From: eje@irenaeus.mlo.dec.com (Eric James Ewanco)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Salvation and the purpose of evangelization
Date: 30 Aug 92 06:18:24 GMT
Reply-To: ewanco@kalvin.enet.dec.com
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

In article <Aug.28.01.42.53.1992.25753@athos.rutgers.edu>, jmanghan@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (I am G!) writes:
From: jmanghan@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (I am G!)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: Salvation and the purpose of evangelization
Organization: University of California, San Diego

> In article <Aug.27.02.37.42.1992.934@athos.rutgers.edu> dabbott@augean.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au (Derek Abbott) writes:
> >
> >If salvation is possible without having even heard the name "Jesus"
> >(as in the case of an eskimo 3000 years ago) then we ask what is
> >the purpose of evangelization and what is the need for doing it
> >with any urgency?

> Two Scriptures to show that salvation is not available to those who
> don't believe in Jesus...

> 'Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under
> heaven given to men by which we must be saved.' Acts 4:12

> 'I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the
> Father except throught me.' John 14:6

Sorry, you are reading things into these verse that aren't there.  They simply
say that we are only saved by Jesus, not by Buddha, or Krisna, or by works of
the law.  If Jesus wanted to save someone to was unaware that he existed, he
could, and that would be salvation through Jesus.

Belief in Jesus is not mentioned in these passages.  You would be better to
chose another passage like, "Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved;
but anyone who does not believe is condemned."  (Last chapter of Mark).  Then
again, it could be argued that a person who has never heard has never had a
chance "not to believe" and may not be condemned.


> About the mental handicapped child...well, I don't really know.  I
> could guess that if that child died in child hood, as Jesus says in
> Matt 19:14 that the Kingdom of God belongs to those such as kids.

Except that we all have sinned and all deserve condemnation, no matter how old.
Kids also need to be saved.  Funny thing is, some use this same verse to answer
objections about baptizing children:  Jesus never contemplated forbidding them
from entering his kingdom.

What it does not say is that those kids are automatically saved no matter what.

Eric
--
/=============================================================================\
| Eric Ewanco - Software Engineer     For the rash and outrageous opinions ex-|
| Digital Equipment Corp, Maynard MA  pressed herein I alone am responsible;  |
| ewanco@kalvin.enet.dec.com          they do not belong to DIGITAL(TM).      |
\==============================- 2 Th 2:15 -==================================/
    "...[T]he greatest and most ancient Church known to all, founded and
    organized at Rome by [] Peter and Paul, [is] that Church which has the
    tradition and faith which comes down to us after having been announced
    to men by the Apostles.  For with this Church, because of its superior
    origin, all Churches must agree ...  and it is in her that the
    faithful everywhere have maintained the Apostolic tradition."
       -- St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, c. 180 A.D., 3,3,3.