Please help me develop questions for this scenario.

[PbloPicasso]

I want to do a survey for a hypothetical situation to see how people believe or handle the situation. I’m looking for honest opinions with explanations of why people hold these beliefs. So, if you’re up to it help me develop good questions for the following scenario:

Scenario:
I was baptized Catholic at 14 months of age, indicating my mothers resistance to allowing it. My dad was a waivering Catholic at best during these difficult early years serving in the military. While dad was off to war and afterwards divorced mom brought us only to Protestant churches. Catholic church was only while visiting dad’s Catholic family out of state. I moved to live with dad at 12, started practicing Catholicism at 14 and immediately got dumped onto a stepmother away from my Catholic family. I attended both Protestant and Catholic churches during this time. Protestant was not a replacement but a way to be ecumenical for family sake as a teen. Later, I moved back with grandparents, while dad was living out of state, hanging onto a girlfriend. I went to the seminary, but had little moral and emotional support, ran into homosexual men and priests, was abused, then struggled for a decade discerning truth over it. I ran into a young woman who’s faith resembled that which I had bee raised and admired deeply feeling it was closer to truth than the confusing mess I learned in Catholicism, lots of contradictions and opposing views on the matters of faith and morals. My heart broke after months of proselytizing me and eventually I felt like I’d go to hell if I remained Catholic. After 2 decades of practicing my now Christian only faith I received a similar education in the shortcomings of people in church leadership. Then one day I discovered evidence for Catholicism and returned to practicing Catholicism with a new view of the Church that I could not see in my early years. Now I struggle with leadership in the Catholic Church, yet knowing truth in a new light that makes much more sense now, I know to keep moving forward.

At what point do you think this individual was saved, lost or didn’t matter. Elaborate.

Help me develop questions for this scenario.

Thanks

 

[puzzleannie]

I At what point do you think this individual was saved, lost or didn’t matter. Elaborate.

Help me develop questions for this scenario.

Thanks

this person was saved when Jesus died for him on the cross and rose to new life. He was given the initial gift of faith at his baptism. He has continued, in spite of all obstacles, to seek to enlarge and act upon that faith. In this struggle he has repeatedly relied on other people, and judged their religion by the actions of individuals, rather than on objective standard of truth and divine authority. When this person learns to start with Jesus he will find the Church that Christ established and find his true home while working on earth toward unity with Him.

 

[PbloPicasso]

this person was saved when Jesus died for him on the cross and rose to new life. He was given the initial gift of faith at his baptism. He has continued, in spite of all obstacles, to seek to enlarge and act upon that faith. In this struggle he has repeatedly relied on other people, and judged their religion by the actions of individuals, rather than on objective standard of truth and divine authority. When this person learns to start with Jesus he will find the Church that Christ established and find his true home while working on earth toward unity with Him.

Though very well put, those are statements of faith, not questions.

Personally I found I turned to Jesus more directly as a former Protestant. Now I feel convoluted or overwhelmed by all of the intercessory prayers. So that would be a topic for another thread that I may start as well. God points.

We were all saved 2000 years ago with Christ’s sacrifice. We were saved in our baptism and continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and hope for our salvation in death. We are saved, yet we often fail to realize the infinite compassion of God. I do believe people are saved (not just hoping) when they are practicing in all honesty what they believe to be truth. I firmly believe that no one believes evil is truth. Evil exists, but is not truth. It is a lie. But sometimes truth is clouded with people exhibiting really poor examples. However, we must always seek truth even when we are saved. This does not mean that the sacraments are not important. It merely takes into consideration those of us who were raised in severely broken environments. Some people that act confident know there is something deep down inside that is wrong, yet do not have the motivation or the faculties to pursue truth.

 

[vz71]

Help me develop questions for this scenario.

Thanks

What do you want to find out?

 

[Radical]

We were all saved 2000 years ago with Christ’s sacrifice.

I wonder what definition of “saved” you could be using such that this would be true. I would say something like the “means of” or “ultimate means of” the fellow’s (possible) salvation was provided at the cross. From there I would ask (wrt the scenario that you provided) what role, if any, do the following things play in allowing that fellow to access the means of his possible salvation:

a) his attendance/membership with a catholic church vs. a protestant church;

b) the doctrinal package that he adheres to;

c) his uninformed baptism;

d) his perspective on Christ;

e) the inclination of his heart.

 

[vz71]

At what point do you think this individual was saved, lost or didn’t matter. Elaborate.

Just a peeve of mine…
You are not saved so long as there is opportunity to go to hell.

Once you are in heaven, you can say you are saved.
Else you are simply working out your salvation.

“Work in progress” I find to be a better explanation then ‘saved’

 

[SunshineZA]

I wonder what definition of “saved” you could be using such that this would be true. I would say something like the “means of” or “ultimate means of” the fellow’s (possible) salvation was provided at the cross. From there I would ask (wrt the scenario that you provided) what role, if any, do the following things play in allowing that fellow to access the means of his possible salvation:

a) his attendance/membership with a catholic church vs. a protestant church;

b) the doctrinal package that he adheres to;

c) his uninformed baptism;

d) his perspective on Christ;

e) the inclination of his heart.

(F) what does he depend upon for his own salvation and sanctification?

(G) how does answer to the above mentioned, impact on all the people mentioned in the scenario?

(H) Willingness to forgive self and others?

(I) Is he prepared to confess all mentioned in the scenario, repent and move on with his life. Love God with his whole being irrespective of outward appearances?

 

[cooterhein]

At what point do you think this individual was saved, lost or didn’t matter. Elaborate.

This individual was lost until God found him. This person was saved whenever God saved him, assuming that He did. Of course it matters; it’s very important.

Help me develop questions for this scenario.

When did God save him? This is not necessarily marked by the time at which he was baptized in a Catholic church or any other one. It’s marked by the time at which the Holy Spirit indwelt him and regenerated him, causing him to become a Christian. If that happens to coincide with his baptism, then that’s what happened. But maybe not. That’s why you ask.

Salvation is something that God does. Find out if and when God did that. Also find out whether or not God is currently indwelling this person and what God is doing at this point in time.

 

[PbloPicasso]

Though all of these illustrate thought out responses, they are not questions for a survey. I know Catholic teaching. I’m looking for a deries of questions that provokes thought along the idea of salvation, Never mind the way I worded “I’m saved”. If I endeavored to explain it everyone would go off on a different tangent. People just do not conceive what I’m saying, though it could be worded better, but I’m not trying to rewrite CCC or scripture. When reading what I said think in terms of “God transcends time and space”. It’s not an easy thing to do.

 

[PbloPicasso]

This individual was lost until God found him. God conceived his existence long before he sought God. So, not possible. He had to exist before he sought God. God already knew him so He didn’t have to find him. The man had to find God, which all of us are doing. We can not know the will of God. We can not know the mind and heart of God. But God knows ours…

 

[PbloPicasso]

Though all of these illustrate thought out responses, they are not questions for a survey. I know Catholic teaching. I’m looking for a deries of questions that provokes thought along the idea of salvation, Never mind the way I worded “I’m saved”. If I endeavored to explain it everyone would go off on a different tangent. People just do not conceive what I’m saying, though it could be worded better, but I’m not trying to rewrite CCC or scripture. When reading what I said think in terms of “God transcends time and space”. It’s not an easy thing to do.

[SIGN]Questions Please[/SIGN]

 

[cooterhein]

God conceived his existence long before he sought God. So, not possible. (That he was lost).

God is aware of everything that exists. He did create everything, after all. Therefore, the existence of something guarantees that God knows about it, and it’s also a precondition for something to be “lost.” You appear to be saying you’re only willing to accept that something is “lost” if it does not exist, and if that’s what you’re saying, I don’t regard it as a rational thought.

He had to exist before he sought God.

He also had to exist in order to be someone who was lost. If he didn’t exist, he wouldn’t be anything. But for those who do exist, they are either lost or they are not lost. They must exist, and then they can have one status or the other.

God already knew him so He didn’t have to find him.

Here, God’s act of “finding” someone is approximately synonymous with “saving” someone. God is quite familiar with everything and everyone that exists in His creation, but most of those people are lost. Some are saved. They all exist, but that should really go without saying.

It really, really should. I mean, come on.

The man had to find God, which all of us are doing.

So when you find God, how do you suggest that you get Him to do what you want? Do you have any ways of doing that, or do you figure you’re limited to asking Him nicely?

We can not know the will of God.

But you can ask Him to do things. And we can know whether or not He’s done them to us.

You can’t give someone else a visual inspection and know what God’s done to them, though. That’s why you ask, and you get to know them in order to find out more.

 

[PbloPicasso]

God is aware of everything that exists. He did create everything, after all. Therefore, the existence of something guarantees that God knows about it, and it’s also a precondition for something to be “lost.” You appear to be saying you’re only willing to accept that something is “lost” if it does not exist, and if that’s what you’re saying, I don’t regard it as a rational thought.

Thant’s not what I said. reread it carefully.

He also had to exist in order to be someone who was lost. If he didn’t exist, he wouldn’t be anything. But for those who do exist, they are either lost or they are not lost. They must exist, and then they can have one status or the other.

Here, God’s act of “finding” someone is approximately synonymous with “saving” someone. God is quite familiar with everything and everyone that exists in His creation, but most of those people are lost. Some are saved. They all exist, but that should really go without saying.

It really, really should. I mean, come on.

So when you find God, how do you suggest that you get Him to do what you want? Do you have any ways of doing that, or do you figure you’re limited to asking Him nicely?

But you can ask Him to do things. And we can know whether or not He’s done them to us.

You can’t give someone else a visual inspection and know what God’s done to them, though. That’s why you ask, and you get to know them in order to find out more.