I guess that was a poorly worded question on my part-😂 I think my main idea here was sin and reconciling sin with the Calvinist idea of Gods decrees and the necessary results of that being God “willing” everything including sin.
What I meant by the capacity for evil but not the choice for faith is not to equate them but rather to understand through a Calvinist view how exactly that idea gets worked out- example: God gave us the capacity for evil and for sin and indeed decrees that they will happen and then that they will work together for his good but when it comes to his creation “faithing”, if you will, he draws the line?
A good and perfect God could have created a good and perfect world. Why does sin exist at all when he decrees everything… just questions I had... I did learn that questioning Calvinism is not for the faint of heart 😜
I’m sure I’m a pretty poor poster too so no worries!
There’s a lot of reasons I was asking- yes, I do have a hard time reconciling these ideas to scripture and yes, I also don’t see them rationally explained but that’s also my opinion and seeking to understand became a bit of a war here which was not my intent so I backed off. I’m not interested in fighting at all- just really did have some questions that I felt like asking my husband would cause more anger than worth because these questions naturally elicit passionate responses-
Anyway, this thread went in all kinds of directions and I felt wasn’t probably the best of me to even ask- I haven’t been on a forum before and I’ve learned a lot- 🙏
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions. I'll work on responding to your post here for about 10 minutes, and then I'll have to move on. Due to time limitations, I'll just respond to a few of your comments.
(1) Regarding questioning Calvinism not being for the faint of heart: I have experienced the other side of the equation. I've questioned non-Calvinism and been subject to a lot of disagreement. However, my point here is not to pit my experience against yours. My point here is that we certainly do need to work on being kind and cordial toward each other. Yes, truth is on the line; but that doesn't justify a lack of tact. Ephesians 4:32 is a verse that I was made to memorize as a kid. "be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Yes, I memorized out of the KJV as a kid.
(2) Regarding your husband and you having different opinions: The elephant in the room needs to be stated. This is obviously a divisive topic. The topics at issue are clearly representative of significant differences in theology. While I do believe that those of a Classical Arminian perspective and Calvinists are fellow believers, I also hold that our differences are significant. So I won't question a person's salvation, if a classical Arminian (which is significantly different than many of the posters in this forum), but I don't wish to understate the matter either. Other posters (much more liberal than the Classic Arminian position) push the issue of depravity almost entirely out the window, so then I have to question their salvation because we differ on the nature of saving faith itself.
But getting back to your husband, I appreciate what you are doing. Obviously, you love him, I assume. And you don't want needless conflict in your marriage. But you also see this as a significant issue. I do commend you for wanting to explore the issue. Please note that not all Calvinists are equal. Some can be hostile; some can be insecure; some can be cordial. People are different. I'm sure you know this. I hope that my future replies are cordial to you. Certainly, we will disagree, but you shouldn't have to come into the encounter like Stephen preaching just before getting stoned. You shouldn't have to feel like bracing for the worst. I've gone a bit over, 14 minutes. Till next time.
