The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-26
DESTINY AND
PROVIDENCE
Thomas Prime Speaks
to Theosophists at
Young Hotel.

Thomas Prime, the theosophist, spoke
last evening at the Young Hotel, on
Destiny and Providence. Among the
things he sad:
Theosophists do not usually employ
either of these terms, destiny or provi.
denCe, but have a doctrine of karma
1the law of cause and effect, which in,
cludes the ideas underlying both these
words; for they have some right in
them, though in the ordinary accepted
sense they are, from the theosophical
point of view, extremely unscientIfic.
The idea OF destiny in its crudest
form is to be found in the Mohamme.
dan conception of K.smet, which holds
that a mans fate is marked out for
him, even to the smallest details, be-
fore his birth, by the hand of Allah
that every action of his is predestined
and nothing can be altered, so that
according to this theory one can have
no free will. l very much doubt II
this crude conception is the true Mo-
hammedan teaching though it is the
idea given by the reading of the ko-
ran.
This is the baldest statement of the
idea of destiny and no one amongst US.
I suppose, believes it; but We have
pretty much the same thing very much
nearer at home in the extreme Calvan-
istic doctrine of predestination / do
not know whether people hold the the
ory with regard to every action Of life,
but they do hold that the end of a
mans life is predestined.
A more general idea of predestination
is. that a man is what he Is py reason
of heredity and environment, and is
therefore, the victim of what may De
called a kind OF destiny. Not only are
his circumstances predestlned, accord.
ing to this theory, but the way he viii
deal with his circumstances is predes'
tined also. Just because he is himself
the self of heredity, and environment
and therefore cannot act inconsistent
lv This theory seems to be very widely
held today and men holding it seem tf
make no effort to improve themselves
No explanation is offered of why ont
has a particular here6ity and why NJ
IL placed in such an environment. Ac
cording to this theory two newly crea
ted souls are born. one into poverty, lg
norance and crime. the other INTO atIiu
ent circumstances with culture an'
purity surrounding him, but no expla
nation is offered of why there snoui'
be this difference in the opportunitie
offered to the newly created sous
Those who hold to this theory cal
hardly have any idea of justice In ma
ture, can have no idea of the purpos
OF life nor of connected scheme
the universe.
In dealing with Providence it is yer.
difficult to state the generally aecep.e'
bel,ef on the subject without hurting
ha
seems to amount to this: That God
a very personal and human God, hu
man even in His failings since ii
shows wrath and anger, jealousy an
reveuge-is supposed to direct the AZ
fairs OF the world in conformity VII
certain laws, but that he is prepare
70 interfere with the working OF tnos
laws bv request and is prepared I
modify the incidents OF them at vi
wish Of His favored people
We are bound to admit that there ar
real truths behind these two theories
however distorted their Representative
may he. to show how far tneosoph
holds with these ideas, and where >
differs from the popular beliefs. Is In
purpose / have in view this evening.
Theosophy teaches. that there are Gel
,a;r sraat laws in nature and amongs
them the law of karma, which Is Tn
low ~ cause and effect, the law spoke
OF by Christ when he said wha.sS
ever a man soweth, that shall ne ais
reap-- With theosophists this Ia
takes the place of destiny ana prov
dence. The mistake of the agnosl
theory of destiny is in supposing th'
man cannot help himself Theosophis
carry the idea further backward al
futher forward, in order 10 arrive
the truth: man is such man as ne
because he has made himself SO. ~
redity plays large part yes
why should that special man nave I'M
special heredity, and no other? WI
should he be born OF those pafueui
narents. into those particular circun
stances
co far as i am aware it is only
rheosophy. and in some of the Easter
~aliSions that any explanation of the
difficulties is given. Theosophy sa'
that there is a law of perfect justice
snite of the great inequalities we
ground us today-one man born or pu
ancestry into happy circumstances, al
another born OF evil parents INTO
wratcbed and degraded envfronmei
Man is what ne is today because ne ~
made himself so in the many nVes VI
he has lived before, that now lie Q
hind him. This law of rebirth one
a vav of reconciliation between
two beliefs: without this law the ma
Ter must be left vague Our belief
that man is born in such and su
condition because he has earned
right to be so born, because ne II
deserved it. AS man has sown,
must he reap. The reapings OF
day are from the sowings OF the pa
perhaps of many lives before, and WI
ne does today is prophecy OF wh
his character and circumstances
be in the future, either in this NE
in the lives still TO come II Is
commonplace of science that this wol
as IT exists today is a result or caus
set in motion in the past 30
with man: in the human sphere
law holds good. So we may say u
perfect justice rules the world.
|. especially do not want to suggest
u idea of reward and punishment q
hrnr