[locusfire1463]

When you look at any theology or philosophy in a way it wasn't intended, it will not make sense. That's true with all things. Protestantism wasn't created as a technique to see who will go to heaven and who won't. It was intended to help believers be more personally involved in their own pursuit of salvation. This is both the strength and weakness of Protestantism. As a result, churches grow easily and stay vibrant over generations, but it also allows for some really wacky beliefs and extra amounts of fragmentations. What it isn't though, is a law based salvation (which you're looking for) which says if you do this or join that your saved... Some sects of protestantism doesn't even believe a true believe can know their own salvation until they've already passed (5 star Calvinism- most of us are just 4 star- we can know our own salvation but not really know the salvation of others.)