A Crash Course in Calvinism (Calvinist quotes, part 1)
Here is the first half of the "Calvinist quote" part of the letter I wrote to pastors whom I don't think are Calvinists but who quote from Calvinists a lot. (I added a few extra quotes and notes that I didn't include in the letter I mailed to them. When do I ever make anything shorter !?!): Here are some direct quotes from Calvinists, so that you can see what Calvinism really is in their own words, so that you can see that I’m not exaggerating or misunderstanding them [my comments in brackets and italics] : John Calvin, from Institutes of the Christian Religion, book 1, chapter 16 : “Hence we maintain that, by his providence, not heaven and earth and inanimate creatures only, but also the counsels and wills of men are so governed as to move exactly in the course which he has destined… Men do nothing save at the secret instigation of God , and do not discuss and deliberate on anything but what he has previously decreed with himself, and brings to pass b