(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Calvinist Christianity and its Danger to Democracy [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-12-20 John Calvin was one of the two most influential Protestant Reformation theologians. Martin Luther was the other. Calvin's legacy has powered much of the political dysfunction we see today as evangelical Christians reject the constitutional order in favor of Christian Nationalism. The ideal political model of the Christian universe has God as king ruling his entire creation. In Calvinism or Reformed theology, God is especially powerful as he is depicted as controlling the universe through predestination where significant historical events are predetermined and reflect his will. As a sovereign, God makes the rules. But like any king, he has unmatched powers, which means he can violate those rules whenever he wishes. In both Calvinism and Lutheranism, mankind is “totally depraved” and must depend completely on God’s grace for salvation. In Calvinism, God decides in advance who is elect or destined for salvation. Thus, the term predestination (derived from “destiny”) is used to describe this central doctrine of Calvinism. The irony in Calvinism is that depraved individuals who happen to be ministers and church leaders currently claim to know God’s will but their knowledge of what God wants is just as flawed and imperfect as any other human interpretation or action. Their “depravity” and hubris pretty much guarantees that they will misinterpret “God’s will” and likely substitute their own will in its place. Christian Nationalists want to rule others and tell them what to do and how to live. Following God’s will is the justification for the power they seek. But as with many theological systems, Calvinism has some contradictory or confused doctrines. But let us now examine Calvinism and its relationship to government in more detail. In Calvinism, God is an arbitrary king, and no one can question his actions. Justice is therefore not central to the Calvinist’s world view. We see this in how he allows Satan to curse the innocent and righteous prophet Job with disease (sores all over his body) and the death of his wives, children, and livestock. When Job questions the injustice, God tells Job that he created everything and can do whatever he wants with it. If he wants to use Job as a pawn in a wager with Satan, no one can stop or question him. Job eventually agrees and just accepts the extreme mistreatment while remaining faithful to God. He is thus a role model for all the faithful. Loyalty to God as with the loyalty to Mr. Trump by his Christian followers is essential, and right and wrong are far less relevant. Job is later rewarded for his loyalty with health and increased numbers of wives and livestock. Wives, children, and animals are easily replaced in the Biblical world view and treated as property that is owned by men. But the United States was born in opposition to an arbitrary sovereign - King George III. America and the Constitutional order rejected arbitrary, unjust kings and their edicts. So, the seeds of the current conflict between many Calvinist Christians (who often do not know that their beliefs can be traced to Calvin) and the Constitutional order existed from the time of the country’s founding. Puritans were English Calvinists who in 1620 brought their views with them to the New World. While they generally believed in democracy as the best form of government, their underlying doctrines, as we can see today, eventually came to promote theocracy. Calvinists cannot follow the ideals of a republic since their loyalty and call to follow the will of God will always be more important than any Constitution or set of laws. As theocrats, in the modern world, they are natural revolutionaries and the potential enemies of democracies. For in democracies unlike monarchies, the will of the people and the consent of the governed are most important. We see the conflict played out in the person of Mr. Trump who has few or no Christian virtues but is believed to be “chosen of God”. God is sovereign. He can choose whoever he wishes as a leader no matter how corrupt, lustful, and dishonest. Mr. Trump has become God’s representative on earth for many evangelical Christians, and those who oppose him are seen as evil and destined for eternal damnation. The unitary executive concept which led the Supreme Court to declare that the President can violate the law in the course of his duties (i.e., is “above the law”) is consistent with the Calvinist worldview. It echoes of “the divine right of kings” which predated current democratic forms of government and was traditionally supported by both Protestant and Catholic theologians. It is a regressive, theological worldview that values being part of “the elect” (one of those who are chosen by God for salvation) and more recently living in a “Christian nation“ more than anything else. Mr. Trump, who is chosen by God to rule, becomes like God on earth. He has been granted God’s absolute power to rule the United States as President by the six conservative Catholics (whose actions resemble Calvinist Protestants) on the Supreme Court. Not supporting or voting for Mr. Trump is the quickest way to damnation. This explains the desperation and calls to violence seen in the Christian right as many of their members attacked Congress on January 6th trying to overturn the 2020 election. It further explains their desperate efforts to win the 2024 Presidential election. Christian nationalism has become a potent destructive force and threatens to make non-Christians, the wrong kind of Christian, and especially independent women into second-class citizens, heretics, criminals, or demons. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/20/2292997/-Calvinist-Christianity-and-its-Danger-to-Democracy?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/