Can people with mental defects be saved???

[Jenniferlynn]

I am asking this question because I was told be a Pastor from a few years ago, if you have a defect God will not accept you. Is this true and if it is not how do you become saved with a mental defect like ADD or ADHD????????  

[immanuelkant]

I don't know what your Pastor was smoking, but he doesn't understand the doctrine of grace. God doesn't accept you based on what you do, He accepts you based on what Jesus did on the cross. He doesn't look for you to be pefect and then let you into His Kingdom, he purifies you by first adopting you into his family.

I've seen it happen, and yes it is absolutely possible for a person with mental defects to be saved.  

[ioioouiouiouio]

immanuelkant

I don't know what your Pastor was smoking

Me neither, but it was clearly something very illegal.

On this subject, I must question what was meant by 'mental defect'. If it is something so small as ADD orr ADHD, then I must state that it is my opinion that the person who told you that was a complete idiot.

If, however, he was talking about something more serious, such as, say, full-blown paranoid schizophrenia, than the question becomes more complicated. The real question that needs to be asked is 'can the person accept Jesus Christ and truely mean and follow through on that acceptance?' If the answer is yes, than yes, the person in question can be saved. If no, then one must ask if that person can truely sin. To use an example (that in no way is demeaning to those with mental defects), if an infant hits a parent when upset about something, can it truely be called disrespecting the parent? The child has no recognition of what a parent is, nor even, the concept of God and His laws. so, is it still sin?

I leave you on this note because I, for one, haven't fully come up with an answer.  

[immanuelkant]

Cometh The Inquisitor

immanuelkant

I don't know what your Pastor was smoking

Me neither, but it was clearly something very illegal.

On this subject, I must question what was meant by 'mental defect'. If it is something so small as ADD orr ADHD, then I must state that it is my opinion that the person who told you that was a complete idiot.

If, however, he was talking about something more serious, such as, say, full-blown paranoid schizophrenia, than the question becomes more complicated. The real question that needs to be asked is 'can the person accept Jesus Christ and truely mean and follow through on that acceptance?' If the answer is yes, than yes, the person in question can be saved. If no, then one must ask if that person can truely sin. To use an example (that in no way is demeaning to those with mental defects), if an infant hits a parent when upset about something, can it truely be called disrespecting the parent? The child has no recognition of what a parent is, nor even, the concept of God and His laws. so, is it still sin?

I leave you on this note because I, for one, haven't fully come up with an answer.

I don't think anyone can give a clear answer, Cometh. I don't know what to think sometimes, but here's some of my thoughts on this idea.

I know that God is a loving God, and a just God. I know that everyone has a sin nature and sins conciously without God to save them. I know that there are some conditions that prohibit a person from making those concious decisions, but I also know that a person must be saved from their sin nature as well as their concious decision.

I lean on the side of God's love more than God's justice for this one. The God that I know and follow everyday would not allow a mentally handicapped person, or a child without the ability to make a true decision, to suffer an eternal damnation just because he was just. I believe that up to a certain age (that varies for each child) they can't make the decision on their own and that if they died before that age then God doesn't judge them by their sin nature because they couldn't have believed on him truly. I believe the same for mentally handicapped people. God would not allow them to die, because what glory would be in that? How would that draw all men to himself?

I'll never really know for sure, but that's what I believe for now. God is a loving God above his own justice.  

[rftkfan]

Jenniferlynn

I am asking this question because I was told be a Pastor from a few years ago, if you have a defect God will not accept you. Is this true and if it is not how do you become saved with a mental defect like ADD or ADHD????????

One thing I am not going to do is judge the pastor. Not my job. I judge no one. Second I have a autistic son. God created him and he is special to me. I think God looks at the heart of the person. I have run into alot of pastor like him. They seem to forget that God embraced children and loved them. Until the churches rember that the churches will fail. You do not stand on the rock the sea of life will overtake you.  

[BDSaint13]

Well aside from Jesus forgiving everyone for their sins.

I've been told their is a mistranslation in the word kill, it actually is suppose to be murder, which by law is very different. Also if you can drag yourself through leviticus their were people specifically meant to go out and kill those who were branded for murder, so this person was techinqually working for what would be the current law and their for Gods law, so they have to be doing the right thing and here's why....

Their is a verse (darn my inability with references, somewhere in the begining of romans, AH FOUND IT) Romans 3:5 , 6

That explains that one cannot sin and bless God, there fore those people couldn't have been doing Gods law and murdering people. So by definition (unless New Testament nullifies most Mosaic law) these people were killing the name of God............

yeah I still feel weird about that, but I do believe killing certain people is necessary, I just have no faith that humans (I myself as well) can conduct it well.

domokun ROAR lol

Also how did your pastor define a defect, I guess he is basing of the idea of a sacrifice, like the lambs, adn sppooted lambs were not accepted.  

[BDSaint13]

rftkfan

Jenniferlynn

I am asking this question because I was told be a Pastor from a few years ago, if you have a defect God will not accept you. Is this true and if it is not how do you become saved with a mental defect like ADD or ADHD????????

One thing I am not going to do is judge the pastor. Not my job. I judge no one. Second I have a autistic son. God created him and he is special to me. I think God looks at the heart of the person. I have run into alot of pastor like him. They seem to forget that God embraced children and loved them. Until the churches rember that the churches will fail. You do not stand on the rock the sea of life will overtake you.

Also, isn't there an age where the child can discern good from evil, and that is where he must also choose Jesus or reject him? NOt saying your son hasn't done this or not, but if their can't be a determined way to know if he has accepted Jesus as his savior and is not at an age where he can understand that concept (age as it maturation) then yeah Gods not going to reject him when he can't even make the decisions where do all dead babies go?  

[torrinne]

If there is one thing I believe with all my heart, it is this: Everyone can be saved. No matter what. Even if you don't come to God, God comes to you. No matter what's wrong with you, because none of us is perfect. Some of us may be closer or farther from perfect, but God meets us there anyways.

I don't know if that helps...  

[Seority]

I don't really know. I mean if they have something serious then I guess God should save them, but you know, we just don't really know. I'd like to hope that God does save them since he made them that way, but I haven't ever thought deeply about this topic, so this is all I can say from the top of my head.

 

[Hime Maru]

You know, almost everyone can be saved, the only sin that God doesn't forgives is to blaspheme against the Holy Ghost. If someone has mental problems, can be saved too. It doesn't matter if he kills or steal or anything more, If that person accepts Jesus with all his heart, God will forgive his past and sins.  

[rftkfan]

Special children are great. They have absulte faith. They do not doubt. They belive what you teach.  

[ungod ubiquitous]

You may have seen me in the debating magick forum. About the people with mental defects, leave the people alone! That's how their born! ADD is no problem to anyone. I can't say that about ADHD, beause I don' t know what it is.  

[chickenlipsRfun2eat]

Uhh...

What are those abreviations?!?! gonk


Grr...


anyway, God loves everyone, Duh.
that pastor of yours, is... er... the one with the ADHDHSADSHSF.

How did he become a pastor anyway? Knowing the bible
is diff than applying it in life.
 

[rftkfan]

chickenlipsRfun2eat

Uhh...

What are those abreviations?!?! gonk


Grr...


anyway, God loves everyone, Duh.
that pastor of yours, is... er... the one with the ADHDHSADSHSF.

How did he become a pastor anyway? Knowing the bible
is diff than applying it in life.

Add is attention defiece disorder. Adhd is Attention deficet hyperactive disorder. I love working with them I understand and give understanding. I love children in a very godly way.  

[Ziarreneo]

I did a paper on ADD and ADHD this year for my science class. I learned that even people with just allergies can have ADD and a bunch more stuff. I all reality, ADD and/or ADHD are not a mental disease or defect. It is just what a group of different symptoms a different true diseases put together.

Second, God loves anyone who confesses their sins and walk with Him daily.