When it comes to speculating where one will spend eternity, evangelicals tend to cut lot of slack to folks with limited intelligence. In the tradition I grew up in (GARB Baptist), I frequently heard adults speculate that God spares babies and the feeble minded who die without making a decision for Christ, holding them accountable only insofar as they are able to understand.
I like this idea.
Of course, intelligence is a sliding scale. Can we then say that a person with an IQ of 100 (average) is less accountable than one of 160 (Einstein)?[1]
Possibly.
If so, there is a set of expectations that accompany the gifts we bring with us into this world. Eg, there are different expectations for an Einstein than a beauty contestant.
Uhhh...what did she just say?? Miss Teen South Carolina 2007
It takes courage to profess something that appears childish and foolish to others, even in the company of tolerant peers (because we are also listening to ourselves and we know how we sound).
[2012]
[1]
I use the IQ scale for he sake of discussion. There are many other influences that can interfere with a person's ability to make informed decisions.
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