IN> the Heavenbound (was: Supererogatory)

[Chris Anthony]

At 02:32 AM 7/22/2006, Jonathan Lang wrote:

>Conversely, Christian doctrine is of "salvation by faith, not
>of works": it isn't something that you attain by your own efforts;
>it's something that you're given.

It's worth noting that while this is a good condensation of *most* 
Christian doctrine, it's not universal.  There are (or historically were) 
several Christian sects which *do* follow a "salvation by works" doctrine, 
and a few (notably the Puritans) which follow neither "salvation by faith" 
nor "salvation by works" in favor of a doctrine of predestination: the 
Elect are those who have been destined to Heaven since their birth, and if 
you're not one of the Elect, nothing you do or believe can get you to 
Heaven.  Of course, since it's impossible to tell who the Elect are while 
they're in their mortal bodies...

This philosophy would make an interesting In Nomine heresy.  In a world 
governed by predestination (not predetermination, which is a different 
kettle of fish entirely), the agents of Destiny might be charged with 
identifying the Elect and with helping humans to attain a higher degree of 
righteousness and selfishness, regardless of whether or not they're going 
to Heaven when they die - perhaps to redeem the world, perhaps in an 
attempt to rework Hell, or perhaps for higher and more obscure reasons.

(For that matter, it would be an interesting exercise to posit a 
prehistoric world where predestination governed, but was supplanted by 
destiny and fate once humans as a whole became enlightened enough - and a 
modern follow-up where the world is in dire danger of slipping back into an 
Elect-only model...)

-EDG