The Anti-Calvinist Rant

Understanding God's Will #11: But doesn't everything happen for a reason?  Don’t you think that God could’ve caused bad things to happen for a reason, even if He didn’t really want them to happen?                  Sometimes, maybe.    I wish that I could say no ... and yes.    No, because I don’t want to think that God causes bad things to happen.    And yes, because I want to believe that all bad things have a purpose and that He is in total control.    It makes the bad things a lot easier to face then.    (And for the record, I think that our view of what’s “bad” can and does differ from God’s.    Our perspective is so, so cloudy and flawed compared to God’s.)              I think that the Bible does show times when He causes something “bad” for a reason (but He never causes sin or evil).    Sometimes it’s because of discipline and judgment, such as when He causes rebellious nations to be overthrown and destroyed.    And sometimes it’s to gain glory for Himself, such

(All memes made with IMGFLIP )   Yes, I know they're a little childish.  But I'm having fun making them anyway.  It's my way of venting some of the frustration of leaving our church because of Calvinism and of not being able to talk to anyone at church about it because no one else - except one other family - seems to care.  And so, yes, I'm allowing myself to be a little childish now and then, for my own amusement. Or was I "predestined" to be a little childish?  ;)

(This "Things My Calvinist Pastor Said" series is a breakdown of this much longer post:  "We Left Our Church Because of Calvinism,"  which was written last year but updated July 2020.  They are almost exact quotes.  All memes were created with  imgflip .) Updated October 2023 15.    Our pastor never does altar calls and never asks people if they want to ask Jesus in their heart or choose Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Instead, Calvinists emphasize the need to "repent."             As I mentioned in the last point, w ith Calvinism in general, there are no altar calls, no "Do you want to ask Jesus into your heart, to choose Him as your Lord and Savior?"                They say it's because they don't want people thinking they're saved just because they "walked the aisle" or "prayed a prayer."  But I know it's because they don't want people thinking they have a choice.  Because that would contradict th