Calvinism, An Atrocious Theology

[lotharson]

I have written a series of posts on my blog entitled "Naked Calvinism".

 

In my first post on that topic, I explained what my motives are and why I think that Calvinism is a blasphemous non-sense.

 

 

What are your thoughts on that?

 

 

What are your own experiences with this belief system?

 

 

Best wishes from Europe.

 

 

 

 

[skyseeker]

I dislike Calvinism as much as you. It presupposes a sovereignity of God that would be behind all the scary predestination and hellfire theologies. Also, I think their bible reliance is their main problem, if you remove the totality of their scripture interpretation then you can get free of their crap...

[NORM]

At one point in my life, I was deeply entrenched in Calvinism. Particularly; Dutch Reformed Calvinism. In fact, my moniker, NORM, is loosely based on a character created as a menomic to remember Abraham Kuyper's Sphere Sovereignty in which all things can be reduced down to NORMS of behavior. We created a ficticious Dutch philosopher by the name of Norm A. Tive.

 

So, I certainly understand where you are coming from. Calvinism, I think, is a potentially destructive form of religious legalism.

 

Of course, I would posit that about just about any human religion. Few are without fault.

 

NORM (in the kindest sense of the word)

[lotharson]

I think that if people worship an evil God, they will inevitably bring about evil deeds, unless they are utterly unconsequent.

[tariki]

If I understand Calvinism correctly, it asserts the pure "Sovereignty of God" in respect of those elected to salvation. This corresponds very much with Pure Land Buddhism, where one of its "founding fathers" Shinran taught that the reality of Grace requires nothing from the side of human beings, including the act of faith, as the CAUSAL BASIS for salvation.

 

Unfortunately, rightly or wrongly, Calvin believed that the Bible taught that not all are so elected, unlike Pure Land Buddhism (and Christian Universalism) which is explicitly Universalist.

 

So as the old song goes......."just take what you need and leave the rest".....

[lotharson]

"just take what you need and leave the rest"

 

Hello Tariki.

 

I dealt with this in an old post.

 

I believe that fundamentalists are the ones who pick and choose.

 

Owing to the fact that the Bible is hopelessly contradictory, they are always going to have to choose some verses to interpret literally and other verses to distort.

 

There is no consistent inerrantist out there, it is just logically impossible.

 

 

Cheers from Europe.