Zain's Guide to Overthinking Everything

Free Will vs Determinism vs Compatibilism: Answers from an Islamic Paradigm     Libertarianism: Individuals have genuine, uncaused free will, allowing them to make choices independently of any deterministic or external influences. People can truly be the ultimate originators of their actions and decisions.   Hard Determinism: Human actions and choices are entirely determined by factors such as genetics, environment, and past experiences. According to this view, individuals lack genuine free will, as their decisions are predetermined by these external influences.   Compatibilism/Soft Determinism: Compatibilism attempts to reconcile free will with determinism. Therefore, free will isn't necessarily the absence of external influences but rather the ability to act in accordance with one's own desires and motivations, even if those desires are shaped by external factors.   Divine Decree or predestination is a difficult concept to comprehend as how can there be free w...

Refuting Apostolic Succession: Unraveling the Threads of Early Christianity     Christians often defend theological doctrines such as the Trinity and the Incarnation through the idea of apostolic succession. This notion, claiming an unbroken line of authority of true teachings passed down from Jesus to the apostles to the early church and thus reaching us today even, has long been held as a cornerstone of many Christian denominations. However, delving into the annals of early Christian thought with a microscope, will this notion stand? Contrary to the commonly held notion of a universally accepted apostolic succession, we will highlight the diversity of thought within early Christianity that clearly paints those considered saints as unorthodox. This blog post will examine the writings of eminent church fathers such as Justin Martyr (c. 100–165 CE), Irenaeus (c. 130–202 CE), Tertullian (c. 155–220 CE), and Origen (c. 185–253 CE). In doing so, we will challenge the modern percep...