#calvinist

[beardedmrbean]

So this is Calvinism, I feel like I've been mislead over the decades.

[songs-of-the-east]

Ethnic Hungarian Girl Attends Her Calvinist Confirmation in Inucu, Cluj, Romania (Hungarian: Inaktelke, Kalotaszeg)

The majority of Transylvanian Hungarians are Calvinists, largely because of historical developments during the 16th century's Protestant Reformation. At that time, Transylvania was relatively independent and known for its religious tolerance, which allowed Protestant ideas, especially Calvinism, to spread more freely. Calvinism’s focus on personal faith, permission of use of the Hungarian language in worship, and its simpler church structure attracted many ethnic Hungarians. Adopting Calvinism also helped them maintain a distinct cultural and religious identity amid a diverse religious landscape shaped not only by Catholic, but also by Orthodox Christian and Islamic powers in this part of Europe.

[flowercustodian]

This might be a little random but is anyone else like deeply disturbed by calvinism? like learning what that was was perhaps the only time Christianity has genuinely instilled fear in me in recent years and I haven't been the same since I learned about it, Its also why i think your theology can't be purely intellectual/scholastic to the point of being devoid of love, calvinism is more or less logically sound but it's devoid of God's mercy and love while claiming to glorify him

[thisbibliomaniac]

[shameikasaidso]

analysis of this post by ethel cain that no one asked for

Okay starting with the easy one: Catholics. So as Hayden mentioned, Catholics are gay. They are clearly and unapologetically gay and they have been this way for centuries. Monasteries were gay in the Middle Ages. Those monks were going at it. There have been several extremely gay popes. The stained glass and the robes and the elaborate churches- that's camp, it's gay. Out of all the Christian denominations, they also have fairly progressive views on social justice issues like homosexuality and transgenderism (they're still terrible but the bar is on the floor). They recognise homosexuality as real but "objectively disordered" but not inherently sinful, but you have to remain a celibate your whole life, as any homosexual act is sinful, and gay marriage isn't recognised by the Catholic Church. Transgender people can witness weddings but that's pretty much it, the church doesn't recognise transgender identity at all. Very much love the sinner hate the sin (dumb concept). This is probably why, as a transgender bisexual woman, Hayden has beef with Catholics.

Next, Methodists. So, Methodists differ from Catholics in they believe to get into heaven you have to actually earn God's grace, whereas the Catholics emphasise faith over everything. Other than that, it's very similar, Methodists are generally on the more progressive side and usually support things like gay marriage and women in church leadership roles, hence why Hayden said they were kind of gay (I assume). They also emphasise community a lot which is historically pretty gay coded.

Calvinists. They basically think that everyone deserves to go to hell and only certain people can be saved by God's Grace (essentially forgiveness). You can't earn your way to salvation through faith or good deeds, because humans can't fix themselves on their own. Only God is in control, and God has absolute authority and there's essentially no free will because everything is influenced by God's plan. Quite absurdist and yes very annoying, why would you voluntarily worship an authoritarian leader who randomly (well Calvinists would reject that but for the sake of the conversation it is random) selects people to forgive when they die and if you don't get forgiven you just go to hell even if you were a good person and had faith.

Baptists. Baptists fundamentally see the sacrament of Baptism as something that you choose, and you can only be baptised if it's something you personally choose. Individual Baptist churches vary significantly by ideology depending on location, some are super progressive and some are fundamentalist and believe the earth was created 6000 years ago. This is also true for Pentecostals, which also vary significantly by church. The difference is that Pentecostals emphasise spirituality and the Holy Spirit, whereas Baptists care more about correctly interpreting the Bible and living according to the Bible. Hayden grew up as a Southern Baptist, which is a type of Baptist that is generally extremely conservative and fundamentalist, which is (obviously) heavily reflected in her music.

Interestingly, Baptists and Pentecostals are on average some of the most conservative denominations and openly condemn/deny the existence of people under the queer umbrella. It doesn't make much sense that these denominations are her favourite until you remember that she grew up with them, and the aesthetics and psychological memory structures are ingrained in her- this theme is heavily reflected in Sun Bleached Flies, where Ethel Cain (character) finds comfort in her church, God and faith as she passes away, despite having a complicated relationship with it throughout her life.

source: catholic school education (rip)

[calvinists-and-hobbesians]

I'm so scared.

I'm at a point in my religious journey where from my point of view, Christianity and some form of atheism both seem perfectly likely.

What do I do if that doesn't stop. What do I do if I found out that truth is that they're both entirely cohesive worldviews.

What do I do if I believe there's a very real chance Christianity is real but I can't convince myself to believe it "just in case". Can't change my emotions. Can't find enough trust. Can't change that this all looks coincidentally exactly like a fake religion to me. What if I go to hell because of that.

I believe in Calvinism (mainly due to Romans 9), meaning God makes some of us Christian to come with him to heaven and realize his truth, and others he makes with hard hearts so that he can "show his glory" and "make heaven a greater reward" and "fill his followers with the fear of God"

What if I'm one of them and I know it. What if I was sent hurtling towards damnation since the moment I was born and I'm forced to watch.

My only hope is that the Bible says that "all who seek Him with their whole heart will find Him."(Jeremiah 29:13), but what if he hardens my heart such that I cannot seek him. After all, the bible also says that "none truly seek god."(Romans 3:10-12)

Someone help. Please.

[360degreesasthecrowflies]

Showing Who You Are

I was thinking about essential choices today in HP...well, that and Peter Pettigrew and Draco. It all goes back to that line in CoS, That's

Even back in the 00s some people were clocking the author of H* P*

[liketwoswansinbalance]

RIP Rafal, you would've loved Calvinism (if applied to the Storian, if you had lived).

Context: