It’s been exciting watching my friend Nelson (Nelly’s Echo) compete on NBC’s “The Voice” this season.
Unlike American Idol, The Voice is not live. Nelson went away to tape the show during the summer, and the series started in the fall. By the time the shows started airing, he was back in town.
When his first appearance played on national television, he was actually at my recording studio working on vocals for his second album. We took a short break to come upstairs and watch his part of the show with my wife and daughters. When the audition started and no judges had yet chosen him, my wife began to get nervous. Then they all cheered when he was chosen by Christina and Adam. Nelson knew all along that he had already won the audition, so he had nothing to fear.
After the successful audition aired, Nelson was flooded with support from his friends and the church where he sang in the worship team. They were excited for him and saying they would be rooting for him and praying that he’d win. Of course, Nelson knew that in the next round he would lose to De’borah and his time on The Voice would end [video]. It had already happened. It was already on tape – it just hadn’t aired yet.
So here’s the question this episode raises for theists: is the future pre-taped? Has God seen it happen already, and we are just waiting for it to air? Can our prayers, thoughts, and actions affect the future, or is it certain?
For atheists, there is still the question of free will: Does it exist? If given all the information of the present, can the future be discovered? Is the future certain?
At a time when discoveries in quantum mechanics are causing upheaval in physics (and philosophy) and theologians promoting open theism are igniting theological debates about the nature of God, it seems appropriate to give this classic question a little time for contemplation and discussion. Do you believe that the future is determined?
mod synthesis 
curtis
October 9, 2012
I’m going to stew on this one. When my mind catches up with my predestined response to this question I’ll post it here.
chrislockemy
October 9, 2012
Great post.
Was this notice of your soon-to-come predetermined response, predetermined? Was my reply prerecorded? [brain explodes]
Seriously though, I’ve always had a bent towards an Open Theist view (as trendy as that is now I know…). When viewing it in terms of being prerecorded and observing it for the first time (when someone in the room already knows the ending) still hurts the brain. But that still seems too linear to me. Like God can ‘high-speed scrobble’ his way through time. This is definitely beyond my finite mind already. But I think it’s still more dynamic.
I imagine it like …say… Google Maps. There is an infinite number of destinations (ends) that can be reached by an infinite number of turns (choices) by us. God with a birds eye view foreknows what the ultimate results of our choices could be. But not ending with just a knowing, he sent the Holy Spirit (as say our iphones… or some better and more accurate device) to guide us and recalculate as we go to His desired end for us.
Every turn (choice) could end well or poorly. This he knows and is guiding us towards the desired end. He foreknows every possible combination but never crosses the line of freewill.
Just my version.
modsynth
October 10, 2012
Open theism is trending on the hip Christian blogosphere, but it still tends to be condemned as heresy from pulpits and on Christian radio. I don’t see why. It seems like the logical conclusion for anyone who believes in free will (like me). I get why Calvinists disagree with an open future, but I don’t know why others are so worked up about it. I think some people are so concerned with demonstrating that God controls everything that they downplay the implications of total sovereignty – that God is the architect of every evil act that humans were programmed to carry out. Even with an open future, you and I agree that God could foreknow the outcome of decisions. We believe that He still gives some measure of sovereignty to humans to decide for themselves which course to take.
Ashley Maccabee
October 9, 2012
We started from energy, we will end in energy. Everything in between is an experience of that energy being split into an infinite number of circumstantial instances resulting in what some call “Chaos Theory”. The fact that there are substantial effects of this energy that are formulated into what we perceive as “events” or “solid matter” amidst the seemingly chaotic reactions of that matter implies some form of a singular timeline. This brings up the question of time and meaning. The concept of God is that there is a force which controls our destinies. If there is one singular experienced timeline amidst a sea of chaotic nature, then that implies that there is a force controlling how constructs of matter and energy play on each other, ergo a “God”, or what I would call, a “defining force”. Is the future predetermined if there is one singular timeline of experience amidst a sea of chaos? I believe so, because a definite beginning implies a definite end. A choice is merely a reaction to an experience or group of experiences, and an experience is determined by a defining force. Therefore you do not control your destiny, like a lightning bolt through the clouds. A lightning bolt has a
predetermined point of diffusing and reacts based on everything around it, not it’s own will.
modsynth
October 10, 2012
Thanks, Ashley. My view is not deterministic, but I agree that if the future is determined it makes sense to also assume it’s decided by God or a defining force. That puts God completely in control and also responsible for every act that every unfree human does. Calvinists and some other Christians believe this, but I hesitate to agree for theological reasons.
Scientifically, the discovery of apparent uncertainty and probabilistic randomness at the quantum level raises some interesting questions. The universe may not be as certain as math. Since we are run by sparking neurons and shifting chemical levels, there’s room to question the notion that if you rewind the tape it would play back exactly the same. Perhaps there will be a way to test this experimentally sometime soon. It could still prove that nothing changes anything, so we’re all just doomed movie characters on a reel of film.
Mickey Valentine
October 9, 2012
I for one do not “believe” or posit myself for one particular explanation. I guess it’s because I am still young and really have not really begun to enlighten myself just 3 years into my college education. But, I have done a bit of research on the theory of hard determinism. There are several forms, two of which being theological and scientific. I tend to favor scientific which utilizes Newtonian physics to explain how life is mathematically and physically predetermined; much like every body in the universe is set on a particular path in which there really is no end…but rather a loop that continues seemingly forever. For example a planet around a sun, and all galaxies revolving around a center…and in the opposite proportion, where electrons follow a determined path around the nucleus of an atom. From the atom, all the way to the explansion of the universe towards it’s theoretical end, everything is determined. But of coarse there are uncertainties which can slightly alter predeterminations. My point is, hard determinism states that we are set on predetermined paths whether it be by Newtonian physics or God. Physics is certainly not perfected yet, and neither is theology. Much of theology is left to interpretation and nothing is finite. For me, physics deals with math, which is a universal language and tends to be the most accurate way to reason in the modern world. So I swing that way. As far as free will, I think it’s certainly there, but it’s not as free as we all believe it to be. We make “choices”, but these choices are determined by past experiences or consequences which are also inherently the result of other things that happened or were experienced. All these actions leading to that “choice” you made. All those actions started by something else that caused it. In the end, everything could be led to the origin (be it God or the Big Bang). But, I dont know if I’m right. I just know what feels right to me. As does Tony and anyone reading this article. God is what is inside of you. It’s what gives you reason. If it is Jehovah or Newton. It’s what makes sense to YOU. And none of us will really ever know. I believe once we are finally able to explain the mysteries of the universe, everything will disappear, start anew and we’ll all be born into new realities and be trying to figure out fire again haha. Cheers!