Satan

[wildwood]

I am still trying to get my head around the devil concept. If the deity that is worshiped in religions is omnipotent, how can a devil 'evolve'?

I had entertained the notion that the dark side of the spiritual deity was portrayed as such but the prince of darkness is mostly mentioned as God's adversary so it can not be part of the holy spirit, or can it?

[Graham-W]

In Christianity, Satan is the head of a group of fallen angels who worked with God but decided that the dark side would be more fun.
In the Hebrew religions, Satan is the name of a group of entities, sent by God, to test the faith of humans.
What bothers me that Satan is an anagram of Santa. Makes you wonder.

[jake-the-peg]

I strongly recommend this book for a really good look into this complex subject

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

In dualistic religions like manachaeism or Catharism an evil deity explains evil in the world.

Monotheistic religions have a problem with this and the Devil kind of hung over in this role in the middle ages until the "it's free will" (in other words blame yourself) doctrine and the "Gods will is unknowable" (in other words shut up and go away) doctrine took over.

You'll actually find very little of the devil in the bible and where you do he's a figure of temptation. Garden of Eden, Jesus being tempted in the dessert - even God being tempted to test Job.

The Dennis Wheatly, prince of Evil satan I guess springs from that perennial favorite of nutters the book of revalation and gets elaborated over the middle ages by the Catholic church.

[FredPuli43]

Didn't Jesus converse with the Devil (the Temptation of Christ)? The Devil was offering him a different career path, inter alia. And we know what happens to the worst of us, because the New Testament tells us about the flame which the Devil and his angels keep. If the Church later played down the existence of hell and Satan, it was moving away from literal scripture.

And what of devils? Jesus gave his disciples the power to drive out devils, a power which they later exercised. Are these visible, or invisible? And are they Satan's angels? Are they one and the same as the 'demons' driven out of the man and transferred to swine in Gadarene?

The bible is full of mysteries !

[sandyRoe]

I think we in the affluent West have sometimes become too sophisticated for our own good. In areas of Africa daemonic possession is accepted as fact and many good people work tirelessly, often with little or no thanks, to rid unfortunate young people of their spiritual parasites.

[jomifl]

by killing them

[WaldoMcFroog]

"many good people work tirelessly, often with little or no thanks, to rid unfortunate young people of their spiritual parasites"

Another interpretation of this is that vulnerable people with easily treatable mental health problems are left in the hands of credulous fools who, through ignorance, charlatanism or a combination thereof, cause them tremendous and unnecessary harm.

[Kiki-frog]

There's a saying that Man created God in his own image - I think the same holds true for Satan. Whether or not they exist as such doesn't really matter; they remain both useful metaphors for the dual nature of humanity.

[mibn2cweus]

The true evil is in the premise that god exists. The devil is in the details.

[Kiki-frog]

mibn - I'm going to pinch that quote and claim it as my own at some point. Brilliant.

[jomifl]

Mibs, excellent, true class!

[jomifl]

Poor staff relations led to serious misunderstandings.The problem with being omnipotent and omniscient is that you have to do everything yourself, then the staff get bored...you know how it goes

[goodlife]

Thats why If you keep to the Bible you can,t go wrong. See John 8:32.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Goodlife, would you be kind enough to tell me how, according to scripture, a fool should be answered?

[naomi24]

I’ve often considered the possibility that God himself is the old trickster in disguise. ;o)

[wildwood]

goodlife. I wouldn't like to keep to the bible. How can one that is supposed to be good and forgiving purposely kill all life on Earth, bar those on a huge boat?

I know, I know, it is an age old question and we are supposed to accept this 'unknowingly' which is really one of the biggest cop-outs of religion.

[jomifl]

Goodlife, if we all 'kept to the bible' as you put it the 10 commandments would be contravened every day and the world would be reduced to carnage and mayhem, a bit like the christian parts of Africa.

[goodlife]

You are all wong, How easily the Bible could have perished were it not for the handwritten copies that replaced the originals, with their precious message! There is only one reason for its survival—Jehovah is the Preserver and Protector of his Word. As the Bible itself says, at 1 Peter 1:24, 25: “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like a blossom of grass; the grass becomes withered, and the flower falls off, but the saying of Jehovah endures forever. so it for loving people who love the Bible and obey it.

[naomi24]

Goodlife, //There is only one reason for its [the Bible] survival—Jehovah is the Preserver and Protector of his Word.//

How to you explain the survival of far more ancient texts that are unrelated to Jehovah?

[vetuste_ennemi]

Kiki Frog,

Wilde to Whistler: I wish I'd said that.
Whistler: You will, Oscar, you will.