Full Idea
People used to believe that the outcome of an action was not a consequence, but an independent, supplemental ingredient, namely God's. Is a greater confusion conceivable?
Gist of Idea
People used to think that outcomes were from God, rather than consequences of acts
Source
Friedrich Nietzsche (Dawn (Daybreak) [1881], 012)
Book Reference
Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'Dawn (Daybreak) (v 5)', ed/tr. Smith, Brittain [Stanford 2011], p.14
A Reaction
Not sure how well documented or accurate this is, but Nietzsche was a great scholar, and it would explain the fatalism that runs through many older forms of society.