Final answer:
John Calvin's theology is fundamentally based on the doctrine of predestination, highlighting the predetermined salvation or dam-nation of souls, where faithful lives were led in search of signs of being among the elect.
Step-by-step explanation:
A central element of John Calvin's theology was his belief in predestination. This doctrine stipulates that God has foreordained every event throughout eternity, including the salvation or dam-nation of every soul. Calvin asserted that since God is all-powerful and all-knowing, human actions could not influence divine will. Consequently, the fate of each individual's soul is predetermined by God's grace rather than any human effort or merit. Followers of Calvin, recognizing their inability to alter their predestined salvation, looked for signs in their lives that perhaps indicated they were among the elect, or 'chosen' ones. They led moral lives, abiding by a strict ethical code that shunned activities such as dancing and public drun-kenness, in the hope of demonstrating they were favored by God.