Monday, March 09, 2009

G. K. Chesterton on Calvinism

Forgive me. This quote was too good to pass up:

"Only Calvinists can really believe that hell is paved with good intentions."

:-)

2 comments:

Angie Van De Merwe said...

"hell is paved with good intentions"...

is heaven then, our actions? are these actions "free" or "determined" and by what?

is moral choice in an individual's actions, predetermined, as to judging its moral value? if so, then there is only one right or wrong way of action....

I would have thought Arminians would have supported this view, as it highlights that our actions are important...

therefore, motivation does not count? it does in our law, as to intentional or unintentional...murder...first degree...but the victim is still dead and what value is that? The victim has no choice....and Christians call the "dead", the sanctified...as they no longer live, but Christ lives in them...etc...

what about ignorance, mental illness, extenuating circumsatnces, etc. as to actions?

I think Kant's view of moral obligation, or response out of habit formation would be a focus on "will" (doing the "right" thing), which would fit nicely into theistic evolution and "disciple making" (discipline)...but this is still a determination based on moral order or structure (Church) that limits diversity, and individuality, and situational developmment...religion is defined by these "standards" of morality...

Humans are not "projects" to be developed for "interests" other than their own personal ones...otherwise, the individual becomes a commodity...to be manipulated, and formed by social construction for "the greater good" of communism! And communism is not a religiously "tolerant" political system, as it is totaltalarian. Exclusivist religious claims that transpose their religious ideology into speicified political action, are nothing less than oppressive!

Jared Calaway said...

I just taught Dante. Basically, the division there is hell (the inferno) is paved with actions, purgatory (purgatorio) with intentions, and heaven (paradiso) with grace and merit.