James Swan of AoMin. attempts to excuse John Calvin's sin

James Swan of Alpha and Omega ministries one of James White's apologetic writers and contributors writes the following:
"It is very common to hear the remark, "What about Servetus?" or, "Who burned Servetus?" There are three kinds of persons who thus flippantly ask a question of this nature. First, the Roman Catholics, who may judge it to be an unanswerable taunt to a Protestant. Second, those who are not in accord with the great doctrines of grace, as taught by Paul and Calvin, and embraced and loved by thousands still. Then there is a third kind of persons who can only be described as ill-informed. It is always desirable, and often useful, to really know something of what one professes to know".

mlculwell: Paul??? Paul Never taught the "doctrines of grace" that they frequently force in their apologetic writings! As usual a Calvinist is being both pompous and presumptuous. Paul most certainly does teach us of grace but there is not anything in scripture that resembles their view!


Swan writes or quotes someone else: " I shall narrow the inquiry at the outset by saying that all Roman Catholics are "out of court." They burn heretics on principle, avowedly. This is openly taught by them; it is in the margin of their Bible; and it is even their boast that they do so. And, moreover, they condemned Servetus to be burned.

Those who misunderstand or misrepresent the doctrines of grace call for pity more than blame when they charge the death of Servetus upon those views of divine truth known as Calvinistic. Perhaps a little instruction would be of great value to such. It is very desirable to have clear ideas of what it is we are trying to understand. In most disputes this would make a clear pathway for thought and argument. Most controversies are more about terms than principles".

mlculwell: It is almost funny if it were not sad, it seems Calvinist justify Calvin's great sin and the Reformers by saying this was a law. What about the laws that protect abortion? Does it make it any less a sin to murder the unborn? Does it make it right for Muslim's to murder Christians because it is law in their countries? This is not sound reasoning it is an excuse for sin!




James Swan writes:" The third sort of persons are plainly incompetent to take up this case, for the simple reason that they know nothing whatever about it. Pressed for their reasons, they have to confess that they never at any time read a line about the matter".

mlculwell:Incompetent? The only "Incompetence" is the person who wrote the piece! What purpose would it serve to call a person incompetent? It is an attempt to appeal to those who see Calvin's writings as those on the same level as Scripture to not question said writings and sinful acts of their hero to then see him as the sinful murderous debase person that he actually was, as bad or worse as those murderous Muslim's who killed in the name of religion.

Someone wrote:Calvin tried to get the sentence mitigated to the quicker and more humane decapitation?
mlculwell:(can you imagine?) This must be how all Muslims feel about the poor Christian infidels.(Shaking of head) in disbelief someone would say such a thing, talk about incompetence to take up a case?