John Calvin represents bad theology. Just as the Muslim faith does not have a concept of compassion, John Calvin had little if any in his either.
From The Right to Heresy by Stefan Zweig, page 52:
The celebration of Easter and Christmas, begun by early Christians in the Roman catacombs, was abolished in Geneva. Saints’ days were no longer recognized. All the old-established customs of the Church were prohibited. Calvin’s God did not want to be celebrated, or even to be loved, but only to be feared.
From Wikipedia:
Religion did not play a central role in his education. "My mother and father were Jewish only through accident of birth," Zweig said later in an interview. Yet he did not renounce his Jewish faith and wrote repeatedly on Jewish themes....In 1941 [Stefan Zweig] went to Brazil, where in 1942 he and his second wife Lotte (née Charlotte Elisabeth Altmann) committed suicide together in Petrópolis,[1] despairing at the future of Europe and its culture.
And I'm sorry, you cannot read some of the magnificent works of the Puritans and then argue that Calvinists believe God "[does] not want to be celebrated, or even to be loved, but only to be feared."
The easiest, and most common, way to dismiss Calvinist doctrine is the naked ad hominem argument against Calvin himself. The Servetus Card is played early and often...
What utter nonsense.
From "John Calvin: a man of compassion - Rev. J. L. Van Popta":
"Medical care for the needy was established in Geneva when the "ecclesiastical ordinances" were passed in 1541. Those who ran the hospitals were to be paid out of the city coffers. By 1569, "Ordinances Concerning the Estate of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Surgery" were passed.
"Besides the doctors appointed for the large hospital and for the poor refugees, each doctor is required to visit the poor sick in the quarter in which he lives, being required by charity. (Graham 104)
"In his development of care for the poor, Calvin tried to apply his Scriptural insights and his compassionate heart to a difficult situation. Graham estimates that in the twenty years from 1542 to 1561 the city of Geneva had an increase in population of 100%. This was due to the flood of refugees that were pouring out of France (105). Calvin believed that all should be able to work and so began to create employment and industries for the refugees. This compassion was in marked contrast to events in Paris. Graham reports that in France it was not "War on Poverty" but "War on the Poor." In Paris the poor were chained together and driven as if slaves. Being a beggar was reason enough to be whipped (98). It was because of Calvin's understanding of the ethics of property that in Geneva the situation was much different."
What does your quote have to do with your statement that Calvin had no compassion? I don’t understand. Can you please explain why you used that quote to back up your point? Can you give the facts that show this quote is even true? That is, can you please show that it proves the point that “Calvin’s God” only wanted to be feared? Can you logically show that getting rid of man’s customs is a logical conclusion that God is ONLY to be feared? I really do not see that at all and am wondering how you came to that conclusion. Can you explain your reasoning. If not, then I guess we can assume it may not be a valid conclusion, and maybe just a rant.