--- Who was John Calvin? ---
If you're not a Catholic, but consider yourself a Christian, you're a Protestant! Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Mennonites, Jehovah's Witnesses, Presbyterian's etc.; you're all Protestants.
If you have any interest in the Bible and you are not a Catholic, John Calvin is a man you probably want to know; and thank... Once you do know John, you probably should know Michael Servetus as well. (Spanish: Miguel Serveto; September 29, 1509 - October 27, 1553) They are most likely two of the founding fathers of your faith... During the Dark Ages, you see, Catholicism was mostly the only church. They made it so at the point of a Roman sword... [During the "Christian Crusades" of the Dark Ages, the Church formed an alliance to use the might of Rome to force convert most of the then known world to the apostate Catholic Church.] For a thousand years [from 300 or 400 AD to 1300 or 1400 AD], the religio-political Roman Catholic Church did everything in their considerable power to exterminate everyone who presented as anything but Catholic.
French: Jehan Cauvin
Born July 19,1509; Died May 27, 1564
(Article written: June, 2012)
That unholy Roman Church/State hid the Bible from common people by keeping it in the dead language of Latin. Under penalty of death, only Priests trained in Latin could read God's Word. And not just any death, mind you, but the most horrible and slow and very public death they could conceive. [All in the name of Christ, of course...]
Bringing the end of the Dark Ages, brave men and women learned what the Bible taught, exposing the lies fomented by the apostate Church, and started to break away. Mr. Calvin and Mr. Servetus are among them. Very dangerous work. Thus today, most if not all non-Catholic self-proclaimed "Christian" churches are protestant. [From the original intended derogatory term of "protestors" against the Dark Ages Holy Roman Catholic Church.]
Here is our point: We should recognize Mr. Calvin for providing us a sterling example of bravery and character in his search for Bible truth; and then soon after, a damning example of the horrible influence of organized religion. [Please take note: Religion is very different from Christianity. Just calling one's self a Christian does not make it so.] John Calvin [and other sincere Bible students, including Michael Servetus] worked to break free of apostasy: Mr. Calvin is considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of the Protestant reformation movement. After Mr. Calvin broke free of the Un-Holy Roman Catholic Church, he had to flee to Switzerland to avoid being burned alive by them. The Church burning or torturing to death those she judged her spiritual enemies was a common practice in his day. Having allowed him to escape, the Church burned Calvin in effigy. [They constructed some kind of life size doll and burned it in his name.] Fleeing to Geneva, Calvin soon established his own new religion. Sadly, in doing so, he constructed his own new doctrine and aligned himself with another governmental power, no doubt seeking protection for his new sect. He seemed unable to realize that is exactly what the early apostate church had done with Rome; thus creating the apostate Catholic church Calvin was forced to flee. Soon after, Michael Servetus also recognized the wrongs done by the professed Holy Roman Catholic Church, and Servetus also ran. The Church then burned Servetus in effigy, since they could not lay hands on him to burn him in the flesh. Servetus fled to Calvin, as he knew Calvin had successfully broken with the Catholic Religion. Soon, however, Servetus and Calvin had a disagreement about a point in Calvin's new "doctrine" of faith; the doctrine "Calvin had created" to define "his new Christianity." In trying to protect his newly formed religious organization, Calvin burned Servetus at the stake [not in effigy, but in the flesh]. Calvin killed Servetus because Michael did not agree with him about the doctrines of predestination and the trinity. [Most/many Bible scholars today believe Calvin held an unscriptural view of predestination, even as he committed that vile crime against truth and against Mr. Servetus.] Geneva was trying to become to the Protestants what Rome was to the Catholics. So, on Oct 27, 1553, the Genevan City government, spurred on by the newly formed Calvinists, burned 44 year old Michael Servetus alive at the stake as Michael repeatedly cried out to Jesus Christ, as the son of God, for mercy. Mr. Servetus is thus the only man in history known to have been burned at the stake in effigy by the so called Holy Roman Church, and then actually burned alive by the Protestants. Just that quickly, John Calvin had returned to the apostasy and wicked unscriptural behavior he had risked his life to escape. Why did Calvin fail? Like all Religionists, Calvin abandoned his search for the truth of the Bible that set him free (John 8:31-32) of Catholic doctrine, to create his own new doctrine and then to pursue secular protection for his "new religion," his doctrine simply being the rules he established to define an approved membership in his new sect. He forgot Christ and began to imagine God was using "him." He failed to grasp Jesus Christ had already started the only organization acceptable to God: It is Christianity and the words of Christ are the only doctrine for true Christians. (Acts 11:26) He also failed to understand, Christianity is not organized and policed by any man or sectarian group of them. The true Christian membership roll is kept only in heaven... (Luke 10:20-21) Christians are all the "individuals" who are born again by Holy Spirit; reborn as followers of Christ! (John 1-8) Being born again is not magic or hard to understand...
Being born again simply means take in God's spirit by reading the words of Jesus Christ, recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read them through from beginning to end, over and over to the point of familiarity. (John 6:63; John 15:14-15) An intimate knowledge of, and obedience to, the teachings of Jesus Christ will make you a brand new person!
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