Clement,
I started a thread last summer asking US adherents why they believe what they believe, and kept an open mind and heart to the answers. I've listened to the arguments and the witness of my spirit along with my own relationship with the Lord and my knowledge of Scripture compels me to utterly reject the doctrine as a spin off of Calvinism.
It's historically inaccurate to say universalism is a spin off of Calvinism. Besides Scripture it dates back to the early church fathers whom few would classify as Calvinists. In fact it was an ECF whom Calvinists point to as one of their own, Augustine, who was largely responsible for the opposition to universalism several centuries after Christ.
Today most universalists are probably found in the two largest denominations, RC & EO, which are far from being Calvinistic.
So, it seems to me, you are quite misinformed on this point, as well as other points re universalism i've raised in previous posts. Which is not surprising from one who relied for his info on a single brief thread on just one anonymous posting forum. Needless to say this is not a proper or thorough method for researching any topic. In high school one would get an F for such an effort.
And I reject Calvinism with the same vehemence, regarding both US doctrine and Calvinism as doctrines of demons. Yes, I know US adherents just as vehemently deny that they are not Calvinists. But the logical assumptions are based upon Calvinist premise.
Again, i'd strongly suggest you are once again badly misinformed. As per my comments above. Early Church Fathers aside, & the RC & EO universalists aside, even the vast majority of books i've seen by universalist authors (either hopeful or assured of UR) & forum posters are anti-Calvinistic.
You are welcome to your opinion. But I will not have your opinion crammed down my throat.
Yet you keep coming back for more. There's an easy way to avoid listening to others opinions, whether with an open mind, & thorough research, or not. Just don't open the threads. No one is forcing you to "cram" those posted words "down your throat" except you & only you yourself when you click on the thread about universalism and you - no one else - makes the choice to read. You can't pass the buck for responsibility for that onto others, as Calvinists often do.
This is why I say it is pointless. I already know the Lord. Just as I trust God is leading you through your understanding of Him, He is leading me through my understanding of Him.
Paul tells us not to cause a brother weak in faith to stumble. If I am a brother weak in faith I see those who argue for Universal Salvation as creating stumbling blocks.
Evidently you don't believe in "eternal security" or that God will keep those that are His.
You also ignore the hundreds of millions who have already been "stumbled" away from Christ by the false teaching of endless tortures.
Does your comment then mean those who are damned will have a legitimate excuse on the day of judgement & your "God" will not be able to annihilate or torture them for eternity?
Also Jesus spoke of the wheat & tares growing together. So there will be true believers amongst the mere professing Christians. Therefore you can't judge that all those posting here & saying the name of Jesus are saved. Compare Mt.7:21-23 re those saying Lord, Lord.
In other words, I see you creating division and sin in the body.
There are already 100's of divisions called denominations. Is that what you consider unity, rather than division? Jesus said He came to bring a sword & division. At what cost to the truth would you have superficial unity? The true church will always have unity of the Spirit.
I don't argue with Calvinists and I don't want to argue with your bunch, either.
Yet here you are.
Nothing US people say will convince, and on the contrary, the more they say the more I resent their insistence.
I'd suggest prayer.
I see it as a damnable doctrine, and a twisted and contorted doctrine that wrestles with Scripture their own destruction.
No surprises there. God bless.
https://www.tentmaker.org/books/hope_beyond_hell.pdf
