Interfaith Group

T – Total Depravity. Man is unable to turn to God on his own, and is unable even to do any good works at all.

U – Unconditional Election. God chooses those whom he desires to save. This election is without regard to the merit of the individuals so chosen. The converse is that God chooses some to be damned, again without regard to merit.

L – Limited Atonement. Christ died only for the sins of those he has elected.

I – Irresistible Grace. If you are among those chosen to be saved, God's grace cannot be rejected. (This makes God sound like the Borg from Star Trek, "Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated!&quot

P – Perseverance of the saints. Once you are saved, you cannot lose salvation.

As one of my professors put it, T – we're scum. U – God chooses which scum goes to heaven and which to hell. L – Jesus died only for the heaven-bound scum. I – The heaven-bound scum have no choice in the matter. P – nor does God allow our scumminess to interfere with the process.

As a Catholic, I have problems with each of these.