Roman Empire.

As the dark ages began around the sixth century, even the church became divided between East and West. The eastern church and state became known as the Byzantine Empire. It survived nearly 1100 years. In time, Constantinople fell to another group of believers who emerged from the deserts of the Middle East. Like the Jews, and Christians, this group also claimed the God of Abraham as their Lord.

Early in the seventh century Islam emerged on the world stage. The teachings of Muhammad (who also experienced a divine calling similar to Constantine's) were eventually adopted by the Ottoman's.

By the twelfth century Constantinople had fallen to another church and state merger. Islam became the dominant faith-based player in the East. Rome in the West had lost her twin sister to a cousin of sorts. The Islamic Arabian tribes claimed Ishmael, the first son of Abraham as their ancestor. They viewed themselves as followers of the God of Abraham, but with a twist. They believed God had rejected the Jews and Christians as unfaithful. Now, God (who they called Allah) had called them to be his people.

Meanwhile, wars and invasions from Germanic tribes to the north of Rome had devastated what was left of the once great Roman Empire. All these separate events led to a period of turmoil and societal darkness in Europe.

During this same period Islamic nations were experiencing a golden age of expansion. Science, the arts, and architecture thrived. The conquest for land in the East, eventually led to wars. The two sides wrestled like children in a tug of war for control. Holy wars, and Jihads dominated the landscape especially in the old homeland of the now displaced Jews.

In Western Europe the old Germanic tribes (which had previously sacked Rome) had now been subdued by the Christian Church of Rome. Territories had been divided by the year 800 under the rule of the Pope appointed First Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From this point forward, the Franks (or French) led by Charlemagne, would play a dominant role in maintaining the authority of the universal Church of Catholicism. Wars would rage in this area of the world for centuries to come, as the various nation states of Europe struggled for their place in the Empire. Out of the chaos, a time of renaissance eventually came to Western Europe by the sixteenth century.

Providence was driving East and West towards holy wars. In the past tribal gods were heralded in the banners of a nation, but now all sides were claiming the same God of Abraham as their one true deity. How could belief in one God be so divisive? Everyone believed they had the divine right to conquer.

Was all this really according to God's divine plan? Did humans have the ability to choose a different path that didn't lead to conflict by the sword? Was Jesus Christ just wasting his breath when he warned his disciples not to live by the sword?

A Frenchman, by the name of John Calvin was born on July tenth, in the year 1509. He came to believe that he knew the answer to our questions. He sincerely believed in the doctrine of predestination. For him Providence and Predestination, were one and the same. He believed that everything that has happened throughout history has been according to God's divine will. That includes all the horrors of war.

This concept may sound horrific to our twenty first century minds, but even modern neural research seems to be arguing that we do not actually possess free will. According to such analyses, choice is a mere illusion. Some scientists say that "the conscious experience of deciding to act, is a reconstruction of events that happens after the brain has already set the act in motion."

This view is indeed problematic for our climate change conundrum. Based on this position, our Nihilist (nothing really matters) argument takes the lead. The rudder is indeed too small to turn the proverbial ship. The melting iceberg of climate change may require divine intervention after all. But does that mean we shouldn't even try? None of us want to believe that we don't have a choice. Well, maybe some reading this, do. Either way, others will fight to prove this theory wrong.

Perhaps, we won't find answers here. Let's continue our quest East of Islam. Let's see if India and China can offer us a different perspective on the next page.