Determinism

Doctrine that all acts of will result from causes which determine them either in such a manner that people have no alternative course of action, or that the will is still free in the sense of being uncompelled. Determinism holds that all behaviors and events are determined by God or by the laws of the universe before they occur. Determinism takes different forms in religions, but the basic issue is how to reconcile the omnipotence of God or the inevitable effects of karma with the freedom and resposibility of a individual person.