There are many verses in the Bible that talk of God's love for ALL His children, and challenges galore similar to "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) This says, essentially, "If you say you love me, prove it by doing what I have told you to do." It also might be translated as, "If you really love me, it will be evident because you will keep my commandments" - but the central message is, "The ball is in your court to do more that just give me lip service. You need to go beyond that and actually do what I ask of you." This leads to:
If God really has chosen the saved and damned prior to our earthly existence, what is the purpose of this existence? If it’s not to gain a physical body, to choose freely and independently to love and serve God and to “accept” the “offering” of the Atonement (even the word “offering” implies the ability to reject or accept that “offer”), then what is it? If the result is predetermined, why is this life necessary for us? If we truly have no choice in the matter, we really are puppets on a string - and “personal will” is a completely meaningless phrase. If we really have no ability to control our destiny, then God is the most terrible sadist in the history of the world - roasting many of His children (the vast majority of them, according to many predestination perceptions) eternally in Hell for no other reason than He decided it was what He wanted to do.
I can't judge Calvin personally, but I classify predestination as nothing more than Satan's more evil uncle's plan - since in Satan's plan at least everyone would have returned to God. They wouldn't progress and grow and gain anything as a result, but at least billions of them wouldn't end up burning in Hell through no choice of their own.
3 comments:
I'd like to know how he determined who was predestined to each...
I think that kind of thinking leads people to give up trying to live the commandments because they feel it's probably hopeless for them anyways. Why not eat, drink and be merry if you're going to be damned anyway?
What a sad doctrine to teach.
I love it! Not predestination, but the post. Are there people that still REALLY believe this doctrine?
The "Evil Uncle" thing got me speculating... obviously Satan is not the originator of all evil, just as God is not the originator of all good... i.e. was Lucifer tempted? We don't know, obviously, but it makes sense. Maybe he did have a more evil uncle. :)
In 2001 when I went back to the Us for vacation I just could not believe what I heard.
I had gone camping with the friend I had come to visit and her cousins. Around the fire one of them expressed her belief and how strongly she knew that we were all predestinated to this or that. I just could not let her say this and when I opened my mouth, before I said anything really my friend snaped a mean "shhhh" at me.
I did not get a chance to explain things and decided I would not try to say anything anymore to them.
Yes there are plenty of people who still think this way and they are not old people. they are young and they have families (or will have families someday) and will teach them the same nonesense.
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