Well, it is as I somewhat suspected. I have wandered into a nest of Calvinists. This is not too surprising as Calvinism is pretty influential in this area. For those of you who don't know much about the Reformation, John Calvin and Martin Luther were contemporaries. Luther was the one who started the whole thing off but Calvin, I believe, had the greater influence. Needless to say they did not see eye to eye on many things. Calvin did not think Luther went far enough in reforming the church. Now, I don't know a whole lot about John Calvin (I know a bit more about Luther), but from what I have read about him, he seemed like a pretty cheerless soul, and he ran Geneva like it was his own personal kingdom. Think Wahabist Saudi Arabia and you get the idea.
A Lutheran friend of mine once said that if the Pilgrims had been German Lutherans instead of English Calvinists the history and culture of the United States might have been far different. But since Calvinistic Christianity seems to dominate here, it's a good idea to know the nature of the beast.
Calvin is best known for his doctrine of predestination, that some people are going to go to heaven and the rest are going to go to hell and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The pastor tries to downplay the harshness of this doctrine but it's still there. But because you never know who might be among the saved, that is why you have to go out and evangelize, evangelize, evangelize. Confused? You're not the only one.
Another one of Calvin's cheery teachings is that we are all hopelessly, utterly, and thoroughly depraved from the moment sperm meets egg. That's right, there isn't a shred of goodness in any of us. It's all the fault of Adam and Eve of course. We are so horrible that if it wasn't for Jesus stepping in and taking the blame for us, God would have no choice but to send us all to hell. As it is, most of us are going there anyway. This is because God is Love but He is also Just. Clear as mud?
You see, according to Calvin, we are so bad (even though originally when we were created God thought his handiwork was very good) that we deserve hell. We deserve every bad thing that ever happens to us. Think of that the next time you are bullied because of your autism. You. Deserve. It. In fact, being bullied is probably too good for you.
I am sorry. I think Calvinism is a sick, twisted version of Christianity. I like the people in the church and the pastor isn't a bad sort, but I don't think he has fully thought through what it is he is teaching. Or maybe he has, and that is why he is trying to soft-pedal that. But it's not as simple as he'd like it to be--just come to Jesus, and forget about the rest of the baggage. But the "baggage" is woven in and all around the cross; you can't separate it no matter how hard you try.
What a number that doctrine must do to people whose sense of self-esteem is already pretty shaky! Now, I can accept that the human race is messed-up, that obviously we aren't perfect and have a long way to go, but total depravity? This beats Catholic guilt hands down.
A Lutheran friend of mine once said that if the Pilgrims had been German Lutherans instead of English Calvinists the history and culture of the United States might have been far different. But since Calvinistic Christianity seems to dominate here, it's a good idea to know the nature of the beast.
Calvin is best known for his doctrine of predestination, that some people are going to go to heaven and the rest are going to go to hell and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The pastor tries to downplay the harshness of this doctrine but it's still there. But because you never know who might be among the saved, that is why you have to go out and evangelize, evangelize, evangelize. Confused? You're not the only one.
Another one of Calvin's cheery teachings is that we are all hopelessly, utterly, and thoroughly depraved from the moment sperm meets egg. That's right, there isn't a shred of goodness in any of us. It's all the fault of Adam and Eve of course. We are so horrible that if it wasn't for Jesus stepping in and taking the blame for us, God would have no choice but to send us all to hell. As it is, most of us are going there anyway. This is because God is Love but He is also Just. Clear as mud?
You see, according to Calvin, we are so bad (even though originally when we were created God thought his handiwork was very good) that we deserve hell. We deserve every bad thing that ever happens to us. Think of that the next time you are bullied because of your autism. You. Deserve. It. In fact, being bullied is probably too good for you.
I am sorry. I think Calvinism is a sick, twisted version of Christianity. I like the people in the church and the pastor isn't a bad sort, but I don't think he has fully thought through what it is he is teaching. Or maybe he has, and that is why he is trying to soft-pedal that. But it's not as simple as he'd like it to be--just come to Jesus, and forget about the rest of the baggage. But the "baggage" is woven in and all around the cross; you can't separate it no matter how hard you try.
What a number that doctrine must do to people whose sense of self-esteem is already pretty shaky! Now, I can accept that the human race is messed-up, that obviously we aren't perfect and have a long way to go, but total depravity? This beats Catholic guilt hands down.
