Some of us Are Among the Elect, But I'm not All that Sure About the Others

In my last post I wrote about how much fun could be had with the contradictions of Calvinism. The main source of entertainment that has kept Calvinists occupied for centuries is the question of how you can ever really know if you are one of the elect. Here's the catch. You can't. But that hasn't stopped us from trying to figure ways to reassure ourselves (a) of our own election and (b) of the election of our coreligionists. The latter is even more difficult for us to manage because, while we sometimes aren't sure about ourselves, we are never really sure about the other people who claim to be among the elect.

Max Weber reckoned that this uncertainty led to capitalism because Calvinists felt that they had to be frugal and pious and to prosper in order to demonstrate election. Surely, the prosperous thrive because God has chosen them. Then again, there sure have been a lot of bad people who seemed to thrive despite their wickedness. So prosperity would not necessarily be a sign of election. Indeed, it may please God to afflict you with plague for His ineffable purposes, and this would not mean that you were not elect. What was Weber talking about?

Maybe election is manifested by annoying sanctimony and public piety. Surely, that can't be. Jesus told us that the Pharisees who made a show of piety were doomed, so why would a Pharasaical Calvinist fare any better?

Surely, the elect will be super-righteous and free from sin more than the non-elect. Maybe not, though. God saves whomsoever He will, even the basest sinner. And a focus on righteousness as an outward sign of election usually is accompanied by a tendency to legalism and loss of the whole Calvinist point. But then, we can't abide total lawlessness can we? It boggles the mind, I tell you.

The way I figure it, I believe that I am among the elect, and I am willing to a point to take your word for it that you are as well. It's not up to me to decide, although I will interpret violence by you as a sure sign that you are probably not so much among the elect as you might think. If the whole business is a crock, I'll never know because I'll die and never come back. If the hell thing is my lot, then I can't do anything to stay out of it anyway. If some other deity with completely different requirements turns out to exist instead of the one I believe in, then I am screwed and can't do anything about it.