Calvinism and Arminianism:
Myths & Realities
Calvinist, Vincent Cheung: “One who thinks that God’s glory is not worth the death and suffering of billions of people has too high an opinion of himself and humanity.” (The Problem of Evil, p.10, emphasis mine)
In this way, humans are mere objects.
John Calvin: “Hence Augustine, having treated of the elect, and taught that their salvation reposes in the faithful custody of God so that none perishes, continues: The rest of mortal men who are not of this number, but rather taken out of the common mass and made vessels of wrath, are born for the use of the elect.” (Concerning the Eternal Predestination of God, p.107, emphasis mine)
John Calvin: “All are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and, accordingly, as each has been created for one or other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.” (Institutes of Christian Religion: Book 3, Chapter 21, Section 5, emphasis mine)
The purpose of the meme is intended to show the inherent racism in Calvinism. If one recognizes the racism of selecting only Caucasians, then how is it different than if we substitute Calvinism’s elect?
Calvinist, James White: “Surely it is part of modern evangelical tradition to say, ‘God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,’ but providing a meaningful biblical basis for this assertion is significantly more difficult.” (Debating Calvinism, p.265, emphasis mine)
Calvinist, Alan Kurschner: “God desires that his sheep are saved. God desires that his people are saved. He does not desire that every single individual who has ever lived, live in glory with him forever. If that were the case, we have an incompetent, unhappy, and impotent God.” (The Calvinist Gadfly, emphasis mine)
Arminian Charge: Calvinism is a Racist Theology.
Myth or Reality: The charge is essentially that Calvinist election represents the favoritism and partiality in racial prejudice. As such, Calvinism’s Unconditional Election is often compared to the Upper & Lower Casts of Hinduism. Calvinists readily see a problem with the caste system of Hinduism, but seem to miss the similar connection with Calvinism.
