Deepak Chopra pointed out in his recent book, The Future of God, that the scientific belief system affirms, “our lives are deterministic. Free will plays no part,” an idea promoted by the new militant atheists. It will be difficult for modern science to accept The Urantia Book (The UB) premise that free will was bestowed by God as part of the gift of personality, “The attribute of choice-liberty is also bestowed by the Universal Father, and such persons are likewise embraced in the great circuit of divine love, the personality circuit of the Universal Father.” (5:6.12) The philosopher, Richard Tarnas, summarizes the materialistic and scientific mindset this way: “consciousness became … a secretion of the brain, a function of electrochemical circuitry serving biological imperatives (Passion of the Western Mind p. 332).”

   In Native American culture, the innate gift of free will bestowed by the Creator is remembered in the oral histories. For me, this disproved the European/Western conceit that the Greeks began the discussion on ideas of free will. Certainly they discovered Free Will as an escape route from the determinism that characterized their mythology, a freedom from the authoritarian rule of The Fates, just as American Indian philosophers had done in long ago times. 

   “It was our intention to produce an early manifestation of will in the evolutionary life of Urantia, and we succeeded. Ordinarily, will does not emerge until the colored races have long been in existence, usually first appearing among the superior types of the red man. Your world is the only planet in Satania where the human type of will has appeared in a precolored race,” (65:4.11) meaning it had appeared in Andon and Fonta. What is that “human type of will” in The UB’s terms? “the ability to know God and the power of choosing to worship him.” (65:0.6)

   Why did God bestow the gift of free will on mortals? By navigating the realities of good and evil in our world, we have opportunities to learn to choose the good for ourselves. God does not coerce us to be good, and he obviously didn’t create us already good. When we have made the wise choice in favor of truth; learned to maintain hopeful optimism to meet crushing disappointments; chosen humility instead of egoistical pride; learned to love God rather than fear him/her, these are our accomplishments, evidence of our progress in mastering our selves.

   “The moral will creatures of the evolutionary worlds are always bothered with the unthinking question as to why the all-wise Creators permit evil and sin. They fail to comprehend that both are inevitable if the creature is to be truly free.” (54:3.1)

   Here is how the Eastern Woodlands Indian tribes tell the story. Beyond the dome we call the sky is another world where Skywoman (Gizhiigokwe) originated. Skywoman’s daughter was born not long after her descent to earth (that’s another story), and following upon the creation of Turtle Island. Skywoman and her young daughter settled comfortably on the new land. Her baby grew up strong. Years went by until Skywoman’s daughter was also observed to be carrying a child. Different stories have been told about who the father was. Whether it was North Wind, or Coyote as they say here in California, we knew that Skywoman’s daughter’s children would be part Spirit from the Sky-world above the earth. If North Wind really was the father, we might not see the child knowing that wind is spirit, therefore the people believed that she was part earth origin.

   Skywoman’s daughter didn’t have just one baby as expected. She gave birth to twins, Evil Minded twin and Good Minded twin, children who were also composed of both spirit and earth natures. We remember them by the names Good Mind and Evil Mind. Inevitably as they grew up, there were battles between them. Although the forces of creation and destruction are ever in opposition, eventually through battle Good Mind won control over this world. By the force of his good will he was able to keep Evil Mind imprisoned in a cave. There were no chains or bars on the cave. Good Mind’s will was stronger than any steel. It was Good Mind who created the new race of mankind, the second race of two-leggeds.

   Good Mind spoke to his people and cautioned them that although he wished them only the best in their lives, there would always be an eternal struggle, and that people would always be of two minds—good and evil. His grandmother Skywoman stepped forward and reminded them she was Creator’s daughter, and she taught the people that it was the Creator’s desire and intention that Good Mind triumph over Evil Mind.

   The people were constantly aware of Evil Mind. As they went about their daily activities, they could hear his wailings of pain and frustration that issued from the cave. Remember there were no chains or bars on the cave. He was kept there only by the force of Good Mind’s will and goodness.

   Good Mind was such a good person that he would not agree to kill Evil Mind even though many people of his creation entreated him to do so. They walked away shaking their heads in disbelief at his stubbornness, allowing such a situation to continue. The presence of Evil Mind continued to haunt the people. He stirred up feelings of hate, jealousy and revenge among them. Good Mind had told them of the struggle they must endure. Sadly not all people were able to win the struggle against Evil Mind.

   Some especially worried about their vulnerable children. Long ago, an old Grandfather was very concerned about his grandson, who came to him boiling over with anger. A friend had done him a great injustice. Grandfather sat down with his grandson, “Let me tell you a story,” he said. His story is well remembered as “The Wolves Within.” His way of telling it is the way most learn about the Good Mind/Bad Mind origin story.

   “I too at times have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. You will find there is an endless supply of injustice in our world, but not so great an amount of love. But hate only wears you down, and does not harm or hurt your enemy. Hatred harms only yourself, like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times.”

   He went on. “It is as if there are two wolves inside me. One is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him, and does not take offense where no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.”

   “But the other wolf? Ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing can set him off into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.”

   “Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit.”

   The boy looked into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins, Grandfather?”

            The Grandfather smiled and quietly replied, “The one I feed.”