Darla took the words right out of my mouth with both her posts and actually probably said it better than I would have.

_________________
Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).

All I can say is, if a child dies or a baby, I have heard people tell the parents, that the child is now in God's loving arms and God is taking care of them now.
to me that is way better than God gives and takes away.
How can you say that to someone.?

_________________
<a href="http://lilyslim.com/"><img src="http://swtc.lilyslim.com/G2dWbbw.png" width="400" height="120" border="0" alt="LilySlim Weight charts" /></a>

Well, I remember the 1st time I heard about Calvinism and I was so mad, I refused to even imagine the possibility that God chooses who will be saved and who won't be. Then when I found out a Church was reformed, I avoided it and the people who attended like the plague.
Funny thing happened. When we were searching for 2 ears for a church, we kept coming back to this one church. Then we were also listening to different pastors and speakers online. I researched the backgrounds on these people because the seemed to be so solid on what they were teaching. Turned out that bot only were all the speakers and astors reformed, but so was the church we liked and the kids school curriculum!
At first, I thought we might have to stop listening to them, find a new church and find new curriculum! But then DH and I decided that we would keep doing what we were alread doing, but ignore an references to calvinism and what they believed.
Then we listened to a sermon about the reformed faith. He explained it like this, we are all sinners and deserve to die and burn in hell. So, if God gave us all what we deserved, then we might as well just die now. So, God owes us nothing, he could have wiped us out and started over if he wanted. But instead he decided to save some That's predestination. And if we think that's not fair, then WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? God owes us no answers, reasons or anything.
Did he not turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt just for turning around? Did he not make pharoah's heart hardened, both of those instances shows God's soveriegnty. I'm sure if Pharoah and Lot's wife knew that God was the one choosing the destiny for them, they too would have said, "that's not fair".
The sermon had man other examples from scripture and it was very very convicting and convincing. DH and I listened to it together in absolute silence because we were so stuck on the predestination part, that we just couldn't come past that. It was a great sermon and completely eye opening!

It's an angry God with little love that I can't believe in, Shawny. I know many choose to, and that's a freedom we have as Christians, it's a freedom's choice I respect, but do believe it's in error. It's wholly offensive to the character and love and joy and yearning of God. The reformed faith and its tenets are new to Christianity. They did not have a place in the Christian faith but for the last 300-400 years or so. That alone is enough to make one pause. How could men who lived 1600 +/- years after the apostles and their disciples know more about the teachings of the faith than the apostles and their disciples themselves? Did Jesus really do such a bad job of choosing and teaching the apostles that they failed at passing down the faith within a generation or two? And yet men who did not walk daily with Christ for three years interpreted the faith so much better, 1600 years after the fact? Why would God wait so very long to reveal His true nature to the Church, when the church is Christ's Body? He wouldn't -- truly He couldn't. His church is His fullness, through the Holy Spirit. It is the pillar and foundation of the truth, to be sure. How could it present God to the world so incorrectly for 1600 years? How could hell have prevailed against it for so very long?

It couldn't. It didn't.

I do not mean to argue, and please know my spirit is writing in love, but it's a portrayal of God that is wholly offensive to the long-orthodox (small o) presentation of the loving Holy Trinity by the Holy Spirit Himself, and if I will "argue" any argument, it will be a false portrayal of the Holy Trinity. Even the word "reformed" is offensive to the nature of God and His church. Re-formed? That would imply He didn't form the faith correctly the first time and it had to be redone because hell had prevailed against it. Impossible.

I recommend, understanding that this suggestion may not be well-received, reading the story and thoughts of the blog writer above who walked away from the reformed faith. And/or the testimonies of others who used to be Calvinist who walked away for the faith of the early church (here).

May you be abundantly blessed on your journey.

_________________
Warmly, Darla Juliana
"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle" (Philo of Alexandria)

Here's an excellent article called "The View of Sin in the Early Church" that I'd highly recommend. God is not angry at sinners. He didn't create some for perdition. Some may choose perdition, but none are predestined to it, and none are unable to repent and turn to Him.

_________________
Warmly, Darla Juliana
"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle" (Philo of Alexandria)

Darla, can you explain this to me

false portrayal of the Holy Trinity

Very interested in that statement and didn't quite pick up on what you meant
Thanks. You can take it to private if you like

_________________
Stephanie

If God created man in His image, how could man be a totally worthless destined to burn in Hell? I believe that our Lord is a loving God who guides us with the rod of correction and the staff of direction. Why would a loving God set some people up to fail? I believe the Lord gives us all many choices to live righteous lives or to take another path.

_________________
******
"Like" us on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/HomeschoolChristiancom

I have been reading many things this morning..One was a history of the Christian Church. Now mind you, I have not read a ton of it, but already I am seeing much disagreement about many things from the beginning. One thing was about the decision on what books would be considered the true Holy scriptures. Wow!!! Man decided that. hmmm Need to read some more about it.

_________________
Stephanie

Darla said ..."some people want to prove everything almost mathematically, lining things up in columns (so to speak), and putting the stamp of "The Bible says so" on it (so they're "right"), all the while, hearts are breaking and pain doesn't go away. "Right" isn't always "best," you know?..."

Exactly. I have seen lots of lives and marriages suffer (my own included) because of reformed thinking, it leaves no room for God's love. Talking with friends last night, they emphasized that Jesus left us two great commandments:

Matthew 22:35-41
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

_________________
"...with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

Mine boggling, isnt it. Yet even after we had a set of books that was 'official' man has been tweaking them ever since with variations on the theme translations. More reason to learn Greek.

_________________
"...with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26