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From: oracle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Brian T. Coughlin)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: A Question...
Message-ID: <Feb.12.04.23.04.1990.12173@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 12 Feb 90 09:23:06 GMT
Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Lines: 28
Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

[In article <Feb.9.02.10.55.1990.15511@athos.rutgers.edu>,
bitting-douglas@yale.edu (Douglas Bitting) asked about the fate of
people who had never heard the Word of God.  --clh]

     Your question brings up a common dilemma, I think. "Who can be saved?"
  Then people start tossing about the ideas of "All-Merciful", "All-Knowing",
  "All-Just" God, and the problems contained therein.

     (*whew!*) Stiff dose of jargon, to clear the sinuses...!  :)

     Personal opinion: I certainly don't know who is to be saved, and who
  isn't. To be totally honest, I haven't the slightest idea of what "being
  saved" ENTAILS... I've heard more definitions than my poor mind can handle!
     But I don't believe it matters, in the eyes of faith (another topic
  altogether!). I believe that only God truly knows the ultimate fates of
  all people, and it would be an exercise in futility to try to second-guess
  the Divine Will (if not blasphemous, depending on your viewpoint!).

     Short answer to "Who can be saved?": I haven't the foggiest. And I'm
  pretty sure that no other mortal does, either... or ever will, until
  the final time actually comes (be it death, Apocalypse, et cet.)

     I hope this helps! Take care!

                                              Sincerely,

                                              Brian Coughlin
                                              oracle@eleazar.dartmouth.edu