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In a discussion on an atheist blog, I stated that Calvinism was “a tiny minority amongst Christians.” I have mentioned this sort of thing in the past and it always seemed to be controversial. I don’t know why.
What I stated is easily demonstrable, as a matter of “religious sociology” and demographics. One simply looks up the figures (Wikipedia is sufficient for that). They are a tiny percentage. Look up the numbers (all who doubt this). There are 1.34 billion Catholics in the world and (a generous high estimate) 1 billion Protestants; also 260 million Orthodox. So it’s about 2.6 billion Christians altogether.
Now, Calvinism (Presbyterian + Reformed in the denominational categories) is 7% of all Protestants, or 70 million: a small minority of the larger minority group. But one must realize their percentage of the whole (all Christians), which is what I was talking about. That comes out to 2.7%, or 1 out of every 37 Christians in the world.
And one must also figure (to be even more accurate), that many Presbyterians and Reformed (very likely half or more) are theologically liberal, and detest the Calvinism that used to dominate their denomination (as well as many other traditional Protestant / Reformed beliefs). So that would (if true, and it almost certainly is) bring it down to 1.35% of Christians in the world, or 1 out of every 74 Christians.
Is that a “tiny minority” as I described it? Yes! Obviously so. Geneva, Switzerland was Calvin’s stomping ground. It is now 13.5% Swiss Reformed, while 37.4% are Catholic: almost three times as many.
Switzerland as a whole is 23.8% Reformed, and I’ll guarantee that many of those (as in all such classifications) are “in name only” and no longer believe in double predestination. Catholics + Orthodox are 38.3% and no religious affiliation is 26.3%. And this was the stronghold and initial base of Calvinism.
The Netherlands was another. The Protestant Church in the Netherlands: the remnant of the dominant Calvinism of 450 years ago, is a mere 1.6 million, or 9.1% of the population, while Catholics are 29% and the irreligious a whopping 54.1%: seven times greater in number than those who (partially) believe in Calvinism.
Anglicanism used to have a strong Calvinist sub-group (Westminster Confession, Puritans, etc.) which is now virtually extinct. Luther was not quite as extreme as Calvin, but even so, Lutheranism decided to formally ditch his double predestinarianism and denial of free will as soon as he died.
I do grant that Calvinism has had a greater influence than its numbers would suggest, and a very strong influence indeed in the 15th-17th centuries before encroaching theological liberalism decimated it. But that’s not the question at hand: which is their numbers historically and at the present time.
No major figure in the history of the Church until the 16th century believed in the entire worldview of five-point Calvinism. Calvinists try very hard to co-opt St. Augustine, but this is not the case, as I have shown many times in my writings.
Predestination to heaven is not an issue in dispute, as — it may surprise many to learn — even Catholics and Arminian Protestants and Orthodox accept that as a truth (while disputing about some of the fine points). I believe in that, as an orthodox Catholic (Congruist Molinist, to be exact). It’s the predestination to hell (“double predestination”) and denial of free will that the vast majority of Christians have objected to.
Calvinists have had their significant theological and cultural influence, which I acknowledged in one of my comments, and not all of it is bad: it’s mostly just the blasphemous double predestination that is the “bad” stuff. In fact, I have myself been beneficially influenced by many of their emphases that are not heretical. Francis Schaeffer was a huge influence in my life, as well as many other Calvinists (far too many to mention).
It’s specifically the false doctrine of double predestination and denial of human free will that turns God into the author of sin and a morally objectionable Creator, who gives the damned no free will choice whatsoever and allows them to go to hell for eternity. That’s neither biblical nor historic Christianity, and it is morally contemptible.
Atheists (many of whom were formerly anti-intellectual fundamentalists) may pretend that this is mainstream Christianity (in terms of numbers), and utilize it in order to bash the “God” that is taught in the system, but it is not and never has been.
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Summary: I summarize the demographics and history of Calvinism and show how Calvinists are a mere 1.35% of Christians in the world, or 1 out of every 74 Christians.
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