Question for those who use the Servetus incident against Calvinism

[CmRoddy]

Would you report an escaped murderer to the authorities if you found him hiding in your backyard?

Now, suppose that you did report this man and he was captured, taken to jail and executed via electric chair. Now suppose that a few years later, someone found out about what you did and called you a monster and a murderer. Would you appreciate that? Would you not defend yourself and say "Hey... wait a minute. This man broke the law! He is an escaped convict! I even asked for them to give him lethal injection so he wouldn't feel pain! I didn't murder him!" Of course you would.

Now, this is exactly the dilemma that John Calvin finds himself in when folks try to use the Servetus incident against him. Servetus denied the Trinity and that was against the law in that time period. Servetus was captured but escaped and made a bee line toward Geneva. What was Calvin to do? Was he to allow an escaped convict go without turning him in?

So the question, once again, is this. Would you turn an escaped murderer into the authorities if you knew he was hiding in your backyard?

 

[MamaZ]

Well for what ever reason Calvin did what He did does not change the truth of the scriptures and predestination.

 

[heymikey80]

It's another myth built up around the name, like the story of Galileo. The fact is most of the world wanted to mar Calvin's name, and that this is the closest they got. That is pretty reflective of Calvin's character in comparison with his times.

Servetus was gonna be put to death as a heretic. He picked the most lenient place he could find, and arrived intending a revolution according to his letters. And he was way more volatile a person than the popular heroic stories make him out to be.

 

[Benefactor]

We are not talking about hearsay here we are talking about historical facts, Christian conduct and the lack of it.

If a person who claims the name of Christ violates the sound Christian principle of Godly conduct then that person is washed up so to speak with respect to credibility. Can he be forgiven? Yes. Now, in light of the Severtus incident John Calvin did not recant, nor did he change his attitude. If it can be demonstrated from his writing where he publicly confessed his sin and prayed for forgiveness as we are all instructed to do then please correct me. I welcome it from anyone who is willing to deal with this subject or issue truthfully. I don't buy into the "times" argument. Jesus did not act that way in his time. You won't find his actions condoned or blessed from Scripture.

Scripture encourages us as believers to correct each other and confess to each other, but we do not see this in the writings of these and others.

The test is this, if we can make excuses for Calvin and Luther and others of the past, then why not today?