David: (Genuinely) Thanks for the response on Judy's & your behalf. Though a rather gross charicature of JC it is yet a widely held understanding of his views. No, I wouldn't wish to engage in a protracted discussion at this time. I await replies on earlier matters from you. Thereafter, perhaps. Blessings, Lance ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: April 19, 2004 12:40 Subject: [TruthTalk] Calvinism
> Lance wrote: > > ... I appreciate Calvin. He is, I believe, one of > > Christianity's important men of God. Have you read > > him? Do you "know" the content of his work? If you > > do please substantiate your apparent dislike of > > him/his work. If you don't then please refrain from > > the "shots". > > Hi Lance. I like your attitude here of, "substantiate your dislike" or > "stop taking shots at him." > > I believe, like Arminius did, that Calvin's view of predestination makes > God out to be an evil monster, personally responsible for every wicked > act of man on the face of the planet. He views every rape, every > murder, every vile act of man as being done by God Himself, who created > his creatures to act this way. Calvin's view of predestination attacks > God's virtue. Calvin basically said that we simply can't understand why > God does what he does, but we should just accept that if he does it, > then it is right. He refers to God's judgment on the wicked as > incomprehensible (see Institutes, Book III, Chapter XXI, Paragraph 7 > [toward end of paragraph]). > > Besides attacking God, Calvin's view removes all sense of vice or virtue > from the actions of man. If man acts wickedly, God made him that way > and decreed that he should operate that way. If man acts righteously, > God decreed that he should operate that way. In effect then, man is but > a robot, a computer, that is acting as God has programmed him to act. > How can man be responsible for his actions, or how can he be judged for > his decisions, if everything he does has been predetermined by God? > Calvin does not have an answer. From Calvin's perspective, it is > incomprehensible, but that is the way it is, so it must be good because > we know God is good. > > Sorry, but I reject Calvin's theology. It makes no sense and it > justifies wickedness in the lives of the wicked because it is God who > created them to act that way. Christians under his system join the club > of the elect, and the sin they continue to do has been preordained of > God before they were even born. Of course, they are predestined to be > without sin, but that must come later, because Calvin himself did not > experience this grace of Christ. > > Under Calvinism, man has no power to do what is right or to do what is > wrong. Under Calvinism, man is what God has made him. It is a form of > fatalism that has no place in the life of a believer who would seek to > please God and grow further in holiness. > > I meant to give you some actual quotes that bother me, but the phone is > ringing a lot and I am not going to be able to get to it right now. I > think you can understand the gist of what I perceive to be wrong with > Calvinism from what I have just said. I think Jacobus Arminius does a > much better job of pointing out the problems with Calvinism, so read his > works to understand the problems with it. If I get some time later, and > you seem interested, I will try to post some quotes from Calvin for you. > > Peace be with you. > David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. > > ---------- > "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org > > If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
