The Calvinist view of predestination is a concept that exists within the context of Christian theology and soteriology. It is distinct from determinism but implies that there is more determinism involved than other views of predestination do. The main premise is that God directly decides who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, which is a logical necessity if you believe in the Christian God and is referred to as "double predestination". In contrast Catholics and Lutherans for example believe in "single predestination" where God decides who goes to heaven but not who goes to hell. This is a logical contradiction because deciding who goes to heaven also decides who goes to hell by exclusion.
Most people think the problem with Calvinists is that they don't believe in free will, on the contrary their problem is that they DO believe in free will and their view of predestination is still not extreme enough. Calvinists still believe we are punished for our choice to sin, even though it is inherently in our nature to sin and God decided our nature. Those who are saved are saved by "unconditional election" where God has mercy on them even though they also sin, not because they are more deserving but arbitrarily because God said so. Supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism are further subtypes within Calvinism. The correct view between the two is supralapsarianism where God predetermined even the initial fall from grace in the garden of eden.
I will now explain why you are a hypocrite if you are Christian but don't affirm supralapsarian double predestination. In Christianity God is omnipotent, omniscient and not limited by time, meaning he could have created any version of reality he wanted and would always know exactly what "choices" would be made in any reality he makes. This means that even if there is free will somehow, your choices are STILL predetermined because God chose to make this specific version of reality. He chose to create a version of reality where the very first pair of humans fall from grace and 99% of the rest of them go to hell because of it. He had infinite options to create an infinite number of variations of realities and he chose this exact one wherein every specific "choice" ever made was predetermined as a result.
Christians use God as the axiom to define what is good and what is evil, so Christians who are afraid to be Calvinist because it "makes God evil" are hypocrites. Christians believe that all humans are sinners, so Christians who believe that there are people who "deserve" more based on their choices are hypocrites. Christians believe our purpose is to obey and kiss God's ass and that God has power over all things, so Christians who don't want to accept a worldview where God controls everything are hypocrites. Christians believe that Paul's epistles are theologically inerrant, so Christians who aren't Calvinists are hypocrites
14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?
22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Romans 9 NKJV - Israel’s Rejection of Christ - I tell - Bible GatewayThere are very many factors that limit human free will, and absolutely no meaningful evidence that free will exists at all. Most people are merely reflections of their culture, if you are raised in india you will almost always be hindu, if you are raised in saudi arabia you will almost always be muslim etc. Your "choices" also reflect your hormones, your IQ, your EQ, your personal life experiences all of which you have no control over. Perhaps it can be said that if you claim to be a rational human being but also believe in free will, you are a hypocrite regardless of if you're Christian or not. You can't choose whether you go to heaven or hell any more than you can choose the position of each atom inside your brain.
No, thank you
Are you going to vote on this even though you don't have a single excuse to vote against me this time?
Make the debate and state me alone as opponent. Leave an entire week to debate it and word it exactly the same as it is worded now.
I will show you an antiChristian angle and play devil's advocate to prove a different way to prove this wrong than you would assume while still being loyal to Christ.