Also it makes me sad that I need to clarify this but clearly I do — the takeaway here is not “Christians are dangerous and evil” or even “Americans are dangerous and evil.” The takeaway here is “the idea that humans can be grouped into fundamentally good and fundamentally bad is dangerous and evil.”
The irony is that nothing is more antithetical to following Jesus than adopting this worldview. “Don’t do that” was his central message.
Or to boil it down, Calvinism is an entire subsection of Christianity based on the black-&-white fallacy.
This is by far the most brilliant thread I've seen since joining BlueSky. You've distilled the essence of Calvinism and its semi-secularization as racial capitalism. Have you read Erich Fromm's 'Escape From Freedom' by chance? We can also trace fascism to the show 'The Apprentice' with this point.
And even beyond the morality of it — viewing the world through the lens of good people and evil people is deeply, deeply harmful to the people who view it that way. You spend your whole life trapped in a cloud of fear and guilt and hatred, seeking a bad guy so it doesn’t have to be you.
Same applies to grouping everyone into smart people and dumb people.
I am reminded of the lore that Bill Watterson named his characters after the philosophers Jean Calvin and Thomas Hobbes.
Most evangelicals believe in BOTH free will and total depravity. Most denominations in America come From either a Calvinist or Arminian tradition. But even the ones that come through a Calvinist line have many adherents who believe in free will AND determinism. (Ask me how to do it.)
But most Americans believe in free will. Most Protestants believe free will & totally depravity are compatable. Now, this also skirts the issue that Roman Catholics deny both total depravity and determinism, but run a child trafficking run larger than 1000 Epsteins. They deny women bodily autonomy.
Their leader recently denied the humanity of gay people and said women are problematic…. And they don’t have the excuses of total depravity or predestination. And they have this guy -
Point being… religions are fundamentally built on exploitation and are bad for societies.
Good thread Sophia.
Thank you :)