Salvation for Mentally handicapped

Hi all,does anyone have any thoughts about the salvation of handicaped people? I am referring to the whole scope of it, from downs syndrome, to those who lose their mind as in alzeheimers. It could turn into a very emotional issue, but I don't have any thoughts either way.Thanks Zeke

Yeah, if anyone has any thoughts or things that they have heard about this, I would love to hear. That's one thing that I have wondered about for a while but have never really figured out.. chad sepulveda

This is a topic close to my heart because I have a handicapped son. We have had some previous discussion on this board concerning this matter, you can find it at the following link;Capacity to SinIn Christ,Ron

Thanks for the replies,I put that broad range in because the situation that some find themsleves in, leaves allot up to God in terms of how he will deal with them. Refer to InTheLights thread.Maybe to rephrase the question a little, what is the general feeling about persons who when they are born are fully functional, but through circumstances lose their mental capacity to reason? e.g. accidents, mental illnesses.I have a relative who has developed alzeheimers, and the results of it is that there is no recognition our anything. During his early years he had full use of his mind, and was as it were, able bodied. I don't think that he made a decision to serve the Lord in the years that he was fit. Is what he is experiencing an act of judgement in this life? And is God still able to break in to his life?If one reads the bible, it was often in response to hearing or seeing something about God that affected change in peoples lives. Salvation is a spiritual issue but comes into the city of self through the gates of seeing and hearing. Helen Keller stands out as an example of someone who had neither of these facalties. Does anyone know if she was a believer, and if a beliver how she came to 'hear' of the message?I think that folk in this category are close to that of orphans and widows and the 'least of these' category. Love is indeed the surpreme vocation for us as priests of the Lord. The ability to love as Jesus loved is indeed the highest calling of our lives and the sheer weight and capacity for God to love is overwhelming. The fact that he calls us to do the same is humbling. Mans ability to love is an act of grace as is the upward look from depraved humans and at a risen saviour. Anyway.

I think the (Reformed) Presbyterian tradition is that "infants and imbeciles" are still guilty (they believe in guilt inherited from Adam), but God pardons them. I tried to figure out if they have an "age of accountability" (i.e. definition of the age of "infant"), but that would fly too much in the face of their Calvinism.

This is a topic close to my heart because I have a handicapped son.Hi Ron and alland to mine, I have a handicapped daughter. She is 31 years old and has developed age of about 18 months. [I'll see if I can get Greg to add a picture to this posting] She has been resident, for the last 10 years, in a Christian Hostel just about 15 minutes away from our home so we see her most weeks. Her name is Abigail which means 'Father's Delight' and she is; although there have been lots of tears mixed in with the joy.Until this year I was a director of Prospects; a Christian Charity here in the UK. I had been on the board for about 8 years. Prospects have done a lot of thinking over the years with regard to the position of such folk. BTW the politically correct language over here is 'people with learning disabilities' but their 'handicap/disability' ranges from downs to autism and many other conditions.If you follow the hyperlink check out "Causeway Prospects"; this is a side of the charity which reaches out overtly with the gospel to 'mentally handicapped people'. They have a range of devotional helps for such folk some of which are in makaton.

Hi ZekeOHelen Keller stands out as an example of someone who had neither of these facalties. Does anyone know if she was a believer, and if a beliver how she came to 'hear' of the message?I know that Helen Keller once commented that although she had no recollection of ever having seen or heard she always knew that there was a God. There is evidence that she had a personal faith see this link; Helen KellerI don't think that he made a decision to serve the Lord in the years that he was fit. Is what he is experiencing an act of judgement in this life? And is God still able to break in to his life?No and Yes. My old Bible School principle used to tell us a story of a family known to him when he was a young pastor. The wife and children were Christians but the Father was implacably opposed. He suffered an accident and fell into a coma for some time. His wife and children and their local pastor would visit his bedside and read the scriptures and pray. They had no expectation that he would regain consciousness. However, one day he did and in his coma he had become a Christian. As far as I know he continued in the faith for the remainder of his life.Medical folk sometimes say that the hearing is the last faculty to go or the first to return and that visitors at bedsides should be careful what they say. I think the connection between the mind and the brain is incapable of explanation, but they are not the same thing. It may be that the brain with its communication functions becomes impaired, but we really have no idea of what is happening in the mind. Sometimes stroke victims lose one direction of communication; they can understand what is said to them but their answer comes out in apparent meaningless gibberish. It may be that although the human communication tools have broken down there is still 'mind' function. In that context God could easily 'bring to mind' things that had been heard in earlier life or things spoken at the bedside. If I were trying to communicate at that level with your uncle I would use childhood memories of Sunday School stories or songs. This will be a real 'faith ministry' in that you may never know the effects here in time.Some years ago I spent quite a time at the bedside of a well known pastor; he had been a school friend. I read and prayed my way through several passages of scripture while he went into a coma following brain surgery. I had a clear conviction in my spirit that he was 'hearing' me, although there was no outward evidence. He did not recover from the coma but a preacher knows when his message is being received; virtue goes out of him. I know that my friend was receiving what I was sharing; I felt it going from me.By the way, do you live anywhere near the Blyde river?

i meant to post to this earlier, but we have many physically handicaped, and so called retarded folk at my church, and they make me marvel ... There's this one particular young man in his early 20's, physically gnarled, wheel chair bound, that i love to watch during singing and hi praise ... He put some of us supposedly whole, unretarded saints, to shame ... i often watch him and am instantly snapped out of whatever it is i'm feeling sorry for myself about ... He's joyful in a condition that would make many not have faith at all ... What a testimony!