[ReveBM]

I was attracted to this thread by skimming some history.

I read a quote of Cardinal Richlieu:

"Better to face one hundred men armed to the teeth, than a lone Calvinist convinced he is doing the work of God."

I know very little about Calvinism itself, but find my Christianity to agree with what I know about Calvin's beliefs in the broad sense.

However, thinking about all of this makes me depressed.

I remember all of those who died as a result of persecution while spreading the Gospel...

What would they say if they looked at our [American] society today, our MTV culture? I am convinced the broad American public believes that there is no hell, that people either go to heaven or to somewhere like "purgatory" (maybe it's called "heck". Well, maybe a tiny, tiny number of people like Hitler go to Hell, that's probably what the public believes.

Looking across history, at our society today, were all of those martyrs' deaths worth it?

In 597, Roman missionary Augustine landed in Kent to begin the process of Christianizing the English. Maybe he should have stayed home, seeing that Britain has effectively reverted to neo-paganism. All people there like to do, judging from an article in today's NY Times, is sit around and smoke hash more easily available due to a recent relaxation of laws.

It's not that surprising that John Walker Lindh turned to Islam, searching for answers, as deplorable as that is. At the turn of the century probably both the Walker and Lindh clans were committed Christians, for all that we know.

Sorry to vent and post on such an old thread.

[CCWoody]

I know very little about Calvinism itself, but find my Christianity to agree with what I know about Calvin's beliefs in the broad sense.

Hey, I used to get fairly insulted when people would call me a Calvinist. I learned after interacting with several here on FR that there wasn't very much difference between my belief and theirs.

BTW, the article at the top of the thread was my first attempt at this type of writing. Did you agree with it?

You may like this sermon by a Messianic Jew.

Well, maybe a tiny, tiny number of people like Hitler go to Hell, that's probably what the public believes.

I remember hearing several days ago from one of the trapped miners that in a conversation between two of them about whether one was going to Heaven when he died, the second said something like: "Of course, [proper name], you're a good person."

What sad hateful advice!

Sorry to vent and post on such an old thread.

No worries! It's just nice to know that people still pass by it.