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If you hate the mesage you try to kill the messenger

That is an apt description of what Calvin felt about Servetus and what he did to him.

1. Calvin WAS the authority in Geneva; he could start or stop anything he wished. He was known as the POPE of Geneva.

2. Calvin did make statements ahead of time that he would see Servetus dead. They are preserved in post #52. He followed through on his promises.

3. Calvin did stand by and permit this cruel punishment when he had the power to change it.

Servetus' crime: instead of believing that Jesus was the eternal Son of the eternal God, Servetus believed that Jesus was the son of the eternal God. He was turned around backward on his doctrine of the Trinity....but to KILL him for it! God forbid that any Christian would affirm such merciless hardheartedness.

For such a crime as this a PHARISEE would kill someone; and for similar doctrinal disagreements PHARISEES today like to LABEL their opponents as satanic just as Calvin labeled this opponent as satanic.

What charge such as this can be laid at the feet of Jesus? These charges against John Calvin have not been laid to rest. They are a continual SINFUL, HATEFUL mark on his record. Only for "true believers in John Calvin" have they been set aside, and that of necessity.

Calvin did not teach the doctrine of Jesus, Paul, Peter, or any of the early church. He certainly didn't practice it. He taught a hard, unloving and unforgiving God and THAT is what he became himself, hard, unloving, and unforgiving.

Let me see now, Moses murdered an Egyptian. I guess that means we throw out the Ten Commandments.

As to Jesus teaching, let's look at John 12:37-40.

"Although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of the prophet might be fulfilled... 'Lord who has believed our report?

"Therefore they could not believe,

because Isaiah said again,

'He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'..."

Read the passage and explain why these people could not believe.

Who blinded their eyes? When was the decision made to blind them?

Virtually every Christian on FR would regard xzins's views of the godhead as aberrant (i.e, the idea that the Father has a humanoid body), but we Calvinists would not have him put to death for it!

In Calvin's day, however, most of the governments of Europe regarded heresy as treason against the state. And treason was a capital crime.

Calvin did not teach the doctrine of Jesus, Paul, Peter, or any of the early church. He certainly didn't practice it. He taught a hard, unloving and unforgiving God and THAT is what he became himself, hard, unloving, and unforgiving.

And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy lives, but to save them.(Lk.9:54-56)