[elalmhicabalp]

I'm personally a determinist, and I come from a Christian background. I've simply come to this conclusion for certain human reasons. It goes against the immediately understood experience - we all experience what seems to be like freewill. I've just really thought far into it and came to the conclusion that I personally believe everything that happens is a prewritten script.

I am not a calvinist though. I don't believe in man's depravity. I don't believe there is a select group that is elected and made as the special group.

If I was forced to choose where I sit with the Christian side of things (as I must since I live within the culture and cannot escape it) I would be seen as a Universalist.

It's one thing that God allows suffering. I have to do some mental gymnastics to account for this with my belief in determinism. It's a completely different thing to believe that God preordains sentient beings to endure an eternity of torment, pain, and suffering.

I would be interested to see what kind of perspective Buddhism has with regards to freewill and determinism.

From what I've read so far it seems that the Buddha would just see this as speculation that has nothing to do with the alleviating of suffering in life.