Grailhunter
Well-Known Member
Grailhunter, if you can honestly say you have spent time reading his work I could respect your opinion. I don't believe you have because anyone who has would see that this whole predestination vs. Free will debate was just a drop in the ocean compared to everything he discussed.
I have literally discussed this with you before. If I try to describe my education, people think I am bragging.
You cannot go to college to study such things and not study the reformers.....LOL
Predestination as a reality can be suggested with the same rational that Yahweh is a sadistic fertility God and is a God of mass murder, and He taught His followers to do the same. Which is not true and it is the foundation of evil that would prevent it from being true. And that Christ was a pacifist that would never raise a hand against evil.
But if thats all you want to talk about then the required reading JUST TO GET STARTED is the 3 chapters in Institutes. Thats entry level! That makes you a white belt.
I have certainly read more of John Calvin's writings than most Calvinists. His writings are intelligent show a great understanding of the scriptures at the sentence level. But his writings show he did not understand the ramifications of putting his beliefs in motion or the permeating evilness of his conclusions. But physically we can see his beliefs in motion. The city of Geneva, Switzerland....and his attempt to employ a form of theocracy to the structure of the government and the governing of the people of that town. Forcing residents to comply to his religious beliefs, his religious interpretations of the scriptures.
Like I said he could not figure out Christianity or the Bible and was not a scholar of biblical languages, because he made the same mistakes as his contemporaries. His final formulation of Christian concepts shows a lack of understanding of the Spirit of Christ or Christianity. He missed a step or could not comprehend it or rationalize it. After you know the Bible backwards and forwards the next level of understanding is understanding the Sprit of Christ and Christianity. That is the level that he missed....did not know was there....or could not comprehend it.
As far as today's Calvinism....it has not got any better.
Perspective..... Calvinists are good people and good people that love God....Is putting concepts in motion or seeing the ramifications of concepts a skill? Or is it an ability of the mind that not all have? Modern Calvinists would have the same mental limitations as John.
Good or bad the religion has destroyed people and families....and mostly it is the concept of the elect....looking at themselves better than others because they are "the elect" or bad things happen to them and their families and they think they are not the elect or God does not love them. This is a historical observation. I have seen it and have had to deal with it on several occasions and sometimes at the legal level, particularly the separatists.
Bad things happen to the family and they are so distraught that they abandon God and Christianity.
And you know why there are not so many female Calvinists on this forum. Know their place....another failure to understand the Spirit of Christianity.
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