Table of Contents
Why did the Dutch become Calvinists?
Their reforms (which were very Calvinist in nature) laid the foundation of what the Netherlands is today. They were able to build a society based on integrity, respectfulness, acceptance, perseverance, reliability, self-discipline, and efficiency.
How did Calvinism come to South Africa?
Calvinism came to South Africa with the first Dutch settlers. There is no historical evidence that indicates that the first settlers were deeply religious, but they were worshippers in the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk (Dutch Reformed Church), which was the only church permitted in the region until 1778.
What role did the Dutch Reformed Church play in building Afrikaner nationalism?
Dutch Reformed Church Religion, especially Afrikaner Calvinism, played an instrumental role in the development of Afrikaner nationalism and consequently in the apartheid ideology. Such spheres (for example: historical nations) had to be preserved and protected from liberalism and revolutionary ideologies.
What do the Afrikaners believe in?
Afrikaners believed that they were called to spread the Christian faith in Africa. The influence of their Christian-national beliefs figured strongly in government and schools. Festivals are part of the Afrikaner’s existence and fill a need to express joy or humility over certain events.
What do the Dutch Reformed believe?
Doctrinal Beliefs Calvinism in the Reformed Church meant that adherents believed their salvation or damnation was determined before they were born. Reformists believe that the word of God, the Bible, is the complete and total account of what people need to live a good and just life.
Why did the Dutch Reformed Church support apartheid?
“The church is convinced that the use of apartheid as a socio-political system which causes injustice to people and incorrectly gives one group preference over the other cannot be accepted on Christian ethical grounds because it militates against brotherly love and justice, and it inevitably affects the human dignity …
How did Calvinism influence Afrikaans culture?
By 1795, there were seven Dutch Reformed congregations in the Cape, and Calvinism became the foundation of the Afrikaner’s philosophy of life and view of the world. It also influenced all aspects of his cultural activities. In addition, individuality and independence were intensified by a pioneering existence.
How did Calvinism spread to the Netherlands?
Calvinism arrived in what is now the Netherlands in the 1540s, as both the nobles and the common folk converted. Under Phillip II, the Spanish government started harsh persecution campaigns against the Dutch and as a reaction to this persecution, the Calvinist population rebelled.
Why did Afrikaners start the sister churches?
With the establishment of another two Dutch Reformed (Hervormde and Gereformeerde) churches in the 1850s in the Transvaal three so-called sister churches originated. Afrikaners believed that they were called to spread the Christian faith in Africa. The influence of their Christian-national beliefs figured strongly in government and schools.
What was the religious makeup of the Dutch civil service?
Most of its Dutch employees were Protestant Calvinists, who were the majority of the population in the region, supplemented by other Protestants: Lutheran Germans, Scandinavians, and numerous French Huguenot refugees who had fled religious persecution in France. Among their Afrikaner descendants,…