I believe Christianity would be better off without John Calvin’s influence. In this brief paper, I will outline key reasons why I think Calvin harmed the Christian faith, focusing on his theology, especially the five points of Reformed Theology known as “TULIP.” Throughout Church History, there are figures who evoke strong reactions; Calvin is one of them, with people either admiring or disliking him. I believe Calvin had genuine faith in Jesus Christ and went to heaven upon his death on May 27, 1564.

While Calvin had a compassionate side, he also had a dark aspect. During the latter days of the Genevan theocracy, he enforced a strict regime where dissent against him was not tolerated. His treatment of the Unitarian Michael Servetus is infamous; Calvin advocated for a merciful execution—beheading over burning—reflecting his harsh stance on heresy. It’s important to note that judging him by modern standards is unfair, as heresy was a capital offence in his time. Martin Luther and other reformers thought Calvin went too far; ironically, Luther also persecuted Anabaptists at times and shared anti-Semitic views, some of which were later cited by Hitler.

Calvin is primarily known for his work, Institutes of the Christian Religion. I have extensively read this text, having once held strong Presbyterian beliefs. My immersion in Calvin’s writings shaped my Calvinistic perspective. While the “Institutes” is well-articulated, I find it presents a narrow and negative view of humanity, leaning more on philosophy than Scripture. Calvin emphasizes God’s sovereignty but downplays human free will and largely focuses on divine wrath, with minimal discussion of God’s love and mercy.

Calvin stirs strong emotions; his followers may perceive disagreements as personal attacks. He was intolerant of dissent, as were his admirers. Is Calvin a hero or a villain? There’s substantial evidence on both sides, but I do not resonate with his views, particularly the TULIP points. Nonetheless, Calvin produced valuable insights, and one can acknowledge his contributions without being a fan. While he made mistakes, I believe his overall influence on Christianity was more harmful than beneficial.


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One response to “Was John Calvin a Hero or a Villain?”

  1. Why the Torah rejects the gospels as totally false? The Huge Lie: Revisionist history and substitute theologies. The False Notion which represents God as a historical physical being or into some Universal Monotheistic G0D. Why does the Gospels amount to a false messiah foreign Roman counterfeit on par with the Czar’s Protocols of the Elders of Zion?

    Fundamental error in quoting opinions made by “Big Authorities”, cult of personalities, similar to placing an idol upon a pedestal, with absolutely no knowledge of משנה תורה common law. Simple question never asked? How does the mitzva of Moshiach qualify as a Torah commandment? Reliance solely upon NaCH sources of kabbalah fails to grasp the mitzva of Moshiach as a Written Torah time oriented tohor commandment which weighs upon the scales of Life or Death.

    The mitzva of Moshiach, an Oral Torah time oriented commandment, only secondarily limited to time – like looking at ones’ watch! What type of commandment qualifies as a Life/Death-time oriented commandment? Korbanot require swearing a Torah oath, and life & death! Aaron and his House “anointed” to dedicate “Moshiach” korbanot! Hence the Moshiach of the House of Aaron serves as the Torah foundation for the mitzva of Moshiach for the House of David as taught by NaCH kabbalah. Impossible to learn Torah common law without the wisdom of learning by means of comparative, similar mitzvot precedents! Torah common law/משנה תורה\ stands upon the יסוד/foundation\ of positive & negative toldot Torah commandments which function as logical פרדס precedents to Av tohor time oriented commandments.

    Meaning, Common Law precedents based upon positive and negative ((think Gemarah halachot as precedents to re-interpret the k’vanna of the language of the Mishna)) commandments. Impossible to understand tohor time oriented commandments ignorant – also – of the role of tohor middot!!!! Time oriented commandments require the dedication of defined & specific tohor middot, just as does the dedication of korbonot by the Moshiach House of Aaron. The wisdom which discerns the middah of אל from the middah of רחום from the middah of חנון etc. What middah tohor does the mitzva of Moshiach dedicate holy to the G-d of the 1st Sinai Commandment? An absolutely critical and crucial question. This most essential question concerning the Torah mitzva of Moshiach, the church has never asked in its entire history as a religious faith belief in its Trinity god(s)!

    In point of fact, the church fathers deny the existence of the Oral Torah. Despite the fact that the mitzvah of Moshiach qualifies as an Av tohor time oriented commandment, which sanctifies the middah of justice, holy to HaShem, as THE sanctification of the mitzva of Moshiach. Based upon the Oral Torah revelation to Moshe at Horev. Despite, justice not included in the 13 tohor middot, the mitva דאורייתא of Moshiach dedicates the pursuit of judicial justice among our people inside the oath sworn lands, as the midda korban dedication holy לשמה. The fact that the mitzva of Moshiach the Torah of דברים defines through the middah of צדק צדק תרדוף, as the k’vanna of the mitzva of Moshiach in all generations of the chosen Cohen nation. We Jews do not wait for the coming of the Moshiach, any more than We Jews wait for some stranger ICC Court of the Hague to establish just rule of judicial justice in the land of Israel! Post Shoah, Europe has forever lost any mandate to judge the Jewish people; as likewise the dead Olympus Gods of the Xtian post Shoah fictional mythology.

    Brit – as an oath alliance, does not mean covenant. A bad translation. Just that simple. Tefillah does not mean prayer. A bad translation. Just that simple. Tefillah unlike saying Tehillem entails swearing a Torah oath. Just that simple. Impossible to swear a Torah oath without שם ומלכות. The concept of שם breathes the spirit of life through the Yatzir Ha’Tov. This Spirit Name raises the souls of the Avot from the dead within the chosen Cohen nation’s Yatzir Ha’Tov. The concept of מלכות has the k’vanna of dedication of some defined tohor middah. This tohor time oriented commandment which requires a שם ומלכות Torah oath, impossible to grasp without the Oral Torah logic system known as פרדס. The 4 part פרדס does neither resembles nor compares to the 3 part syllogism of Aristotle’s logic, nor to Hegal’s system of dialectic metaphysics of greater and lesser logic. Translating abstract Hebrew words to other languages amounts to false translations. Just that simple.

    The Name שם, directly refers to the revelation of the Divine Presence Spirit revealed in the revelation of the 1st Sinai commandment. Any attempt to “convert” this Spirit Name to words: such as – YHVH, Jehova, Jesus, Allah etc amounts to the sin of the Golden Calf – wherein Israel 40 days after the revelation of the Spirit Divine Presence Name, many of Israel translated the revealed Spirit Name to a false translation word אלהים! The Torah revelation at Sinai exposes the tumah of any and all attempts to translate the Spirit Name revealed in the 1st Sinai commandment, ((which the Xtian bibles and Muslim korans exclude this 1st Commandment Spirit Name revelation)), as the “Sin of the Golden Calf”. Just that simple. Righteousness does not come by way of Av tumah avoda zarah. Just that simple.

    T’shuva does not mean repentance. A bad translation. Just that simple. T’shuva has everything to do with the struggle, think of Esau and Yaacov in the womb of Rivka, between the two opposing Yatzirot within the bnai brit chosen Cohen peoples’ hearts. Hence the Torah incorrectly spelled heart as לבב rather than לב. Rabbi Yechuda Ha’Nasi, explained in the Mishna of ברכות the additional ב, as a reference to the two opposing and conflicting Yatzirot within the heart.

    This, the author of the Mishna, the foundation to study the Oral Torah revelation of the 13 tohor middot revealed to Moshe, 40 days after the sin of the Golden Calf, on Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur where HaShem did t’shuva and annulled the vow to make Moshe the chosen Cohen nation rather than the seed of Avraham Yitzak and Yaacov! T’shuva as a Torah mitzva, learns from the precedents of a father who annuls the vow made by his young daughter, or the Husband who annuls the vow made by his wife. Both of these Torah precedents serve to define the mussar of T’shuva! Repentance has no portion, it plays no part in annulling a vow. Just that simple. The translation of t’shuva to repentance a false translation. Just that simple.

    Peace a false translation of Shalom. The latter a verb which stands upon the foundation of trust. The former evil translation a noun that amounts to pie in the sky false rhetoric. Like the “peace negotiations” between Arabs and Jews. Post Oct 7th Jews do not trust Arabs of Gaza. Shalom learns from the Torah mitzva of Shabbat. This precedent mitzva of shabbat, the Talmud builds around the 3 meals. A person does not invite an enemy into his home to sit and meal together – ever. No trust No shalom. Just that simple. The false & sophomoric translation of the substitute word “peace”, just that simple – utterly false.

    The term יראת שמים, commonly mistranslated as: Fear of Heaven – another false translation. A טיפש פשט literal translation on par with the fundamentalist belief that the Genesis creation story literally refers to the creation of the Universe in 6 days! Bible toting Xtian fundamentalists absolutely abhor Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. In 1925 the Monkey Trial between John T. Scopes teaching evolution in a state-funded school! Comparable to the dispute between Galileo vs. the Poop. יראת שמים, a metaphor which refers to protecting ones’ Good Name reputation. Hence the Hebrew term: Baal Shem Tov/Master of the Good Name. Mistranslating this abstract Hebrew metaphor to “fear of Heaven” as false as the absurd notions of Xtian fundamentalists concerning the Creation story in the opening Aggadic mussar of the first Book of the Torah – which introduces Av tohor time oriented commandments.

    Emunah does not correctly translate into “faith”. Emunah learns from the precedents of Moshe standing before the Court of Par’o, on the matter of Par’o, his decree which withheld the straw required to make brick and the consequent beating of Israelite slaves. Another precedent: the rebuke of Yitro when Moshe judged the nation alone by himself. The Torah defines emunah as the righteous pursuit of judicial justice; wherein the Courts make fair restitution of damages inflicted by party A upon party B. The false substitution of faith as personal belief in some theologically decreed Creed concerning the nature of the Gods, such as Islam’s strict Monotheism; this latter perversion of emunah, it defines the Av tumah 2nd Sinai commandment known as avoda zarah: do not worship other Gods.

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    Commentary:

    The thesis argues that the Gospels present a false and distorted messiah, analogous to a fabricated narrative like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It critiques the Christian portrayal of Jesus as the Messiah for failing to align with key Torah commandments, particularly regarding the concept of Moshiach (Messiah). The central point is that the Christian view ignores the essential Torah framework—especially the Oral Torah—and misrepresents the spiritual and legal qualifications of the Messiah.

    The Torah has specific, time-bound commandments related to the Messiah (Moshiach), particularly involving the House of Aaron and the role of judicial justice. These commandments are rooted in the Oral Torah and must be understood within the context of Torah law, which is absent in Christian doctrine.

    Christian theology misinterprets core concepts like the Name of God (Shem), justice, and repentance. These misunderstandings, according to the thesis, result in a flawed, “foreign” understanding of the Messiah, a theology built on misinterpretations of Hebrew terms (e.g., T’shuva as repentance, Emunah as faith, Love as agape.). The Torah learns the abstract concept of love from the oath sworn brit cut between the pieces which serves as the Torah precedent for the mitzva of קידושין in marriage. Where a man acquires the “soul of his wife”. Meaning, he acquires Title to the children born from this union born into the future. This mitzva of קידושין therefore defines the abstract term of “LOVE”, as — “A man cannot love that which he does not own”.

    The thesis highlights that key Hebrew terms, such as Shem (God’s Name) and T’shuva (the act of spiritual return), have been mis-translated into false Christian or secular equivalents. This, it argues, leads to a theological error comparable to idolatry, such as the Christian portrayal of Jesus or the Quranic understanding of God.

    The Messiah, according to Torah law, is deeply connected with the establishment of judicial justice (Tzedek), a responsibility that Christianity overlooks. The Moshiach must sanctify justice, not merely fulfill prophetic predictions.

    The thesis concludes by arguing that the Christian concept of the Messiah, along with its theology of sin, faith, and divine justice, fundamentally contradicts the Torah. It claims that Christian teachings about the Messiah are a foreign, Roman-influenced construct that misrepresents the Jewish understanding of divine law, justice, and messianic prophecy.

    The thesis asserts that the Gospel narrative is not only a false representation of the Torah mitzva of Messiah, but is a theological construct that distorts the core values of the Torah, particularly concerning the nature of divine justice and the messianic mission. Xtianity knows nothing about tohor time-oriented Commandments. The mitzva of Moshiach a tohor time oriented commandment, which the Gospel forgery knows nothing about. Just that simple.

    The thesis argues that the Gospel narrative of Jesus as the Messiah is a complete fabrication, akin to a false, foreign narrative like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It claims that Christianity misrepresents the true Torah concept of the Messiah (Moshiach), ignoring key commandments and spiritual principles that are integral to Jewish law. The central critique is that Christianity distorts the qualifications and role of the Messiah, particularly by overlooking the Oral Torah and its time-oriented commandments.

    The mitzva of Moshiach as a time oriented commandment applies equally to all Jews in every generations. Jews do not wait for the coming of the Moshiach like Xtians wait for the 2nd Coming. Justice understood as judicial courts which makes fair compensation of damages inflicted by Party A upon Party B.

    The thesis argues that Christianity’s portrayal of the Messiah, alongside the misinterpretations of terms like T’shuva (translated as repentance) and Emunah (translated as faith), leads to a false and foreign theology. This misrepresentation, it claims, parallels idolatry, particularly in the Christian deification of Jesus, which the thesis likens to the sin of the Golden Calf in Jewish tradition.

    The thesis suggests that the Christian concept of the Messiah is not rooted in Jewish tradition but is instead a Roman-influenced construct. This fabricated theology distorts the original Jewish understanding of divine law, justice, and messianic prophecy.

    The thesis concludes that the Gospel narrative is a complete fabrication, failing to align with the true Torah commandment of the Moshiach. Christianity, according to the thesis, has no understanding of the Torah’s time-oriented, holiness-focused commandments, especially the Mitzvah of Moshiach, which is an essential and central part of Jewish law. The Gospel, therefore, is not just a misrepresentation but a theological forgery, which distorts the fundamental principles of divine justice and the messianic mission.

    In essence, the thesis argues that Christianity’s portrayal of Jesus as the Messiah is a theological construct that bears no resemblance to the true Jewish concept of Moshiach as outlined in the Torah. The Gospels misinterpret key Hebrew concepts and ignore essential commandments, leading to a false narrative of the Messiah that is incompatible with Torah law and spiritual principles.

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