Calvinist Bad Logic #18: How God Shows Love

Bad Logic #18:  I read a comment by a Calvinist once who said something basically exactly like this:  "God is love.  So everything He does is love.  When He causes (note "causes") natural disasters, abuse, murder, cancer, wars, and when He causes people to reject Him so that they go to hell ... it's all out of love.  Because He is love.  So we should see everything that happens as a sign of God's love."

Umm ... yeah ...

Would this comfort those burning in hell for eternity because of the unbelief God forced on them!?!  Oh, don't worry!  Don't be upset!  Take heart!  This happened because God is love, and He did this to you out of love!

Would this comfort someone abused as a child!?!  Oh, it's all okay.  You should be delighted because God caused that person to abuse you in order to show you how much He loves you!

What kind of a wretched god does Calvinism turn God into!?!

A mentally-deranged, psychopathic murderer might "love" his victims with a very sick kind of "love," even while he binds-and-gags them, tortures them, and then cuts them up into tiny pieces to preserve them in his refrigerator.

Would we call that love!?!  Yet we are supposed to consider it "loving" when Calvi-god "tortures his victims" with violence and abuse!?!  When he binds them in sin and unbelief and puts them in hell for it!?!  When he gags those he's predestined to hell, preventing them from calling on him, from wanting him!?!

What is the Bible's definition of love anyway?  Is it not laying down your life for your brothers?  Being a servant-leader?  Putting the good of others ahead of ourselves, helping them find the way, the truth, and the life, in order to save their souls?  Is this not the kind of love that Jesus came to demonstrate for us?

Yet Calvinism would dare say that God shows His love by causing sin and wickedness and rebellion, by causing people to be unbelievers so that they go to hell!?!

Oh my goodness, the damage they do to God's holy, righteous, loving character, accusing Him of the worst things while excusing it with some sort of frickin' nonsense like "It's all because of love!  It's all for His glory!"

Jesus came to save us from hell.  But Calvi-god is glorified by sending most people to hell.

Oh, don't get me started!  My blood is boiling!

Calvinists say: "Calvi-god is love, and therefore every disease, tragedy, and sin he causes, he does so out of love, and therefore we can trust him.... For Calvi-god so loved a few people - the elect - enough to save them, but the rest he sends to hell so that the elect can see how loved they really are, by comparison.... Calvi-god even loves those he predestined to hell.  It's just that he shows his love to them not by saving them but by giving them food and water while they are alive on earth, before sending them to hell for the sins he caused them to commit.  Now let's give Calvi-god some glory for being so wonderful, trustworthy, and loving!" 
But the Bible says:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16 - His love is for all, and salvation is available for all.  But we have to choose to believe, to accept that gift.)

 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8 - God's love does not send people to hell, nor only provide them with food and water while they are alive on earth.  God Himself tells us that His love sent Jesus to the cross for us, to die for the sins of all sinners, so that we could believe in Him.  God, out of love, seeks to save us, not destroy us.  Oh, what a twisted view of God Calvinists have!)

(For all the posts in this series, see the "Intro ..."  Or look for "'Calvinist Bad Logic' Series" in the labels on the side-bar.  Or find the whole series in one post, "When Calvinism's 'Bad Logic' Traps Good Christians.")

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