The Christian Faith of Squanto, Who by Divine Providence Rescued the Pilgrims.

Taylor Marshall | Dr. Taylor Marshall

[dangus]

Do you remember Squanto, the Native American who assisted the Puritan Pilgrims at the “first Thanksgiving”?

His true name was Tisquantum, yet he is affectionately known to us as “Squanto.”

In 1614, Squanto was captured by a lieutenant of John Smith (remember? from Pocahontas). This shameful lieutenant attempted to sell Squanto and other Native Americans into slavery via Spain. However, some Franciscan friars discovered the plot and acquired the captured Native Americans, Squanto included. During this time, Squanto received instruction in the Catholic Faith and received holy baptism.

As a freeman, Squanto traveled to London where became a laborer in the shipyards. Here he became fluent in English. Eventually, Squanto was able to return to his Native Land, New England, in 1619 – five years after he had been kidnapped. He returned only to discover that his people were being decimated by the recently imported European diseases.

Since he was fluent in English, Squanto became well-known and valuable to the new English Pilgrims settled at Plymouth. As an English speaker, Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to fertilize the ground, grow corn, and the best places to catch fish. Squanto eventually contracted one of the European diseases.

Governor William Bradford described Squanto’s death like this:

Squanto fell ill of Indian fever, bleeding much at the nose, which the Indians take as a symptom of death, and within a few days he died. He begged the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishman’s God in heaven, and bequeathed several of his things to his English friends, as remembrances. His death was a great loss. So remember Squanto today and perhaps share this bit of history during your Thanksgiving feast. Let us pray for Squanto, and may he pray for us.

http://taylormarshall.com/2012/11/squanto-catholic-hero-of-thanksgiving.html

[Hieronymus]

Pelagius was a monk of the early fifth century who had some original, and flawed, ideas about grace. Sts. Augustine and Jerome largely demolished his position,. A Pelagian is one who believes that we can do good works apart from grace—all that we need is knowledge. A more nuanced position, called semi-Pelagianism, holds that we need grace to get us started, but once we are started we can go at it on our own. St. Augustine also took on this position, but there was some debate about it for about 100 years, until Pope Boniface II ratified the teaching of the Synod of Orange on the issue in 531. Grace, and our continual cooperation with it, is the foundation and cause of any good works in which we participate.

Leaving the word works out of the equation, I resort to the formulation of St. Augustine
“God who created you without your cooperation, will not save you without your cooperation.” (Sermon 169)

I repeat my question regarding the dead: How do you know that those who die with a sin that is truly a sin but not a sin unto death (I John 5:17) are not cleaned up after death? Or is St. John lying?

[zot]

Thanks for posting this.

[JSDude1]

Well we know in John chapter 3 that Jesus specifically says that a person MUST be born again to be saved.

So then the question becomes then How is one born again?

Well that is also answered in John Chapter 3: By the Holy Spirit. Well yes, but then HOW?

Well I’ll tell you. Because the answer is also in this chapter. (I am sure you can even quote John 3:16) I will give 14-18 which put it into context and further explain

“14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g]

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

So it is BELIEF in Jesus as your personal savior from your sin that will save. This new life is given by God, it is not one we can earn.

So clearly you can see from Jesus own mouth that if one (person) isn’t saved (born again) they ARE already condemned and if they die without being born again sadly they have chosen death, separation from God..

Now I will tell you what I believe is the truth, if one searches (truly) for the truth (this desire is no doubt been given by God, and desires to know Him, that God will move heaven and earth in that person’s life to know that Jesus is the Christ!

[dangus]

Praying for the dead is NOT for their salvation, but for their consolation in and release from purgatory.

[MayflowerMadam]

Probably not a Christian, else he’d not have asked the governor to pray that his soul would go to Heaven. A true Christian would have made that decision earlier, with full confidence that he would be in Heaven after death. Any other prayers in that vein by someone else... wasted breath.

[Hieronymus]

Well, probably not a Baptist. However, a Christian is a FOLLOWER of Christ, one who is working out his salvation in fear and trembling, in the words of St. Paul. (Phil. 2:12). How one reconciles the work, the fear, and the trembling with a certain theology peculiar to the U.S. (thathas always struck me as Pelagian) is not clear to me.

[Hieronymus]

The new life is given by God, but once you are given it, you are asked by God to live it, and if one opts to bury it in a napkin, as it were, all bets are off as to whether or not it will be retained on judgment day (take his talent and give it to the one having ten).

James 2 has something to say on the subject:
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.