I learned today, from *The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations*, that the phrase **"Damned if you do and damned if you don't"** was coined by [Lorenzo Dow][1], the 19th century American preacher. According to said publication, Dow was speaking specifically about the Calvinist doctrine of **"Particular Election"**.

I've not heard of Particular Election before, but I am familiar with **Unconditional Election**, and, judging by the phrase, that sounds rather like what Dow was getting at. **Are Particular Election and Unconditional Election synonymous?** If not, please give me a condensed version of what Particular Election entails.


  [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Dow