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What if Jesus meant every word He said? 

Tags: God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, The Bible, Truth, Love, Eternal Life, Salvation, Faith, Holy, Fellowship, Apologetics 

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'Purest' form of humanity?

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Arkenova

PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:44 am
Hello guys, I am here today to discuss something that well, concerns me and probably some other people.

You see, I have ADD, Asperger's Syndrome and DID.

For some time, I wonder about the fact that a radio talkshow host said that people with high functioning autism are 'the purest form of humanity' and I begin to question: Are we really and if we are, why? Is it because we have that innocence of a Child of God?

It has something to do with autistic people and spirituality in a way..but I'm wondering out of curiosity.. neutral  
PostPosted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 11:40 am
Personally, this is a difficult question to answer because nothing is particularly said about it in The Holy Bible, and many people have different thoughts on this matter.

If I were to answer this question, I wouldn't say that those who are gifted or special aren't above anybody else. However, since those who may have autism or other disorders that cause certain functions to stop growing at a certain point - their mental level won't go beyond the age of perhaps 5 or 7 - maybe at some points even 1-3 years of age. Their mindset will be childlike.

Individuals with special needs may not ever realize the evils that can come with wealth and power. They may never realize the reality and brutality in this world. Sometimes they ignore what's going on in the world and focus on the simple tasks of the day and they may not even worry as much.

Those I have known who have experience with special needs children do mention they tend to have a faith that is strong because it might be easier for them to accept God although I am not sure why this is. A lot of them that believe in God have such a childlike enthusiasm when it comes to God as adult Christians should truly have.

In God's eyes, we are all the same and we all must take the narrow path, but our calling in our lives is different.

In the end, I am not sure how in Heaven God judges those with special needs, but I am sure that God is fair in that judgement whatever it may be.

There are some people out there who have special needs that are absolutely an inspiration to Christian people. They, too, have a plan and purpose to fulfill in life. It's amazing for those who go every day without being disabled to see someone who has special needs that feel more confident in God and in their abilities.

I will try to find the link later, but there is this video about a man on godvine.com, and he was born without a heartbeat. As he was dead, they delivered his twin sister. Suddenly, a miracle happened and this man started crying after his sister was born. He went without oxygen for 14 minutes, and he was special needs all his life. This amazing man didn't know how to read and taught himself by reading his sisters books and graduated with honors. The man even went to college, which is amazing. His mother told him one day that he should go to Georgia on his own and he wasn't sure why and said he had a long talk with God, saying, "Don't you see my hands, my feet, and hear my voice? How am I going to go to Georgia like this?" and God told Him, "I know because I made you." The man went to Georgia and I believe it may have been there he went to college. He became a motivational speaker and noticed that there were so many people that would break down into tears because his story was so inspirational and made people realize a lot about perhaps their faith in God.  

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Arkenova

PostPosted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 3:36 am
This is quite interesting and it's very enlightening. 3nodding

Though I had heard the reason why autistic people may not and/or are not fully aware of the evils is because of their childlike innocence. I do believe that all of us is equal, yet I find it odd why people think that autistics are 'pure'.

To the world, they see us as different but in the end, autistics are like any other people. They strive to fit in with everyone else, but often get
pushed aside, however, the Christians are encouraged try to help those who are autistics and help them grow strong in Christ.  
PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 4:39 am
I have Asperger's myself, and it is a disadvantage, and is the cause of much pain. When you can not see why your behavior is making other people uncomfortable because it is normal behavior to you, and it is what you have always done, it should be an incentive to try to alter this behavior, and try to learn what comes natural to other people. Ultimately that is what is good both for ourselves and those around us that we care about.

Originally, before the fall there was no sickness. Everything was perfect.
Asperger's as with all diseases came into this world through sin. It affects our being, our bodies and even our thinking.

Genesis 1:31
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

So, since Asperger's is a condition brought on by the state that creation and by extension we are in, we can see that it is not what God intended for us, and we are able to deduce that people with Asperger's or higher scale autism are no better off than the rest of the world. There is no purest form of humanity. We are all in need of a physician.  

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 5:25 am
Disease what, now? o.O Different doesn't necessarily mean wrong. If Aspies (of which there seem to be many around here... *Quietly joins the club*) have some difficulties with what "normal" people do, well, they often have difficulty with the things we can do.


Various mental disorders are very, VERY interesting, though, because yeah... they affect thoughts. People are blameless for the things outside of their ability to control, and if you literally, physically cannot control your own thoughts, then it's actually very difficult to say that it's even possible to sin. o.O I don't particularly think God blames people for things that aren't their fault... that would be both cruel and unreasonable, and I don't think God is either one of those.  
PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 7:32 am
All malfunction is sin; we're not living the existence our Creator originally intended and thus transgressing his design (before you even get to the behavioral and emotional). We may be blameless for what Adam and Eve did, but we are suffering the physical consequences of their actions: I don't think the gene pool would've suffered corruption had we stayed in the garden; incest had to be outlawed for our safety by the time Moses' generation comes around, though it was okay for Adam and Eve's offspring to engage in. Their life spans were longer (almost 10 times as long as we do now). But we're not even living in the original habitat (the garden); Adam and Eve were kicked out, the land was cursed and we toil for our food (Gen 3:17-24). It's not until Revelation 22 that humanity gets back to Eden (after the great tribulation/jacob's trouble, the resurrections, Great white throne judgment, new earth creation, etc...) and all things are restored on a physical level—though we're being saved on a spiritual level now. So, yeah, all these "disorders" cannot be called "the purest form" of humanity. It doesn't fit the description of either pre-"fall" humanity or post-"new earth" humanity.

The physical salvation is yet to come:

     Romans 8:22-24 (NIV)

    22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?


     1 Corinthians 15:50-54 (NIV)

    50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”


     2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NIV)

    For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
 

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:09 am
You... actually feel that way, don't you? That's very interesting. *Takes notes* I'll need to think for a bit on this one.  
PostPosted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:26 am
If by "actually feel" you mean how I "actually view", then yes. Ultimately, this is a matter of believing what the scriptures say: the spirit is the deposit, the redemption of the body comes later. "Sin" doesn't necessarily mean "blame-worthy". Sin is a deviation from what is perfect (God's law is perfect for instance; when you deviate from it, you commit sin; if the consequences of that sin are physical, it can affect generations of people outside of you who had no say in the matter).

My cousin has asperger's and more on the low-functioning side; judging by how he expresses himself and his reaction afterwards, I get the sense that his body is betraying what he actually wants to do or say, especially when he gets "stuck" asking the same question over and over again; he shows an awareness and acknowledgement that we've already answered his question, but if he gets emotional he just won't stop repeating it and sometimes he gets violent; he shows signs of embarrassment afterwards (or in the moment) for how he is reacting. He doesn't want to act that way. If that's not "malfunction", I don't know what is. No one's blaming him for what he has nor is anyone blaming him for things he commits/says when his body is responding irrationally. Only God knows if he's truly acting out of ill-will for the people around him or if it's an instance of his body doing one thing while he may be intending to communicate something else.

But to imply that all who suffer from sin are in it because of some deliberate action they personally chose is not biblical (murder for instance doesn't fit that model; it is a sin commited by person A, that affects person B). Our sins affect the people around us and Adam & Eve's sins (and its consequence) affected all of humanity that came after them.  

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