The construct of free will was studied and it was determined that the theory of undefined free will has conventionally been rejected and/or neglected in the theory of counseling and in the field of psychology; however, in the moral arena, the freedom of self-determinism and freedom of indeterminate free will are mutually exclusive concepts. From another perspective, indeterminate free will can also be perceived to be unidirectional, acting in the direction of self-violating, negative behavior, leading to immoral behavior (Wilks & Ratheal, 2011). Whenever an individual becomes self-absorbed, there is not consideration for anyone else even if that self-absorbed individual is responsibility for feelings that lead to the negative behavior. A perfect example of this premise would be a discussion on the first murder in history which is recorded in the first book of the Pentateuch.
The Pentateuch and Humanity
John Coggins (2001) discusses points of incidents in the Old Testament as an engaging discussion of a different perspective as to how men can be then and now. In Genesis 4 (Bible Gateway, 2016) KJV we find that Cain and Abel were the children of Adam and Eve. In the days of the Old Testament, sacrifice and offerings were made unto God as was the practice at this time in history and were a key part of the practice of a relationship with God. Abel (the younger brother) kept a flock of sheep and goats and Cain (the older brother) was a farmer who cultivated the ground. It is written that in the process of time, Cain brought fruit of the ground unto the Lord for an offering and Abel also brought of the firstling of his flock. But the scripture says that the Lord had respect for Abel’s offering but did not have a respect for Cain’s offering. For this reason, Cain was very angry. God asked Cain a very interesting question. For clarity of this discussion, quotation will be used from The Message Bible verses 6-7: “God spoke to Cain: “Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you’ve got to master it.” (Bible Gateway, 2016). After this meeting with God, Cain had words with his brother and while they were out in the field, Cain killed Abel. The question is why did he kill his brother? Because Cain did not master his feelings of anger and resentment he allowed those feelings to lead him emotionally thereby causing him to become the first murderer.
In reading this story it can be seen that Cain was angry because God accepted Abel’s offering but did not accept his offering and for this reason Cain killed Abel. Abel’s death happened because of jealousy and anger and Cain practicing free will. Cain made a decision to become a murderer. When humans allow emotions to take the lead in decision making, mistakes can be made that can have irreversible consequences. Now let us review the historical view of humanity.
Historical View of Humanity
Historically, humanity is viewed globally to include every human being in the world. Everyone should receive some type of education to gather an understanding of their individual need to contribute to the world starting within their own community. Education for global democracy rests on the assumption that the desire for freedom is universal to all human experience without regard for cultural heritage thereby comprising the noblest qualities of our humanity (Alan, 2002). When looking at humanity from the worldview, democracy is a process stemming from a fundamental impulse in the human personality to be free. To reinforce this idea, Goldingay (2010) describes God as having somewhat dominant and secondary personality traits; however, this complexity does not cause problems for God because God keeps those emotions under control. No one desires to be forced to do something against their will or to be denied the ability to fulfill a desire like choosing the person whom they marry, going to school, or traveling. There must be an understanding by all people that what negatively affects a few human beings will eventually affect everyone. Human potential covers many things as human beings have the potential to love, create, make a contribution to world peace as well as other activities. Through education human beings can realize the full gamut of human possibility thereby understanding the true meaning of freedom. Self-interest must be set aside allowing for total consideration of the community.
The development of language which appears to have taken place among the earliest members of modern Homo sapiens was considered a tremendous milestone of human freedom as human beings had to ability to communicate thereby gaining knowledge from one another. The introduction of technology opened doors to even more effective communication enabling an even better understanding of human freedom. But with each new advancement in technology came a new responsibility for humankind relative to behavioral integrity. It has been determined that the advance of human freedom does not eliminate constraints but shifts their location; for the greater the freedom, the greater the responsibility that will be imposed by those constraints (Alan, 2002).
Poetic/Wisdom and Humanity
Giambattista Vico, a professional who was a Professor of Rhetoric at the University of Naples in the 1700s created an image that the universe within time and space was divided into three observed as well as perceived phenomena to include the divine, the human, and the natural world (Skeats, 1995). He believed the world viewed by man proved that man needed poetic wisdom and that without it man could not ascent to Truth. Vico’s thought represents a philosophy of recollected universals that generated philosophical understanding that was not from rational categories but from the image. Mr. Vico believed that the human mind has certain common traits allowing itself (the mind) to discern within itself the ideal eternal history allowing the experience of divine pleasure. Rosner (2000) views this perspective as biblical theology that describes God as all powerful mixing theology and psychology. Just as Vico developed this philosophy based on his academic background, people in general have the tendency to do the same based on socio economics. While Vico saw the mind as having an inclination to reduce what is unfamiliar and distant to what is familiar at hand, humans also exercise this same philosophy daily. The divine, man, and the natural world are connected and that connection completes the individual.
Prophetic Books and Humanity
The prophetic is where faith meets life. In reviewing the Bible it can be seen that prophets were mentioned throughout each era of God’s relationship with mankind. These prophets spoke God’s message to the people warning of coming judgement. Two of the Major Prophets were (Bible Gateway, 2016):
Isaiah – This name means ‘the salvation of the Lord’ and is the first book that contains the writings of the prophets of the Bible. Isaiah was committed to being obedient to God throughout his 50+ years in the ministry as a prophet of God. Isaiah foretold of the coming of Jesus the Messiah and the salvation of the Lord which would be made available through Jesus Christ. Isaiah was clear in his message to the people and that message was that salvation comes from God and not man because God alone is Savior and Ruler.
Jeremiah – This prophet was chosen to warn the people of Judah of God’s coming judgement; but just as it is today, no one listened and no changed. After approximately 40 years of warnings, God’s wrath came. It is also important to note that Israel played around with idolatry; however, the book of Jeremiah foretold that sin would be punished by the invasion of foreign empires. God used the Babylonia King Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Judah and then destroyed it.
It is clear that humanity was of concern relative to these readings in the Bible. Being human involves an understanding of divinity and what is of importance to live a successful life. This is of importance to man; for to ignore this knowledge is to live a life missing many of the simple things that make life worth living.
Conclusion
The Pentateuch and Humanity shows the free will of man being used negatively. There are times when men/women choose to make rash decisions that are detrimental and are usually made based on selfish reasons. It is possible that Cain’s sacrifice was not pleasing because of what was happening within his heart. When motives are distorted, the action taken based on that motive is not positive. This event in history made it clear to see that man has a responsibility to guard his free will thereby ensuring that any action taken does not institute the harm of another. This is part of the responsibility of every human.
The historical view of humanity deals with the understanding of humanity from the global aspect. Every citizen needs to be educated to gain an understanding of the contribution that needs to be made to the betterment of the world beginning with the local community. People working together accomplish great deeds for the community and the world. This is a process that must be totally understood for mankind to continue to improve in life.
Poetic/wisdom and humanity deals with humanity from the psychological point of view demonstrating that even hundreds of years ago; man had an understanding of the importance of mankind, the divine, and the universe. Many philosophers to include Vico realized that man needed to understand the connection of the divine and the universe to gain insight on how to live life with a respect for the world. This is a process that enables man to realize the importance of all of humanity.
Prophetic books and humanity reveal the importance of the word of God to an individual’s life. In reading the scriptures it is clear to see that the prophets of old spoke the word of God to the people and those words came to pass. Living with character, integrity, and truth enables the success of an individual’s life personally as well as professionally. While many people may find it easy to allow compromises in behavioral integrity at home and at work, there needs to be an understanding of the negative reward for that behavior while also realizing that people can also be negatively affected by those negative actions.
In being human we enter this life through birth and begin living it. If we are fortunate, we have parents who direct us and train us so that we learn such things as the differences between right and wrong, personal ethics, and what can be viewed as the basics of life. We go to school and learn how to interact with others and to be respectful of those who whom we come into contact to include peers and those in authority. We finish high school and college, begin a profession, get married without having knowledge of just what we are doing, have children and the process begins again. Let us face it; the entire process is like an experiment because each of us learns as we live from day to day.
As we mature in life we become aware of just how important life really is and develop a somewhat different approach to life as we have learned just a little about what it is to be human. Each of us approaches life differently as some humans are aggressive while others are passive, some are overachievers while others are not concerned about achieving anything, and some choose forgiveness over bitterness. And while there are those who choose the path of becoming murderers, robbers, bullies, and individuals who disrespect the law, these are actions based on free will which produces negative consequences that follows those individuals throughout their entire life.
People are different and desire different things in life. All of us as individuals should have a respect for our neighbors whether we understand them or not or like them or not. All of us are important to ourselves at the very least; therefore, it is most important to realize that it is possible for each individual to feel exactly the same about himself/herself as you feel about yourself. This helps to incorporate not only a respect for humanity but also an understanding of self because focus is placed on all of mankind versus ‘the one’. We are all members of humanity with each of us having the responsibility of making a contribution to life that will benefit someone other than ourselves. This is truly a humane action that benefits all of mankind and demonstrates what it means to be human.
Works Cited
Alexander, T. Desmond., and Brian S. Rosner. New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity, 2000. Print.
Bible Gateway. (2016). Genesis 4. Retrieved April 30, 2016, from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis 4&version=KJV
Coggins, Richard. Introducing the Old Testament. 2nd ed. Oxford UP, 2001. Print
Overview of Richard Coggins Introducing the Old Testament
Goldingay, John. Key Questions about Christian Faith: Old Testament Answers. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Print.
Skeats, Terry. "Book Reviews: Philosophy." Library Journal 120.20 (1995): 113. Education Research Complete. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
Wilks, Duffy, and Juli D'Ann Ratheal. "The Moral Capacity Profile." Counseling & Values 56.1/2 (2011): 121-136. Education Research Complete. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
Wood, Alan T. "What Does It Mean To Be Human? Education For World Citizenship." Catholic Education: A Journal Of Inquiry & Practice 6.1 (2002): 96-110. Education Research Complete. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
