Calvinism's cognitive dissonance (from Sot 101's "Nominal Calvinism")

A few comments from the comment section of Soteriology 101's post Nominal Calvinism (also see this post for more comments from that Sot 101 post): 

TS00 (an anti-Calvinist like me) says:

I have also often asked Calvinist friends how they can possibly question, rue, or complain about any evil under the sun, if it all comes from the eternal divine decree of God for his glory?  But the Calvinist, as br.d suggests, has learned to compartmentalize in order to minimize the cognitive dissonance that Calvinism inevitably creates.

Few, if any, Calvinists consistently look at the evil events in the world, or even the small irritations they face daily, as being directly decreed by God and worthy of only praise and thanksgiving.  If they did, they could not take a stand against abortion, genocide or child abuse, to name but a few of the evils in this world.

They could not, consistently, mourn the loss of lives that abortions, mass shootings or imperial wars produce.  Rather, they would have to embrace these and so many more evils, and proclaim the glory they supposedly produce for God.  But few reasonable men can or will do such a thing, even if it is logically necessary under their chosen theological system. (*see the note at the end)

In reality, in the deep recesses of their minds, they believe, along with non-Calvinists, that such things as murder and child abuse do not, nay, cannot come from the mind of a good, loving and sinless deity.  In reality, in spite of their theology, they believe, rightly, that such things “[God] did not command, nor did it come into [His] heart”.

It is true that we are all able to embrace such logical inconsistencies about cherished beliefs that do not hold up under closer examination; but Calvinism has turned this into an art.  It literally teaches men how to say one thing while claiming to believe its exact opposite.

Thus, men will embrace a theology that asserts that God created countless millions of people deliberately, irresistibly, hopelessly, for disobedience, wrath and punishment and blithely declare that ‘God is love’.  They will assert that God determines whatsoever comes to pass, yet is not the author of evil.  Simply by employing a euphemism, they can trick their mind into not seeing that one who determines all things is, without question, the author of all things.  The ‘all things’ that come to pass in this world cannot by any definition of logic exclude those things which are evil.  The sovereignty they so faithfully declare, that makes all things arise from God’s eternal decrees, cannot help but apply to abortion, murder and child abuse.

Perhaps, those very few Calvinists who actually think through and embrace the heinous, arbitrary, narcissistic assertions Calvinism makes against God can be said to blaspheme.  But the vast majority, in my humble opinion, simply do not know what they do.  They have compartmentalized that which is unthinkable into the part of their mind which does not think, leaving them with no cognizance of the logical implications of the theology they cling to.  Which is why most of us are here, in hopes of breaking through the mind walls that keep people from thinking though the issues.

My reply:

Well said, TS00! All of it.

To point out one thing you said: “They could not, consistently, mourn the loss of lives that abortions, mass shootings or imperial wars produce.  Rather, they would have to embrace these and so many more evils, and proclaim the glory they supposedly produce for God.”

Great point!  How can any Calvinist call any immoral thing “wrong” if Calvi-god himself decided it was the right thing to cause for his glory!?!

You also said, “Thus, men will embrace a theology that asserts that God created countless millions of people deliberately, irresistibly, hopelessly, for disobedience, wrath and punishment and blithely declare that ‘God is love’.”

I read one Calvinist who proclaimed that since “God is love” then everything He causes (since Calvi-god is believed to CAUSE all things) is done out of love … cancer, wars, disease, violence, unbelief, abuse, etc.  She said we should view it all as acts of love, because God is love.

That’s sick and twisted.

My Calvi-pastor used to say, “The issue isn’t ‘Why doesn’t God save all people?  Why does He cause people to sin and go to hell?’  The real issue is ‘Why does He choose to save any of us, when we all deserve hell?'”

As if distracting people from the bad stuff – from the stuff that puts God in a very bad light – is going to make it all better.  “Oh, don’t think about those multitudes of people predestined to hell; just think about those tiny few lucky ones that Calvi-god ‘graciously’ chose to save out of love.”

You said it well, about the mind-tricks they play on themselves to trick themselves into believing the horrifying, unimaginable things: “Simply by employing a euphemism, they can trick their mind into not seeing that one who determines all things is, without question, the author of all things.”

It’s hogwash!

You also said, “They will assert that God determines whatsoever comes to pass, yet is not the author of evil.”

My Calvi-pastor would say, “So how can God be the cause of all things yet still hold man accountable for his sins?  I don’t know.  I don’t know how it all works together. But I have to believe it because the Bible says both these things are true.”  And he’d say this with a tone of “Look how humble I am to accept this difficult teaching, even though I don’t understand it.”

Well, my thought is … He’d better understand it!!!  If he’s going to say that God is the kind of God who first causes us to sin but then punishes us for it – and a God who apparently, if Calvinism is true, misleads us all through His Word (saying things He doesn’t mean, meaning things He doesn’t say), a God who didn’t send Jesus to pay for all sins of all people, a God who deliberately chose to create most people just so He could hate them and send them to hell for His glory (when He doesn’t need any more glory than He already has anyway) – he’d better understand it!  Because if he’s wrong, there’s going to be a huge price to pay!

A Calvinist can’t just wave their hand like a hypnotist and be like “Oh, don’t think about the hard stuff.  None of your questions and doubts matter.  Just accept what you’re being told. I’m telling you that this is what the Bible says, and so you’d better believe it or else you’ll be dishonoring God and His Word.”

It’s manipulative, demonic hogwash (in my opinion)!

You said, “The sovereignty they so faithfully declare, that makes all things arise from God’s eternal decrees, cannot help but apply to abortion, murder and child abuse.”

My Calvi-pastor said it this way (paraphrased): “God is sovereign over all.  Everything that happened in your life, even all evils, was God’s ‘Plan A’ for your life.  It’s what He ordained (we know he means ‘preplanned and caused’) for His glory and for your good and to humble you.”  And in the list of “God-ordained evils,” he included child abuse.  I was furious when he said this, but no one else seemed to notice it or be fazed by it.  And that boggles my mind.

But what he’s basically saying is that God (Calvi-god) preplanned and caused any abuse (or other tragedy) you went through as a child, that God caused that person to commit the sins they did against you when you were just a helpless, innocent child (but of course, He’ll punish THEM for it), and that God never had anything else in mind for you than abuse.  And that God did all this for His glory and for your good, because apparently you needed to be abused to keep you humble.

[And silly me, I thought that God’s Plan A was a sin-free life in the Garden of Eden where we would be free from death and sin and problems, but that WE screwed it up.  WE altered His Plan A.  And He has been working to redeem it ever since.  And someday, He’ll put it all right again.

But what do I know!?!  Apparently, Calvi-god’s Plan A was abuse and disease and causing sin and creating people for hell.  For our good, to keep us humble, and because these things bring him some kind of sick glory!  That’s a glorious, trustworthy god indeed!]

But as long as he first traps us with “God is sovereign” – making us feel like humble Christians if we accept WHATEVER happens as God’s doing – then he can cause us to accept any horrible misrepresentation of God without question.  Because it’s the “humble” thing to do.

You said, “… But the vast majority, in my humble opinion, simply do not know what they do.  They have compartmentalized that which is unthinkable into the part of their mind which does not think …”

And I think this is exactly why so many well-meaning, naïve Christians get suckered into Calvinism!  Like when my pastor manipulates people into just accepting what they’re told.  If these nominal Calvinists ever gave themselves permission to question what they’re being told and to read the Bible without Calvinists telling them how to interpret it, there’d probably be a lot less Calvinists out there.

I’ve said it before, but I doubt that there are many Calvinists who came to Calvinism simply by reading the Bible for themselves.  It takes Calvinists to teach other people how to “find” Calvinism in the Bible.

TS00's reply to me:

Heather writes:

“My Calvi-pastor would say, “So how can God be the cause of all things yet still hold man accountable for his sins?  I don’t know.  I don’t know how it all works together. But I have to believe it because the Bible says both these things are true.”

And – I know you know this, Heather – the error is in asserting that the bible says both these things are true.  In reality, some man (council, creed, confession, denomination, institution, etc.) has TOLD you the bible says both things are true, and you have taken his (their) word for it.  What if they are wrong, as so many have concluded over the centuries?

Sure, they hold up their Who’s Who lists and try to browbeat you into humble, mindless submission, but the fact is, just as many intelligent, well-read, humble servants of God (I would say more, as many Calvinist celebrities do not fit that description) have rejected Calvinism’s claims and interpretations of scripture.

I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll probably say it a million, but the only way people will ever escape from error, misconception and deceit is by grasping the fact that what we think we ‘know’ about God is, in reality, an interpretation of scripture.  Too many simply choose which ‘authority’ they will believe.  God calls us to apply our God-given minds, with the faithful leading of His very own Spirit of Truth, and allow him to chip away our misconceptions and deepen our understanding of what is truly true.

The biggest mistake I made while under Calvinist teaching (which I never fully embraced) was to submit to the ‘authority’ of my pastor, and his claims to know more than what I possibly could.  When he spoke from the pulpit, ‘He spoke for God’.  Yeah, that statement not only made my skin crawl, but began the chipping away that freed me from the hold I had allowed to overcome my ability to think.

______________________________________________

*End note: As we've already seen many times, there are some Calvinists who are consistent with their Calvinism, who will boldly and proudly embrace sin, evil, and damnation as good because they think it's what Calvi-god wanted/caused for his glory:

Gordon H. Clark (from Religion, Reason, and Revelation) “I wish very frankly and pointedly to assert that if a man gets drunk and shoots his family, it was the will of God... this view certainly makes God the cause of sin.”

James White (listen here) in answer to a question about if God is responsible for child rape: “Yes, because if not then it’s meaningless and purposeless.”

Jeff Durbin (see clips in The Madness of Calvinism), talking to a woman about evils like gang rape: “God actually has a morally sufficient reason for all the evil He plans… He actually decrees all things."

A Calvinist grandfather-to-be (see "The total depravity of certain Calvinists" or see my post about it) said that God might not love his unborn grandchild and might have even created it to be a murderer.  And he justifies it by saying "God can do what He chooses to do with His creation" and "God is not ashamed of Himself so why should I be."  And he also said this about God decreeing rape: “God must then direct the rapist not just who to rape but how to perform the rape and how long… Amen, but I would go even farther than that, God originated every detail in His mind from all eternity and decreed it to be so.”   

In a Soteriology 101 post called "Frustrated by the state of the world?", non-Calvinist Fromoverhere asked: "Simple question to you Calvinists: Were yesterday's abortions in your city what God wanted?"  The Calvinist Filemon responded with “The answer is Yes," claiming that God planned/controlled it in order to fulfill His plan.  And Rhutchin (another Calvinist) agrees: “... It is God’s choice to have the abortion continue, and because God chooses for the abortion to continue, we say that the abortion was God’s will.  Calvinists say that God made this decision before He created the world....”

Theodore Zachariades (as seen in this clip from Soteriology 101) claims that adultery is from God: "God works all things after the counsel of His will, even keeping those kings who want to commit adultery from committing so... and when He wants to, He orders those to commit adultery when HE WANTS TO!"  (Hmm, getting his excuses all lined up in case he himself is an adulterer?)

This Calvinist woman, sadly, has been brainwashed by Calvinism to believe that adultery is God's Will (see Warren McGrew/Idol Killer's video "You don't understand Calvinism - Considering the Reformation", starting at about 24 minutes): "I want you to know something, Warren.  My husband committed adultery on me... I know God did that for my good and for my husband's good - because he repented, he got more devout with the Lord and our marriage improved as a result.  So I know God's the one who led him into temptation, that led him into that adulterous affair, and that God effectually decreed it for our good." 

Jonathan Edwards (in "The Miscellanies", point n.) believes that it's good for God to damn babies to hell: "... it is most just, exceeding just, that God should take the soul of a new-born infant and cast it into eternal torments... For we know [infants] have enough [sin] to make their damnation very just."  

Vincent Cheung (“Infant Salvation”) agrees, celebrating Calvi-god's damnation of infants (and mentally-handicapped people) and even claiming that those who have a problem with this idea are dishonoring God and probably not even Christians: “We insist that if infants can be saved, then only chosen infants are saved… Perhaps the same applies to those who are mentally retarded, although there seems to be no biblical evidence to say that some mentally retarded people are saved.  Their salvation is only a possibility.  It is also possible that all mentally retarded people are damned… [and] on the basis of the doctrine of reprobation, they would be created as damned individuals in the first place... Whatever God decides must be right and good.  It may be difficult due to their grief and weakness at the time, but if the parents [who lost a baby] cannot finally accept this, that God is always right, then they are headed for hell themselves and need to become Christians. (So quick and eager to dish out damnation!) ... The possibility in consideration does not apply to mentally aware infants, teenagers, and adults who never heard the gospel – they will all surely go to hell… I have no problem with the idea that all who die as embryos, infants, and mentally retarded would burn in hell.  If this is what God has decided, then this is what happens… As for the embryos, if they perish, they will go where God decides – if they all burn in hell, they all burn in hell…” 

So, clearly, some Calvinists aren't afraid to boldly declare evil and damnation as Calvi-god's Will, as what he preplanned, wanted, and caused for his glory.  (Horrifyingly and brazenly blasphemous!)  They are deeply convinced that this is truth, that it's the humble, God-honoring way to think.  (Can Satan be any more smooth and successful than that!)  

And in these cases, the cognitive dissonance comes in when they have to then try to convince themselves and others that a god like this is really "good" and can be trusted, that he's truly different from Satan.😕

As Mark Talbot/John Piper (editor) says in "Suffering and the Sovereignty of God": “It isn’t just that God manages to turn the evil aspects of our world to good for those that love him; it is rather that he himself brings about these evil aspects… This includes God’s having even brought about the Nazi’s brutality at Birkenau and Auschwitz as well as the terrible killings of Dennis Nadar and even the sexual abuse of a young child... We can be sure that God has made our lives’ most evil moments as well as their best... I myself find it very difficult to understand how [God can ordain evil for our good] with some of the worst things that human beings do, like sexually abusing young children or raping or torturing someone mercilessly.

... Many of us have tasted such grief....Yet these griefs have been God’s gifts.... [And in the end, when we see Jesus face-to-face] we will see that God has indeed done all that he pleased and has done it all perfectly, both for his glory and our good..."

And as my ex-pastor says in his August 2015 sermon about God ordaining suffering: "[Some people] say that evil and suffering are the result of [free-will choices]... [But] God is in full control of every detail of the universe, including the suffering, evil, and tragedy in our lives... And God is good and that whatever He does, He does for His own glory and for the advancement of His name among the nations... Are you trusting God in the midst of your past, present, and future in whatever He has ordained and appointed for you as far as suffering, tragedy, abuse, or trials or difficulties or illness or disease or betrayal?... Or are you murmuring against Him?... Do you perhaps need to repent of your murmuring and the chip on your shoulder against God, and surrender today and say 'Lord, I don't understand the way You run the universe, and I don't necessarily like it, but You're God and You're good.'... Find refuge and hope in a good and holy God who says 'I have all things under My control.  Everything that's going on in your life, or has gone on in your life, or will, I know about and have ordained for you.  And you can find comfort and hope and trust Me.'"  

Brilliant manipulative-shaming!  

First, he tells people that God preplanned, orchestrated, caused them to be abused, cheated on, betrayed, etc...

... and then he shames them by accusing them of sinning against God if they're upset about it, if they don't essentially accept it as a gift from a "good" God who planned it specifically for them, for their good and His glory.

Ugh.

To me, Calvinism - bold, outspoken, honest, consistent Calvinism - is little more than a contest of who can be the biggest Pharisee, who can appear the holiest, most humble, and most God-glorifying while saying the worst things about God, twisting Scripture the most, and shamelessly manipulating and gaslighting people into agreeing with them.

And yet, ironically, when non-Calvinists boldly and unequivocally call out Calvinism and its wretched teachings, we get accused of being too mean, too harsh, too intolerant, too divisive.  

Well, considering what Calvinism does to God's truth and character, Jesus's sacrifice, and people's salvation, how could we not be harsh and intolerant of that!?!  

Some things need to be fought about and divided over in order to protect the truth of God's Word and the gospel.

"You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you?... Are you so foolish?... I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all.  Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ."  (Gal. 1:6-7,3:1)

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.  It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.  Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)  

Are there any "Pauls" left in the Church today?  Those who are willing to say the hard things in tough love, who will call a spade a spade?  Those who will risk offending people by standing up for God's Truth (as graciously and lovingly as possible, of course)?  Those who are more concerned with protecting the gospel and God's character than with protecting heretical Christians' easily-bruised egos? 

Given the condition of the Church nowadays, the answer is probably "Not really."  

Tragic.

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what [their pastor] said was true.” (Acts 17:11, slightly modified😉)