What would Calvinism taste like? The Swiss rise to the chocolate challenge

It's not just Darwin who has a centenary in 2009.  In Switzerland they are revving up to mark 500 years of John Calvin, stern Protestant reformer who with "moral courage, self-forgetfulness,  stern morality, and  uncompromising zeal  addressed himself unto the apparently hopeless task of curbing the passions of the loose populace".
        It is perhaps unfortunate that the first celebration we learn of is a chocolatier called Blaise Poyet who "believes he has captured the essence of the Protestant reformer Jean Calvin in special chocolate pralines ".   He acknowledges the difficulty of representing theological ideas in taste, "But the key thing for Calvin is the glory of God, his excellence, his perfection. So we chose a chocolate that we chocolatiers find  rare and flawless..."  The Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches actually approached Poyet:  one must hope they are satisfied:
    "The first layer is based on a classic smooth and runny praline mix but we have "reformed" it by using crunchy caramelised hazelnuts, and  salt from the Swiss Alps to make the praline slightly savoury.
The second layer uses a "chocolate Grand Cru from Bolivia", made from 68 percent cocoa paste, to represent Calvin's theology of the glory and perfection of God...."
       Calvin's hellfire beliefs are not, alas, represented by burnt bits, but "we have used a caramel made from Swiss cream that that slightly softens the chocolate to represent in a discreet way this love for one's neighbour" Finally, a taste of lemon verbena, a perennial, represents Calvin's ability to sow, to plant and to make things grow.
     Those wishing for more rigorous analysis of Calvinism can click here to catch up on original sin, salvation of the Elect and the damnation of the rest.  Those merely wishing for chocolate may prefer to stick with fruit & nuts. Especially nuts.

Comments

[satria]

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[colonel Bain]

ALast at least his teaching will come out into de open to be rightfully judged!

[Jon]

Hmmm. "Instruction in the Christian Religion, Embracing Almost the Whole Sum of Piety, and Whatever Is Necessary to Know the Doctrine of Salvation: A Work Most Worthy to Be Read by All Persons Zealous for Piety." 1536 with insight from the later revision (Institutes). Calvin wouldn't have eaten chocolate. It would have been seen as a distraction from the obedience and service to God through the pleasure of the flesh. The Swiss story would have been seen as ridicule from a sinful world disobedient unto God making light of the predestined elect...

Personally, I love chocolate. Probably why I am not a Calvinist...

[dave bish]

I reckon Calvin would enjoy this, he being the one who wrote: “There is not one blade of grass, there is no colour in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice”

[Ian Kemmish]

Take Calvinist arguments to their logical conclusion, as the Ranters did, and chocolate is the least of your problems....

[Chris Hillcoat]

If chocolate isn't your thing Calvin's friends in Geneva have also been brewing beer: www.calvinus.ch

[j]

the strange pleasures of choccy lovers have long been equated with sin (think of that flake advert..).

I look forward to the buddhist collection and especially the Muslim brand that one must, naturally, eat five times a day.

[RAS]

I think it is great we can have fun with this, being a Calvinist and all. I think there will be problems with a Muhammed chocolate; judging from past cartoon and teddy bear experiences.

[Stephen Dancer]

Given the nonsense that is written about Calvin, may I make a recommendation? Read David Hall's little book, "The Legacy of John Calvin" (ISBN 1596380853). There you will find 10 ways in which the West has been profoundly influenced for the better.

Of course, there will always be some who will want to say, "I ask you, what has John Calvin ever done for us?" But we know where a similar Monty Python skit about the People's Front of Judea goes with that kind of question!

So, read the book, I urge you!

And, btw, I think Calvin would have hugely enjoyed chocolate if he could have afforded it. It was not the reformers who had a problem with taking pleasure in God's good gifts.

[Steve Grant]

One of the chosen, are you Mr Dancer?
For those not familiar with calvinism, this from their core declaration of faith > God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin; nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established.
By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained to everlasting death.<
Abject, dangerous lunacy.

[Stephen Dancer]

Mr Grant,
Interesting. I am not sure what you think is dangerous about that statement. It would help me if you could explain.

The point I was hoping to get people to look out for as a result of my previous comment is that many benefits have come to the West which flow from the theology Calvin had come to know, and I am sure that you must like some of them! Let me list them (following David Hall):

1. Education for all, not just the rich.
2. A social welfare system.
3. Ethical principles for life.
4. Freedom of the church from the state (and the state from the church!).
5. Limited, collegial government.
6. Decentralised politics.
7. Parity among professions, seeing ordinary vocations as sacred.
8. Reform of the economic system from feudalism to capitalism.
9. Worship in the vernacular.
10. Publishing.

So, what do you think was really dangerous?

Or was it the idea of the sovereignty of God that *establishes* free will?

Or (and I suppose this is it) the idea of predestination? I admit that gives people difficulties. But what would your alternative be? "Life is hard. Then you die."? From where I am standing, that, or anything else people sometimes suggest, seems to me like abject, dangerous lunacy!

[Steve Grant]

Mr Dancer - are you seriously stating that the transformation from feudalism to capitalism 'flows' from Calvinism? Where on earth did you get this stuff? Publishing is a result of Calvinism? Limited government and decentralised politics? Simply because some Calvinists along the way have embraced and supported these concepts, that in no way means that Calvinists can lay claim to them.

Since you ask - what I and indeed any reasonable person free of delusion thinks is dangerous lunacy is the belief that some are destined for eternal salvation, and others to eternal damnation.
The overwhelming majority of Christians reject these views, so I leave Christians to argue this amongst themselves. I think the concept so patently ludicrous as to be a waste of time. The danger lies in that there are people who believe this patent nonsense, and who not only live their lives by it, but also seek to corrupt others.

Ethical principles for life flow from Calvinism? So all those that live ethical, principled lives owe this to Calvin and his followers? So not only are you saying that the great majority of us are doomed to eternal damnation no matter what we do here on earth, but even if we do live ethical, principled lives before being cast into the fires of hell, we owe that to Calvinism anyway!
Can you honestly not see how utterly ridiculous that is - or does the capacity for reasoned thought also 'flow' from Calvinism? Pleeeease! This really is too much!