Oh, others "on my side" share my lack of that understanding too — and it appears the vast majority of Protestants as well!
I can think of several reasons for that:
(1) your side is not explaining itself clearly
(2) the rest of the world is too stupid to understand Calvinists
But, more importantly, it is because you have not shown me that your theology does not lead to the preposterous idea that God is the cause and source of sin/evil.
FK, your theology denies that God gave man free will and that exercising free will is God's will. But in order for that freedom to be true, God cannot take credit for our decisions. And since sin is separation from God, evil is our doing and not a creature of God. However, that is not possible in your theology.
I will do this one more time, FK, and make it as simple as possible. According to your theology the following must be true:
(1) what God wills, God makes
(2) everything that exists is according to His will
(3) ergo, God wills and makes everything including sin/evil
Yet you take exception to evil being of God, which is not consistent. Show me why is everything for God's pleasure, and purpose, except evil. This is why even Augustine backed off. But, in order to be consistent, which is what you keep trying, it must follow that if everything you do is God's will, then even your sin is His doing; lest you resist His will, which is impossible.
If you can not resist God, then if God says to you "kill your children for My pleasure and purpose" you would do it? Preposterous, right? Well, then, explain to me how does Calvinism or whatever it is that you propose here, explain Hitler? Was he doing God's work unto His pleasure and purpose? And, is he then ultimately responsible for his crimes or is it (God forgive me) all for God's pleasure? So, is the Holocaust then part of God's plan and for His pleasure????!!!!
(1) what God wills, God makes
(2) everything that exists is according to His will
(3) ergo, God wills and makes everything including sin/evil
Yet you take exception to evil being of God, which is not consistent. Show me why is everything for God's pleasure, and purpose, except evil.
Yes, I take full exception to evil being of God, and disagree with your three steps. You are speaking of evil as if it were a thing, like a rock. It is not. Rather, evil the absence of a thing, namely God, just as a hole is the absence of dirt, darkness is the absence of light, or cold is the absence of heat. All are real, of course, but they are not "created" in the normal sense, they occur because something is removed.
Since God cannot be removed from Himself, there is no evil He can "make". Those who are not of the elect will choose evil (separation) because that is in their nature through the original sin. Those of the elect, after salvation, may choose to separate occasionally, but God always brings them back into the fold.
If you can not resist God, then if God says to you "kill your children for My pleasure and purpose" you would do it? Preposterous, right?
I would pray for the faith of Abraham. :)
Well, then, explain to me how does Calvinism or whatever it is that you propose here, explain Hitler? Was he doing God's work unto His pleasure and purpose?
Hitler is the result of satan being the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). God allowed Hitler, just as He allowed satan to temporarily ruin Job. Therefore, if it was anyone's work besides Hitler's, it was satan's work, not God's work.