~ Charles Spurgeon
“And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
— Jesus (and the Apostle John, probably)
Buy your way out of purgatory = borrow your way out of debt.
Unreformed medieval Catholic Church = the Democratic Party.
The major problem with calvinism is that when you take its premise that God is responsible for everything, then God is ultimately the source of all evil.
In fact, terms like “sin”, “disobedience”, or “obedience” become meaningless since all human activity or actions is merely God’s robotic creation “acting” according to His divine blueprint.
Courage, cowardice, even love are meaningless since human being are simply acting out the “plan” designed for them.
The major problem with calvinism is that when you take its premise that God is responsible for everything, then God is ultimately the source of all evil.
In fact, terms like “sin”, “disobedience”, or “obedience” become meaningless since all human activity or actions is merely God’s robotic creation “acting” according to His divine blueprint.
Courage, cowardice, even love are meaningless since human being are simply acting out the “plan” designed for them.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
Well, I have a few friends at Calvin College. But I must say that virtually all the Evangelicals I know think that Calvin is nuts. Indeed, they are rather more forthright in speaking their mind than I usually am.
Why on EARTH is Time magazine pushing this silliness?
Just check out the five points Dutch Calvinists agreed on at the Synod of Dort, before they started executing their opponents for Arminianism.
The following statement makes Calvinism ultimately a denial of NT Christianity:
Calvinists were never in any real danger of going to hell.
About the year 1728, Voltaire, so celebrated for his wit and brilliancy, and not less distinguished for his hatred of christianity and his abandonment of principle, formed a systematical design to destroy christianity, and to introduce in its stead a general diffusion of irreligion and atheism. For this purpose he associated with himself Frederic the II, king of Prussia, and Mess. D’Alembert and Diderot, the principal compilers of the Encyclopedie; all men of talents, atheists, and in the like manner abandoned.The principal parts of this system were,
1st. The compilation of the Encyclopedie;† in which with great art and insidiousness the doctrines of natural as well as Christian theology were rendered absurd and ridiculous; and the mind of the reader was insensibly steeled against conviction and duty.
2. The overthrow of the religious orders in Catholic countries; a step essentially necessary to the destruction of the religion professed in those countries.
3. The establishment of a sect of philosophists to serve, it is presumed, as a conclave, a rallying point, for all their followers.
4. The appropriation to themselves, and their disciples, of the places and honours of members of the French Academy, the most respectable able literary society in France, and always considered as containing none but men of prime learning and talents. In this way they designed to hold out themselves, and their friends, as the only persons of great literary and intellectual distinction in that country, and to dictate all literary opinions to the nation.
5. The fabrication of books of all kinds against christianity, especially such as excite doubt, and generate contempt and derision . . .
While these measures were advancing the great design with a regular and rapid progress, Doctor Adam Weishaupt, professor of the canon law in the University of Ingolstadt, a city of Bavaria (in Germany) formed, about the year 1777, the order of Illuminati. This order is professedly a higher order of Masons, originated by himself, and grafted on ancient Masonic institutions. The secresy, solemnity, mysticism, and correspondence of Masonry, were in this new order preserved and enhanced; while the ardour of innovation, the impatience of civil and moral restraints, and the aims against government, morals, and religion, were elevated, expanded, and rendered more systematical, malignant, and daring.
In the societies of Illuminati doctrines were taught, which strike at the root of all human happiness and virtue; and every such doctrine was either expressly or implicitly involved in their system.
The being of God was denied and ridiculed.
Government was asserted to be a curse, and authority a mere usurpation.
Civil society was declared to be the only apostasy of man.
The possession of property was pronounced to be robbery.
Chastity and natural affection were declared to be nothing more than groundless prejudices.
Adultery, assassination, poisoning, and other crimes of the like infernal nature, were taught as lawful, and even as virtuous actions.
To crown such a system of falshood and horror all means were declared to be lawful, provided the end was good.
Full text: The Duty of Americans at the Present Crisis
I reluctantly backed into the Reformed camp upon discovering that they had pretty well cornered the market on the Christian world view. Arminians specialize in various navel views, varieties of religious experience. Calvinists have a bearing on how to apply their faith to the world around them.
WOW
We are seeing scripture coming to life right before our eyes.
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being assembled to meet him ... Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion [in the original greek: apostasy - ‘great falling away’] comes first, and the lawless [one] is revealed, the son of perdition...” 2 Thess 2:1,3
In my humble Opinion Calvin was as much of a fruit cake as Freud.
In short, Calvin is and was an agent of Lucifer Himself.
So those of you who call yourselves believers and you embrace Calvin....I think you have a screw loose.
Recycled liberal writer - David Van Biema
http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Van-Biema/566896657
Previously he has occupied writing positions at “Life”, “People”, and “The Washington Post Sunday Magazine”.
Van Biema lightheartedly calls himself “a secular Jew who occasionally backslides into practice.”
Anyone that “tulip” doesn’t resonate with may have a serious problem. Lotta people out there with strong delusions about the Lord God and what He’s like...