Crusader War College

Department: Theology And Philosophy
Guest Instructor: Jim Geraghtry of National Review Online.
Synopsis: The interaction of Fatalism and Islamist Terrorism

National Review Online published, on July 11, a "culture review" by Jim Geraghty of Terminator 3 and The Matrix Reloaded. In it, Mr. Geraghty talks about the fatalism depicted in the movies, and compares it to the fatalism of Calvinism and Islam. While steering clear of the debate of the "fatalism" of Calvin, he does talk a lot about how the view of fatalism in Islam drives terrorist thinking. In this way, he helps drive home one of the essential points I'm trying to make at this website: You cannot avoid the detailed, exhaustive study of a religion if you are fighting a man who fights because of his relgion.

However, the fatalism of Islam is a different thing than the "fatalism" of Calvin, and Mr. Geraghty rightly avoids delving into that distinction too deeply. since it appears he wants to maintain the belief that fatalism is always bad thing for a culture: The fact that the Reformed churches shaped the character of the American colonists and revolutionaries in a positive way is too obvious to ignore. Only by an in depth study of both religions does one see that the difference between the two is one of degree: The Calvinist does not believe that God works his will on people all the way down to deciding what they will eat and wear that day. They acknowledge that men and women have considerable freedom in many areas, but contend that mankind is
mistaken when they believe the illusion that that freedom extends to the spiritual realm. The Islamist believes that Allah works his will on people so extensively and completely that, apparently, if a good Muslim just does whatever he feels like doing (like killing 3000 Americans), it must necessarily be that Allah willed it, otherwise he wouldn't have felt like doing what he did.

However, one must realize that Calvinism is a "package" deal, and holding to one tenet without the other four "pillars" will lead to serious errors. For instance, the doctrine of "total depravity" forces a serious Calvinist to highly question the motives for his own good deeds, while it does not appear that the Islamist doubts, even for an instant, that he has correctly interpreted Allah's will.

Biiig difference.