Reply #6: There is a strong Calvinist tradition that took root here... [View All]

[TreasonousBastard]

largely because Calvinists were generally chased out of Europe.

Calvinists believe in predestination, and the ideas of penance and forgiveness are really pretty foreign to them, since we can do nothing to change our fates. A Calvinist may not know exactly who are the "saved," but will often look at evidence of moral corruption to identify those who most certainly aren't. Such Calvinists are by nature stern, unforgiving, and judgmental.

Catholics, and Protestants closer to their traditions, are big on personal salvation and the ability for one to change and achieve a state of grace. Anyone has the chance to be "saved" and should be given every chance for redemption. The Catholic Church, for all of its faults, is one of the most forgiving of churches in its purest form. It understands that we are far from perfect and will constantly fail in our faith and fall into sin. It gives us the means to repent and make good on those failures.

Most American churches give lip service to the Catholic idea of the possibility of universal salvation, but far too many of them have been influenced by the judgmental attitudes of the Calvinists.