[Cronos]

The concept of predestination troubles me. I do consider it as graver than any of the other points that separate various churches, because in my opinion it seems to suggest a sadistic god that creates pre-programmed robots, programs some to do evil, some to do good. The robots cannot go against their program, yet at the end of their existence this robot-maker god then puts those he pre-programmed to evil to an eternal torment.

Those of us who go to heck are there for our own fault, it was not God who pre-destined those to go to hell. He KNOWS, but he did not pre-destine them

However, on another note, the title is provocative to Calvinists, somehow suggesting that they will not be going to heaven (which the article does NOT say)

[GiovannaNicoletta]

Predestination troubles you because it goes against all that God is. A God Who creates everyone then sends His Son to die a horrific death for those people He created, then puts in His Bible that that atoning death applies to everyone who will believe and accept that atoning death, but then secretly pre-selects special people to be saved and relegates others to hell with nobody having a choice as to where they will go simply does not fit Who we know God is.

And Calvinist belief cannot be reconciled with the Scriptures that tell us in no uncertain terms that it is the response of the individual to the knowledge of Christ's atoning death and that person's response to the prompting and conviction of the Holy Spirit that decides where that person will spend eternity. If Calvinist belief was true, God would have made that explicitly clear. God has told us what we need to know to get through this life and be assured of our eternal destiny and, since He did say that it is not His will that any perish, He would have left out the Scriptures that tell us that unless a man accepts Christ as Savior, He will not see the kingdom of God and only some people will have that opportunity.

And you're absolutely correct about the responsibility for one's eternal destiny resting on each individual. God knows who will accept Him and reject Him but He does not make the choice for us. If we are condemned, we are condemned because we did not believe.

The title is provocative, but once you read the article, you see that it is about the fact that "chosen" and "elect" have no precedent in Scripture as referring to eternal life. And no, it does not say that Calvinists will not go to Heaven.