CALVANISM & THE PROTESTANT WORK ETHIC (by Barbara Goodrich, Ph.D.)

Calvinism (I'm summarizing pretty drastically here, to keep it short):

According to Calvin, each human is steeped in the "original sin" inherited from Adam and Eve. Humanity is horribly corrupt, and powerless besides. The standard line of most versions of Christianity is that by grace the loving God redeems humans from this original sin. (Some versions of Christianity hold that God redeems all humans. Some versions hold that humans themselves instigate their own redemption by their faith in God, etc..) Calvin, however, was unusual in that he regarded humans as so disgusting that he thought there was an unbridgeable chasm between God and us, and that we were too unworthy to have any influence on God's decisions at all. In other words, nothing one could do would make any difference whatsoever regarding whether God chose to redeem one or not from one’s hideous “original sin” and impending damnation. (Calvin and his fellow puritan sorts seem to have regarded God as a pretty capricious, arbitrary sort of tyrant.) Further, at least in principle, Calvin believed that one can't determine who is chosen ("elect") by God to be redeemed, and who isn't. (The word “elect” may have connotations of choice to us, when we think of voting in elections. But here the choice is thought to be God’s entirely. Calvin thought that God chooses (or doesn't choose) us; we can’t choose him.)

It's not emotionally easy to believe such a discouraging doctrine as predestination, a doctrine that one is utterly powerless over, and ignorant of, one's destiny. Weber writes that Calvinist ministers had to adapt their "pastoral advice" into the following:

On the one hand it is held to be an absolute duty to consider oneself chosen, and to combat all doubts as temptations of the devil, since lack of self-confidence is the result of insufficient faith, hence of imperfect grace. The exhortation of the apostle to make fast one's own call is here interpreted as a duty to attain certainty of one's own election and justification in the daily struggles of life. … On the other hand, in order to attain that self-confidence intense worldly activity is recommended as the most suitable means. (Ibid., pp. 111-112)

Calvin held that one's good works can't influence whether one is chosen by God to be "saved" or not. However, in practice, Calvinism does require a life of systematic and unemotional good works (interpreted here as hard work in business) and self-control, as a sign that one is of God's chosen "elect." Thus, ascetic dedication to one's perceived duties is "the means, not of purchasing salvation, but of getting rid of the fear of damnation." (Ibid., p. 115) One must prove one's faith by one's worldly (i.e. economic) activity and ascetic self-control.

By founding its ethic in the doctrine of predestination, [Calvinism] substituted for the [older Roman Catholic] spiritual aristocracy [or "elite"] of monks outside of and above the world the spiritual aristocracy of the predestined saints of God within the world. It was an aristocracy which… was divided from the eternally damned remainder of humanity by [an]… impassable and … terrifying gulf …. This consciousness of divine grace of the elect and holy was accompanied by an attitude toward the sin of one's neighbor, not of sympathetic understanding based on consciousness of one's own weakness, but of hatred and contempt for him as an enemy of God bearing the signs of eternal damnation. (Ibid., pp. 121-122)

Now, it's rather natural, if one is a Calvinist, to be constantly looking for any little indications that God does approve of oneself, that God has predestined one to be redeemed, that one is "of the elect" of God. And how might God give any promising little hints? Well, material success is one way. If one has a successful business, God seems to be smiling on one! And as for those poor destitute farmers who just lost everything they owned due to a drought, well, God is all-powerful, and must have decided that they should suffer. And who are we miserable sinners to disagree, and thwart the plans of God?

Thus, the Calvinist develops a European version of India's infamous caste system. In ancient India, foreign conquerors solidified their conquest by imposing a religion on the populace. According to this religion, there were set classes or castes of people, and anyone born into the poor castes must have done something in a previous life to deserve such punishment. Similarly, the Calvinist attributes prosperity and poverty to the mysterious workings of God. (Notice that in both cases these beliefs serve to legitimize whatever the status quo power is. The wealthy and powerful, whether in ancient India or in post-Renaissance Switzerland or 18th century Scotland, are presented as justifiably wealthy. And the poor or "untouchable" are dismissed as unworthy of any better treatment. These are classic examples of ideology.)

Dickens captured exactly this peculiar combination of self-punishment, self-righteousness, and misanthropy in his character Scrooge. Scrooge isn't a simple hoarder. Scrooge's avarice is a result of his secularized "Calvinist work ethic."

DID HISTORICAL JESUS REALLY EXIST? By Raphael Lataster

Raphael Lataster is a lecturer in religious studies at the University of Sydney.
He is author of There Was No Jesus, There Is No God.

THE EVIDENCE JUST DOESN'T ADD UP.

Did a man called Jesus of Nazareth walk the earth? Discussions over whether the figure known as the “Historical Jesus” actually existed primarily reflect disagreements among atheists. Believers, who uphold the implausible and more easily-dismissed “Christ of Faith” (the divine Jesus who walked on water), ought not to get involved.

Numerous secular scholars have presented their own versions of the so-called “Historical Jesus” – and most of them are, as biblical scholar J.D. Crossan puts it, “an academic embarrassment.” From Crossan’s view of Jesus as the wise sage, to Robert Eisenman's Jesus the revolutionary, and Bart Ehrman's apocalyptic prophet, ABOUT THE ONLY THING NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLARS SEEM TO AGREE ON IS JESUS' HISTORICAL EXISTENCE. BUT CAN EVEN THAT BE QUESTIONED?

THE FIRST PROBLEM WE ENCOUNTER WHEN TRYING TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE HISTORICAL JESUS IS THE LACK OF EARLY SOURCES.
The earliest sources only reference the clearly fictional Christ of Faith. These early sources, compiled decades after the alleged events, all stem from Christian authors eager to promote Christianity – which gives us reason to question them. The authors of the Gospels fail to name themselves, describe their qualifications, or show any criticism with their foundational sources – which they also fail to identify. Filled with mythical and non-historical information, and heavily edited over time, the Gospels certainly should not convince critics to trust even the more mundane claims made therein.

The methods traditionally used to tease out rare nuggets of truth from the Gospels are dubious. The criterion of embarrassment says that if a section would be embarrassing for the author, it is more likely authentic. Unfortunately, given the diverse nature of Christianity and Judaism back then (things have not changed all that much), and the anonymity of the authors, it is impossible to determine what truly would be embarrassing or counter-intuitive, let alone if that might not serve some evangelistic purpose.

The criterion of Aramaic context is similarly unhelpful. Jesus and his closest followers were surely not the only Aramaic-speakers in first-century Judea.

The criterion of multiple independent attestation can also hardly be used properly here, given that the sources clearly are not independent.

Paul’s Epistles, written earlier than the Gospels, give us no reason to dogmatically declare Jesus must have existed. Avoiding Jesus’ earthly events and teachings, even when the latter could have bolstered his own claims, Paul only describes his “Heavenly Jesus.” Even when discussing what appear to be the resurrection and the last supper, his only stated sources are his direct revelations from the Lord, and his indirect revelations from the Old Testament. In fact, Paul actually rules out human sources (see Galations 1:11-12).

Also important are the sources we don’t have. There are no existing eyewitness or contemporary accounts of Jesus. All we have are later descriptions of Jesus’ life events by non-eyewitnesses, most of whom are obviously biased. Little can be gleaned from the few non-Biblical and non-Christian sources, with only Roman scholar Josephus and historian Tacitus having any reasonable claim to be writing about Jesus within 100 years of his life. And even those sparse accounts are shrouded in controversy, with disagreements over what parts have obviously been changed by Christian scribes (the manuscripts were preserved by Christians), the fact that both these authors were born after Jesus died (they would thus have probably received this information from Christians), and the oddity that centuries go by before Christian apologists start referencing them.

Agnosticism over the matter is already seemingly appropriate, and support for this position comes from independent historian Richard Carrier’s recent defense of another theory — namely, that the belief in Jesus started as the belief in a purely celestial being (who was killed by demons in an upper realm), who became historicized over time. To summarize Carrier’s 800-page tome, this theory and the traditional theory – that Jesus was a historical figure who became mythicized over time – both align well with the Gospels, which are later mixtures of obvious myth and what at least sounds historical.

The Pauline Epistles, however, overwhelmingly support the “celestial Jesus” theory, particularly with the passage indicating that demons killed Jesus, and would not have done so if they knew who he was (see: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10). Humans – the murderers according to the Gospels – of course would still have killed Jesus, knowing full well that his death results in their salvation, and the defeat of the evil spirits.

So what do the mainstream (and non-Christian) scholars say about all this? Surprisingly very little – of substance anyway. Only Bart Ehrman and Maurice Casey have thoroughly attempted to prove Jesus’ historical existence in recent times. Their most decisive point? The Gospels can generally be trusted – after we ignore the many, many bits that are untrustworthy – because of the hypothetical (i.e. non-existent) sources behind them. Who produced these hypothetical sources? When? What did they say? Were they reliable? Were they intended to be accurate historical portrayals, enlightening allegories, or entertaining fictions? Ehrman and Casey can’t tell you – and neither can any New Testament scholar. Given the poor state of the existing sources, and the atrocious methods used by mainstream Biblical historians, the matter will likely never be resolved.

IN SUM, THERE ARE CLEARLY GOOD REASONS TO DOUBT JESUS' HISTORICAL EXISTENCE - IF NOT TO THINK IT OUTRIGHT IMPROBABLE.

SOCIOLOGY AIDS SOCIAL PROGRESS

Sociology may be defined as the scientific study of human interaction. It is concerned with the way in which individuals interact as members of groups and institutions, both individually and collectively, and how these interactions are connected to the larger culture and social structure of a society.

The study of sociology is important for many different reasons.

1. Through sociology, we are able to take a fresh look at the social environment and to reexamine our place in society along with groups and cultures with which we seldom or never have contact or about which we previously knew little or nothing.

2. By understanding the origin of view points and attitudes that are quite different from our own behavior and the behavior of those around us.

3. The study of sociology may help to alleviate prejudices and stereotypes and make us more flexible in adapting to novel situations.

4. By analyzing the nature of society, particularly the institutions and groups within societies and the effect of these organized processes and patterns on group living, the field of sociology provides us with new ways of looking and reacting to the ever-changing face of social reality.

The insights of sociologists have been of great value to professionals in various fields. Sociological information on past social trends and their causes can help policy makers plan for and shape the future; and, social planners, using the findings of sociologists, are able to forecast future needs.

ETHNOCENTRISM

It is difficult for people to understand that what is "proper" and "good" is a matter of cultural definition.

Most people everywhere have a tendency to regard their own cultural practices as the best ones, or the only ones that are moral or virtuous.

In so far as other cultures come close to their own, they are regarded as not being so bad.

But in so far as other cultures diverge from their own culture, these cultures are regarded as immoral.

This tendency, found everywhere in the world, although in especially high degree among certain people, is called ethnocentrism.

Americans, along with the French, the Arabs, the ancient Greeks, and the ancient Hebrews, and a few other peoples, have cultures which are particularly characterized by ethnocentrism.

Individuals who are most ethnocentric within any given culture are those whose experience has been narrow, whose ability to understand other people (even in their own group) is not great, or whose inner feelings of insecurity are so great that they are afraid of every deviation from the expected.

~ T. W. Adorno

CO-OPERATE, COMPETE & TURN DESIRE INTO WEALTH

I reside in a capitalistic country wherein competition is the norm--not an exception. So if one wants wealth, usually one has to compete. If one has superior talent, training, experience, one may accumulate riches in large amounts; those not so fortunate may accumulate smaller amounts.

The starting point of all achievement is desire; that is why it is so important to want what you need.

NINE WAYS TO TURN DESIRES INTO MONEY:

1. Determine the potential rewards (especially net profit) of the business, profession, or enterprise of your most favorable interest.

2. Determine exactly what you need to get started, survive, and thrive in that business, profession, or enterprise.

3. Accumulate the necessary knowledge and build the skills you need.

4. Acquire the necessary resources for achievement.

5. Create a sound plan of detailed action with starting and ending times for accomplishments of goals, objectives, and activities.

6. Persistently and consistently follow your PLAN OF ACTION.

7. RECORD activities (including time spent on each task and results).

8. EVALUATE results.

9. IMPROVE wherever and whenever possible.

Excerpts from "The Little Things" by Andy Andrews

Have you ever wondered why we spend so much time and energy thinking about the big challenges in our lives
when all the evidence proves it's the little things that change everything?

We can succeed by actually going against the modern adage, "don't sweat the small stuff."
It is in concentrating on the smaller things that we add value and margin.

If you search, you might find that one thing, that one tiny thing, that when understood and harnessed,
allows us to create a life of extraordinary purpose and powerful results.

It's less about drive and will power than it is about understanding certain principles and why they work.

A simple adjustment in perspective can produce personal and career results far beyond what most people ever imagine.

Perspective is more valuable than the answer itself because perspective can dramatically change the results
without changing any of the facts.

Perspective is how we decide to see a thing.
Blindness is the decision not to see it at all.
Choosing a negative perspective is limiting,
but choosing blindness is a tragedy.

What people believe will determine their behavior whether or not what they believe is true.

There are a lot of ideas and opportunities out there waiting for you to take advantage of them,
but you can't take advantage of them even if you show up if you are unprepared.

With an important undertaking be sure you have the details covered.
If you don't take the time to do it right, you may not have the opportunity to do it at all.

You can always choose how you act, despite how you feel.

Everything you do matters and everything you don't do may matter just as much.

LEARNING TO LEARN AT A HIGH LEVEL

Learning to think logically will help the learner develop four abilities:

1. participation
2. organization
3. persistence
4. creativity

Memorizing is the lowest form of learning, thinking is the highest.

Learning is the process of achieving competency, awareness, and flexibility.
It requires the use of one or more of the five human senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

The senses provide information. As a result one learns things in one of three ways:

1. conditioning
2. thinking
3. some combination of conditioning and thinking

Conditioning is defined here as learning things with a maximum of physical and emotional reaction and a minimum of thinking.

A large portion of conditioned learning is unconscious. You don't think about it.

Thinking requires that you observe and understand the order of things (organization), that you actively engage yourself in establishing such organization (participation), and that you stay at it until you achieve a sense of understanding (persistence). Organization, participation, and persistence are key elements in learning by thinking.

You may suppose that conditioned learning, because it involves a minimum of thinking, is not very important. That would not be a good assumption on your part because conditioned learning can have a large effect on how you learn by thinking.

The following examples can show how conditioning can affect one's thinking. If you always read the same newspaper or magazine or the same parts of any publications, these become familiar and comfortable. If you continually listen to a certain kind of music or listen to a particular disc jockey or radio or television commentator, then what they say and play becomes familiar and comfortable to you. Almost anything that's different will be considered strange. But there is a price you may pay for being comfortable. Such familiar surroundings can prevent you from enlarging your point of view and broadening your understanding of other people and other ideas. It can prevent you from learning.

Remembering and memorizing are forms of conditioning. Don't confuse remembering and memorizing with thinking. Memorizing is the act of storing in the mind ideas and information received through one's senses. There are three elements to the memory process:

1. receipt
2. storage
3. retrieval

The process may be described as follows: 

1. Information is received through the senses. 
2. It is then stored for long or short periods of time in the brain. 
3. It is retrieved from the brain, to one degree or another, when the information is to be used.

Although memorizing in-and-of itself is not thinking, it is a fundamental tool in the learning process. We are taught from a young age to develop memorization skills. However, there is a significant difference between memorizing something and learning it. True learning does not occur until we are able to understand information then apply what we believe we have learned to a new situation.

NATURE IS GOD (by Baruch Spinoza)

Nature is an indivisible, uncaused, substantial whole—in fact, it is the only substantial whole. Outside of Nature, there is nothing, and everything that exists is a part of Nature and is brought into being by Nature with a deterministic necessity.

This unified, unique, productive, necessary being just is what is meant by ‘God’.

Because of the necessity inherent in Nature, there is no teleology in the universe. God or Nature does not act for any ends, and things do not exist for any set purposes. There are no “final causes” (to use the common Aristotelian phrase). God does not “do” things for the sake of anything else. The order of things just follows from God’s essences with an inviolable determinism. All talk of God’s purposes, intentions, goals, preferences or aims is just an anthropomorphizing fiction.

Besides being false, such an anthropomorphic conception of God standing as judge over us can have only deleterious effects on human freedom and activity, insofar as it fosters a life enslaved to hope and fear and the superstitions to which such emotions give rise.

A STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS

The starting point of all achievement is desire;
that is why it is so important to want what you need.

My motto for success has been:

• Want what you need.
• Get what you want.
• And, enjoy what you have.

NINE WAYS TO TURN DESIRES INTO MONEY:

1. Determine the potential rewards (especially net profit)
   of the business or enterprise or your most favorable interest.
2. Determine exactly what you need to get started, survive, and thrive
   in the business or enterprise of your most favorable interest.
3. Build the skills you need.
4. Acquire the necessary resources for achievement.
5. Create a sound plan of detailed action with starting and ending times
   for accomplishments of goals, objectives, and activities.
6. Persistently and consistently follow your PLAN OF ACTION.
7. Record activities (including time spent on each task) and results.
8. Evaluate results.
9. IMPROVE wherever/whenever possible.

A LEARNING STRATEGY BY PERMAN WILSON COMBINING RECIPROCAL TEACHING TECHNIQUES WITH BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

1. PREVIEW and READ for knowledge.
2. QUESTION and CLARIFY for comprehension.
3. SUMMARIZE for analysis and synthesis
4. EVALUATE and PREDICT for evaluation and application.

FREQUENT CAUSES OF FAILURE TO LEARN

• LACK OF ATTENTION
• LACK OF STUDY and/or PRACTICE
• POOR ATTITUDE
• POOR RESEARCH SKILLS

~ Perman Wilson

SOME TRAITS OF A PLEASING PERSONALITY

1. A positive mental attitude
2. Goodwill to others
3. Integrity
4. Flexibility
5. Tactfulness
6. Proper attire
7. Sense of humor
8. Punctuality
9. Effective speech
10. Friendly smile
11. Control of emotions
12. Sincerity of purpose
13. patience
14. Ability to listen
15. Respect for and interest in other people
16. Courtesy
17. poise
18. Enthusiasm
19. Optimism
20. Realistic hopefulness