Is Calvinism Reasonable?

[Dimmesdale]

Calvinism teaches that there is no action on our part that causes God to choose us as his children and be saved. That we are in a sense "born again" not through our will, but based upon God's decree.

Is this reasonable? In other words, is it realistic to think this way, when most people have not had a "born again" experience where they were spiritually resurrected "of God" and not "of their own free will." Does this mean most people are going to Hell?

The bottom line is, most people believe and feel that they have free will, that they are good people trying to be as good as they can. That is the pat answer I've typically heard. But Calvinism totally reverses this and says "there is nothing in me that is good, only Christ working in me." And so on.

I also have a lot of conflicting ideas regarding salvation from a Calvinistic p.o.v. For instance, some people say you can't ascertain whether a certain person is going to hell because "you can't know their hearts." But other Christians (or Calvinisits) say "you will know them by their fruit" and that it is indeed Biblical to judge and confront people.

What I'm saying is, there just doesn't seem to be a clear demarcation between "saved" and "unsaved" and that this runs counter to the human experience in general. Anyone resonate with this at all? Thanks.

[PinSeeker]

I do not accept the thousands of pages of theo-babble by which orthodoxy tries to solve the cognitive dissonance of claiming we inherit Adam's sin when we are created but also believing that GOD does not create sin or sinners.

Yeah, I know; we've had this conversation before. That's too bad, but I respect your opinion.

Thousands of pages not needed. All we need to know is, yes, we are all created, but our nature is inherited -- Adam's unrighteousness is imputed to us at... well, yeah, conception, since a person is a person no matter how small (Horton Hears a Who). Which makes His redemption plan, and ultimately Jesus and His atonement necessary. So that we can then, at the appointed time, be brought from death to life and Christ's righteousness imputed to us. Why did God decide to do it that way? Don't know; who has known the mind of God? But thanks be to ... God... He did.