@Jerry
Pick and choose... I am somewhat amazed by your gaul. Nowhere in the book does it say that all words attributed to all prophets and all writers are equivalent to the words spoken by Jesus himself. And Jesus spoke of loving thy neighbor, doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, having faith regardless of tribulation, helping those that need it, not monetizing religion, forgiving those that transgress against you, others, and God, and in the end, being willing to sacrifice for a greater good. A doctrine of love is incompatible with a doctrine of hate.
And as much as I hate to do this, and as dirty as I feel for it... Have you stoned anyone to death for adultery? I certainly haven't. I suppose taking the Book as a combination of History, Allegory, Parable, Philosophy, and Ancient Hebrew Law may not be 'Christian' enough for you, but my way involves less senseless killing, less stigma, and the reduction of suffering in the world. A complete and literal interpretation of the Book, with the assumption that every letter is to be followed precisely, has not been functional within a society since the Iron age.
And poorly constructed philosophy built on inconsistent logic is still poorly constructed philosophy built on inconsistent logic no matter how much time one devoted to putting it into a marketable book form. The Doctrines of Grace is built on shaky ground both theologically and logically.
Then again, you likely believe that this conversation, its contents, and the outcome were all predetermined.
You do a disservice to any faith that is even related to your particular view by such blatant refusal to accept the flaws in your logic.
So, for the record, let me just state my baseline position: Universal Predestination and Calvinist Doctrine are inherently flawed. We were gifted with Free Will, as evidenced by the existence of a choice as far as salvation goes. If there is no free will, there is no choice. If there is no choice, then there is no salvation. If there is no salvation, then the Word of God is false (in its philosophy) by saying there is. If the Word of God is philosophically false, then the core of the religion itself collapses. Therefore, Christianity and a philosophy that rejects the existence of Free Will are incompatible.
And do yourself a favor and don't go throwing a hack philosophy tome like the Doctrines of Grace into a discussion centered around the Bible. And attempting to play it as a trump card when the Book itself doesn't agree only makes you look worse.
