Calvinist (Bad Logic) Comment #4: Why Don't All Accept Christ?

4.  A Calvinist says:  “What is impossible to explain – on the basis of free will – is why some will reject Christ when others, who are no different, accept Christ. If free will is valid, then one person accepting Christ should mean that all accept Christ as all are equally capable of understanding the gospel and their need for Christ.”

My reply  (First, notice how they think all people are the same and so they would all have to choose the same thing if free-will is real.  Yet, in "Comment #1," note that a different Calvinist says that in Calvinism - where Calvi-god controls us - we all have different desires, unique to us.  Interesting!  So having free-will means we would all make the exact same choices, but if free-will isn't real, then we all have different, unique desires!?!  Where do they get this garbage from!?!):

It’s impossible to explain why some people reject Christ and others accept Him!?!

Wow, that’s sad!  Do you really think people are all identical automatons or something?  That we’re all part of the Borg, and so if we don’t all do the same thing then something must have gone haywire?

Hmm … yeah … I guess it’s “impossible” to explain how people can make different “free-will” choices if one doesn’t really believe that free-will means we can make different choices.

If you misunderstand/misrepresent what free-will really is while acting like you are properly understanding/representing free-will then, yeah, it’s pretty “impossible” to explain how people can have the “free-will” to make different choices!

But this would explain why you conclude that if all people were capable of freely choosing to accept Christ, it must necessarily mean that all WOULD accept Christ.  Therefore, the Calvinist conclusion is that since all people don’t accept Christ then it must mean that all are not capable of accepting Christ.  Which therefore must mean that some people must have been predestined by Calvi-god to accept Christ and the rest were predestined to never be able to accept Him.  Which means there is really no such thing as true free-will.

All of this stems from the bizarre idea that having the free-will to accept Christ MUST MEAN that everybody WOULD accept Christ … because, apparently, “free-will” means that we would all do everything exactly the same because there is “no difference” between any of us.  Which actually would be the exact opposite of free-will.  Being locked into making only one choice is NOT free-will!

Oh my goodness, this is too funny!  It’s like if Lewis Carroll wrote an episode of The Twilight Zone!

The Calvinist replies to me:

"Do you really think people are all identical automatons or something?  That we’re all part of the Borg, and so if we don’t all do the same thing then something must have gone haywire?”

You are arguing that people are not the same and that some are more able to accept Christ while some are less able.  That goes against free will that says that every person has the same opportunity to accept Christ.  It’s a simple decision: eternal life vs eternal death.  We can easily understand why a person would choose eternal life, but why would a person choose eternal death.  That an illogical decision but free will conveys to people the ability to think logically.

[My note:  Notice how he accuses me of saying that those who accept Christ are "more able" to accept Him.  Notice how he says that having the same opportunity/ability to accept Him should mean that we all inevitably would accept Him.  (Therefore, since all don't accept Him then "free-will" can't be real, according to him.)

And I say "Huh!?!"

But it's not about ability; it's about if we want Jesus as Lord and Savior or not.  

If I bought apples for everyone in a room and put them on a table and told everyone that they can come take an apple if they want one, does this mean that all people will inevitably take one?  They all have the same opportunity/ability to take one.  But does "having the same opportunity" have to mean that they will all take one?  And if some don't, does it mean that they did not really all have the opportunity/ability to take one?  If some don't choose to accept my offer of an apple, does this mean that I didn't really give them a real choice?

Calvinists believe that if all people really did have the free-will to choose Jesus, then all would have to choose Jesus.  But how is that "free-will"?  How can "all people are forced to make the same decision and only that decision" be considered "free-will"?

It's the opposite of free-will!  But they call it free-will and then say "See, so free-will can't be real because all people did not accept Jesus."

Once again, "Huh!?!"

It's nonsense!

We all have the ability to accept Jesus because all our sins have been paid for and the offer of salvation is given to all.  This doesn't mean we will all have the same amount of ease in finding Jesus, based on how we grew up and the influences around us.  But that doesn't change the fact that the offer is available to all, and that if you really want to find God, He will help you.

But a Calvinist thinks that since all don't choose Jesus when choosing Jesus is obviously the "best choice," then it must mean there is no such thing as free will.  Because, they believe, no one in their right mind would willingly choose eternal death.  (It's not that they necessarily 'choose death'; it's that they refuse to make Jesus their Lord, which comes with the consequence of eternal death.)  Do you see how Calvinists base their theology on their own philosophizing and ideas?]


(For all the posts in this series, see the "Intro ..."  Or look for "'Calvinist Bad Logic' Series" in the labels on the side-bar.  Or find the whole series in one post, "When Calvinism's 'Bad Logic ' Traps Good Christians.")