Theological determinism

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Theological determinism is a form of determinism which states that all events that happen are pre-ordained, or predestined to happen, by a monotheistic God. Theological determinists exist in a number of religions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Two forms of theological determinism exist. The first one accepts that humans have free will to choose their actions, holding that God, whilst knowing their actions before they happen, does not affect the outcome. The other form, known as "Hard Theological Determinism", holds that free will does not exist, and God has absolute control over a person's actions. The most prominent theologian espousing this latter view was John Calvin, a late mediaeval French Christian who formed the doctrine of Calvinism, a form of Protestantism.

Many other Christians have opposed this view. Saint Thomas Aquinas, the mediaeval Roman Catholic theologian, believed strongly that humanity had free will, saying that "man chooses not of necessity but freely". The Jesuits were among the leading opponents of this view, because they held that divine grace was actual, in the sense that grace is among other things participative, and that man could freely benefit from grace by a mediation between his own imperfect will and the infinite mercy of God.