Faith Questions...Answers in English please!

[markyj987]

I do not preach. There are two reasons. One--I'm not outgoing enough. Two--I have had no formal religious education. When I look up questions I have on the Internet, I get how people feel about something--which is useless when you want facts. Or, I get a particular church's positions--which they try to make sound great.

Given the lively religious discussion in here of late, I thought it might be helpful to ask some questions and encourage others to do the same. Then, hopefully some of the more knowledgeable members here can answer.

I ask only one thing in this thread, be objective. If someone asks what a certain faith believes, do not respond by saying they are a cult. Just objective facts, please.

Here are a couple to start out:

Who are the Calvinists and what do they believe? I'm strong in my faith, but don't know a Calvinist from a Q-tip.

I understand that Protestants are made up of several different denominations--which ones? And what makes them Protestants versus non-Protestants?

More questions to come--and I hope others have some as well.

[johnf]

Follwers of John Calvin. I think that's his name.

I can't remember, but if you don't have an answer by the end of the day I'll get it to you.

There are 3 basic points of Calvinism?

They escape me right now.

Hey at least I'm honest about it. You gotta give me that.

Btw The answers that I will give will be from the "Moody handbook on of Theology" It's basically the incyclopedia on prodistant churches. It doesn't judge there theology it only explains what they believe and why.

[preacherman]

Here is the basic definition of Calvinsim from WIKIPEDIA online......

Calvinism is a system of Christian theology and an approach to Christian life and thought, articulated by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and subsequently by successors, associates, followers and admirers of Calvin and his interpretation of Scripture. The Reformed tradition is referred to by the roughly equivalent term Calvinism.

The Reformed tradition was originally advanced by stallwarts such as Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and Peter Martyr Vermigli, and also influenced English reformers such as Thomas Cranmer and John Jewel. However, because of Calvin's great influence and role in the confessional and ecclesiastical debates throughout the seventeenth century, this Reformed movement generally became known as Calvinism. Today, this term also refers to the doctrines and practices of the Reformed churches, of which Calvin was an early leader. Though it is often over-emphasized by its detractors, Calvinism is perhaps best known for its doctrines of predestination and election. In the area of soteriology Calvinism stands in contrast to Arminianism.


From everything that I gain from it..........the strong points of the doctrine of calvinism deal with predestination.

[johnf]

Preacherman, my head is swimming from reading that, and I know what your talking about.

I thinke what he is wanting is the points of Calvinism and where they come from.

BTW have you heard of or do you have the book I'm talking about?

[slugshooter]

As far as protestantism, what I was told when I was younger is that it basically formed as a protest to the Catholic church so to speak. Protest-ant. Protestant seems to encompass any Christian denomination that is not Catholic.

As far as Calvinism, I have no idea.

[johnf]

I've got the history of that sluggo if you want to hear it. It' a little drawn out tho

[jdickey]

The PROTESTANT churches began in the 16th century when many european Crhistians broke away form the Catholic church in "protest" of the ideals being practiced by the Church. Martin Luther is often considered to be the founder of the Protestant movement, and John Calvin was also influential at that time. Much of Germany became "Lutheran", and later many of the other Protestant churches began splitting and breaking away. Essentially, the Protestant religious philosophy established that God and God alone is to be worshipped. NOTHING else should stand in the way of, in the place of, or equal to God.

John Calvin was essentially considered a "reformer" for the Protestant religion and held that the Christian Church should be organized along the lines explicitly stated in the Bible. The Presbyterian Church is a close example of Calvin's principals. Very simply, what it means is that individual Christians each have a purpose in life - to fulfill their role in God's plan. Calvinism instituted the desacraliztion of human life; this then, removed all of the sacraments from the liturgy except for baptism and communion.

One of the major reasons that the Protestants came to the "New World", was to continue their reformation movement even more so. It was from these groups that many more "new" faiths began to emerge.

There is much more about the hows and whys of the various Christian religions. But hope that this helps answer your initial question!

[johnf]

Ok I've got 15 minutes. Lets see how much of this I can get done.

Back late part of the middle ages when the Catholic church was very strong and commerce began to grow rapidly in Southern Europe, there was a problem with "godly" people when it came to buisness.

In those time Usery or getting intrest on a loan was considered sinfull by the Catholic church because it was money earned without work. Say you had a thriving silk marketplace and were making lots of money. Someone else asked you for a loan to build a ship to travel and do their own buisness. If you charged them intrest on that loan, you were sinning. Not a big deal if the loan goes through and you're still alive to pray and ask forgiveness. But if you die while the loan is still being paid then you, in their eyes were not forgiven of that sin and were sent to ****.

So the pope at the time started a program with a thing called an "Indulgence" where if you're family paid them money after your death, they would pray for your forgiveness so that you could go to heaven.

This is the origin of the "Last rights"

After some time they started forgiving other more serious sinns. Then they started forgiving sinns for money while people were still alive. This is where things got ugly.

If you were rich you could pretty much do anything you wanted and all you would have to do was pay a priest to forgive you and you didn't have to worry about your sin. The Catholic church was so powerfull at the time that if they forgave you of your sin then the Roman government had no right to prosicute you. In essence if you had the $$ you could get away with murder. Like O.J.

Martin Luther (yes from the Lutherin Church) was a priest and saw how currupt not only the church was becomming, but society as a whole, and began the reformation. His intent was not to split from the catholic church, he was very devout, but simply to clean it up.

Around 50 years later the Catholic church started the counter reformation and did away with the indulgences and changed the way they did some parts of the mass, including alowing musical instruments in the church and doing it in the peoples native language rather than Latin.

The people of the Catholic church were so used to the indulgences that they demanded some type intercessory prayer from the priest.

This was the origin of confession as we see it today.

These were very dark times in the Catholic church and most catholics that I've talked to about it have never heard of any of these things, or they have been so watered down that the stories don't really make any sence.

15 minutes are up.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

I can describe Zen for you...

It's like a final exam where all of the questions are trick questions!

[Tominator]

[ QUOTE ]
As far as protestantism, what I was told when I was younger is that it basically formed as a protest to the Catholic church so to speak. Protest-ant. Protestant seems to encompass any Christian denomination that is not Catholic.

As far as Calvinism, I have no idea.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto. I'm Catholic, and that's what I was taught. Martin Luther was the first Protestant.

A question of my own:

If you're Amish, is that a religion, or lifestyle? If it's a religion, what are your beliefs?

[buckee]

[ QUOTE ]
If you're Amish, is that a religion, or lifestyle? If it's a religion, what are your beliefs?

[/ QUOTE ]
One belief that sets them apart is the physical separation they make from the state and the outside world.

[johnf]

[ QUOTE ]
Who are the Calvinists and what do they believe? I'm strong in my faith, but don't know a Calvinist from a Q-tip.



[/ QUOTE ]

There are 5 points of Calvinsm not 3. OOPs.

Here they are taken directly from the "Moody Handbook of Theology" by Paul Enns

TOTAL DEPRAVITY - As a result of Adam's fall, the entire human race is affected: all humanity is dead in trespassas and sin. Man is unable to save himself.

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION - Because man is dead in sin, he is unable to initiate response to God, therefore, in eternity past God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional, the are not based on man's response.

LIMITED ATONEMENT - Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God's unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect. Aall whom God has elected and Christ died for will be saved.

IRRESTISTIBLE GRACE - Those whom God elected and Christ died for, God drawsto Himself through irresistible grace. God makes man willing to come to Him. When God calls, man responds.

PERSEVERENCE OF THE SAINTS - The precise ones God has elected and drawn to Himself through the Holy Spirit will persevere in faith. Non whom God has elected will be lost: they are eternally secure.



<font color="red"> These are not my personal opinions, they were taken from the book mentioned above.

Just trying to answer the question as best as I could. </font>

[slugshooter]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Who are the Calvinists and what do they believe? I'm strong in my faith, but don't know a Calvinist from a Q-tip.



[/ QUOTE ]


UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION - Because man is dead in sin, he is unable to initiate response to God, therefore, in eternity past God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional, the are not based on man's response.

LIMITED ATONEMENT - Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God's unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect. Aall whom God has elected and Christ died for will be saved.

PERSEVERENCE OF THE SAINTS - The precise ones God has elected and drawn to Himself through the Holy Spirit will persevere in faith. Non whom God has elected will be lost: they are eternally secure.



<font color="red"> These are not my personal opinions, they were taken from the book mentioned above.

Just trying to answer the question as best as I could. </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

That sounds like our old buddy yewbowman.....or was it justapilgrim......or was it, ohhhh, ya'll get the point.

[buckee]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Who are the Calvinists and what do they believe? I'm strong in my faith, but don't know a Calvinist from a Q-tip.



[/ QUOTE ]

There are 5 points of Calvinsm not 3. OOPs.

Here they are taken directly from the "Moody Handbook of Theology" by Paul Enns

TOTAL DEPRAVITY - As a result of Adam's fall, the entire human race is affected: all humanity is dead in trespassas and sin. Man is unable to save himself.

UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION - Because man is dead in sin, he is unable to initiate response to God, therefore, in eternity past God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional, the are not based on man's response.

LIMITED ATONEMENT - Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God's unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect. Aall whom God has elected and Christ died for will be saved.

IRRESTISTIBLE GRACE - Those whom God elected and Christ died for, God drawsto Himself through irresistible grace. God makes man willing to come to Him. When God calls, man responds.

PERSEVERENCE OF THE SAINTS - The precise ones God has elected and drawn to Himself through the Holy Spirit will persevere in faith. Non whom God has elected will be lost: they are eternally secure.



<font color="red"> These are not my personal opinions, they were taken from the book mentioned above.

Just trying to answer the question as best as I could. </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

In other words, Man has no "Free WILL" to choose anything. It's kind of like Shakespeare "Life is but a stage, and we are all but preprogrammed actors"

[Jimfrompa]

[quote
In other words, Man has no "Free WILL" to choose anything. It's kind of like Shakespeare "Life is but a stage, and we are all but preprogrammed actors"

[/ QUOTE ]
I am glad that that isn't correct. What a shame it would be to not have a loving saviour that wanted to save all.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
I think that the world means more then the elect few.