I guess that was me, who brought up Michael Servetus. But to return to total depravity. I have at least been thinking about this. And this is a genuine question, since I, being a Catholic and, worse, Jesuit-trained, don’t actually know the answer: Do Calvinists understand evil as being the privation of good? From the Catholic perspective, there can be no such thing as pure evil, since being itself is a good. Even Satan, insofar as he is, is good. If Calvinists do not believe that evil is a privation of good, what do they think it is?
Loren may know off the top of his head, but I’d have to research it. I’ve always thought of evil as you have described it. Evil things are perverted from the good, just like orks are perversions of elves, like prostitution is an immoral use of our good sexual natures. I would be surprised to learn that Calvin thought differently, but I’m sure if he wrote about it, he had a very good reason for it.
I guess that was me, who brought up Michael Servetus. But to return to total depravity. I have at least been thinking about this. And this is a genuine question, since I, being a Catholic and, worse, Jesuit-trained, don’t actually know the answer: Do Calvinists understand evil as being the privation of good? From the Catholic perspective, there can be no such thing as pure evil, since being itself is a good. Even Satan, insofar as he is, is good. If Calvinists do not believe that evil is a privation of good, what do they think it is?
Loren may know off the top of his head, but I’d have to research it. I’ve always thought of evil as you have described it. Evil things are perverted from the good, just like orks are perversions of elves, like prostitution is an immoral use of our good sexual natures. I would be surprised to learn that Calvin thought differently, but I’m sure if he wrote about it, he had a very good reason for it.