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This is sort of the opposite version of a question I just asked.

What is the most popular belief system that rejects all points of Calvinism and Arminianism? It seems to me that Calvinism and Arminianism would cover all doctrinal bases.

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LCIII
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    I would think Atheism at a guess. – bruised reed Jul 18 '14 at 14:13
  • @bruisedreed Hahaha I guess I should have specified. – LCIII Jul 18 '14 at 14:16
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    still seems like a kind of sucky question the way it's worded - it seems to me that the only right response to the re-edited title question is a resounding 'No!' Maybe rather than talk about 'all doctrinal bases' you restrict yourself to talking about soteriology? – bruised reed Jul 18 '14 at 14:30
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    Your question is challenging a common false dichotomy ("all Christians are either Calvinist or Arminian") with another false dichotomy: "A Christian must accept all points of Calvinism or Arminianism, or none". It's a nonsensical question. – Flimzy Jul 18 '14 at 20:07
  • The problem with this question is perhaps made obvious if one considers that both Calvinism and Arminianism affirm Christ as the savior. So to find a belief system that rejects all points of both means to find a non-Christian belief system. If that's really what you want, the question is off-topic here. I suspect that's not really what you want. – Flimzy Jul 18 '14 at 20:08
  • Would Catholicism count as one or the other? – Matt Gutting Jul 19 '14 at 03:00

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Whether or not you'll find a theology that rejects everything in Calvinism and Arminianism is going to depend on how broadly you define those terms (as Calvinism can also encompass such issues as infant baptism, eschatology, and the relation of the OT civil law and modern day governance). But the closest you'll find (at least in matters of salvation) is probably Pelagianism.

In Pelagianism, the necessity of the grace of God in salvation is denied, though Pelagius did say that people were often helped by it. Calvinism, being rooted in Augustinianism, would say that God's grace is not just necessary, but also sufficient for salvation. Arminians would also affirm the necessity of God's grace.

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