Pynchon's Preterite

[Ghetta Life]

>MaligD:
>
<<Calvinism also obviously applies because it preaches that there is a 
select people (just as Judaism preached that the Jews were G-d chosen)>>
>
>The comparison to Judaism is faulty and your premise is wrong. Calvinism 
>doesn't preach that there is a a select people, at least in the way you 
>imply.  It says that, since God is all-knowing, he--sorry, He--knows who 
>will be righteous and saved and who will not.  But it is not something 
>known, as the Jews know themself to be chosen.  So Calvin--unlike 
>Luther--described a life of good works so as to reveal oneself as righteous 
>and saved.  It's like buying insurance.

No, my comparison of Calvin’s elect and Judaism’s chosen, though not exact 
(and I never intended to imply Pynchon was equating them, just drawing 
parallels) is still valid, and for the reason I stated.  We could argue the 
fine points forever, but essentially Calvin make’s God’s predestination the 
act of God, not any man, thereby eliminating ANY action of man (such as 
believing) as the vehicle for his salvation.  See the following from a very 
thorough explication of Calvinism:

http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/dabney/5points.htm#u

***In our Confession, Chapter 3, Sections 3, 4, and 7, we have this 
description of it: "By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his 
glory, some men and angels are predestined unto everlasting life and others 
foreordained to everlasting death" (3). "These angels and men, thus 
predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed; 
and their number is so certain and definite that it cannot be either 
increased or diminished" (4).

***"The rest of mankind, God was pleased, according to the unsearchable 
counsel of his own will, whereby he extendeth or withholdeth mercy as he 
pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass 
by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of 
his glorious justice" (7).

***The first and second sections of this tract prove absolutely this sad but 
stubborn fact, that no sinner ever truly regenerates himself. One sufficient 
reason is, that none ever wish to do it, but always prefer, while left to 
themselves by God, to remain as they are, self-willed and worldly. That is 
to say, no sinner ever makes himself choose God and holiness, because every 
principle of his soul goes infallibly to decide the opposite preference. 
Therefore, whenever a sinner is truly regenerated, it must be God that has 
done it.

Me again:  From this point one can go on to the manner by which one can know 
if he’s in the predestined group, as you note above.

Ghetta

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