Can you say SATAN?!?!

by Uzzah 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Uzzah

  What is your stance on the devil, satan, demons etc?

  Personally I find the concept of the devil as presented in Scripture to be purely symbolic of humankind's ability to chose to do good or evil. The development of a moral compass unique to each person.

  WIth many ancient beliefs, people tried to humanize concepts in order to better understand.

  This question comes to mind as a result of the many Masonic threads (ad nauseum) that appear here. It seems that the biggest objection is historical references or use of 'pagan' or satanic imagery or references. If Satan does not exist, (which is my personal assertion/belief) than it makes many of the arguments of those against Masonry moot.

  I am curious where people have gone with their belief about 'the dark side.' We often discuss belief systems surrounding 'god. g-d, YHWH, Yahweh, Jehoover, hoober, Jehovah" etc but not the associated belief in an actual evil entity. And does one necessarily have to exist in order to confirm the existence of the other?

  Thoughts?
• 

  marmot

  Satan is a cop-out for people who don't want to take responsibility for their own actions.
  
  Seriously, "the devil made me do it" is now a cliché but that is in effect what people are saying when they define "evil" as the result of Satan's influence on the world. The sad part about all this is that it's a part of human nature.
  
  Here's an excerpt from Dr. Stanley Milgram's report following his infamous electroshock behavior experiments from the 60s:
  
  "Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority."
  
  Well whaddya know! Having an "independent spirit" is actually a GOOD thing. It seems pretty clear that the easiest path towards "evil" is to be a conformist sheep.
• 

  eclipse

  Satan was the explanation for the ancient people to describe the evil side to humans...

  we all have it...some people's dark side is just more prominent...

  I think it is also nurtured with abuse in childhood....pop-psychology and all that..

  But as for satan being a real being, nah...

  paranormal activity...that's something else altogether, that I have not figured out.
• 

  Awakened07

  They say that if you don't believe in Satan, that just means he's got you exactly where he wants you. He chooses then not to show himself (or his demons) in order to let you keep your delusion about his non-existence.

  Satan wants me to fail and die, and by not believing in God, that end will see to itself.

  God on the other hand apparently wants me to be saved, and has therefore, as opposed to Satan, everything to gain by somehow showing himself to me so that I'll believe and be saved.

  They say that if you believe in God (biblical, Christ, etc.), then you will sometimes be persecuted by Satan and his demons, because he knows you are on God's side.

  If you don't believe in God, Satan will not show himself, because that would only prove to you that there's a spiritual dimension.

  So:

  Believe in God = see Satan/demons.

  Do not believe in God = Do not see Satan/demons. Satan has won you, and would have everything to gain by not showing himself to you.

  Do not believe in God = God has lost you, and would have everything to gain by somehow showing himself to you.

  I do not currently believe in either. Which - by the above logic - should see to it that 1) Satan or his demons will not show themselves to me [has worked well so far], and 2) God will have everything to gain by somehow showing himself to me.

  -So for now I'm waiting in (not so) great anticipation for someone to show up.
• 

  jacethespace

  BeelZebub has a devil put aside for me for me for me for MEEE.dah dah dah da da da.
• 

  Brother Apostate

  I believe in the Satan that is taught in the Bible. Satan, the chief opposer of God, the liar, the deceiver, the tempter, who caused Adam and Eve’s great sin, the cause of all human suffering, the evil one.

  The one that, along with his demonic followers, will be hurled into the lake of fire.

  BA- looking forward to the day Satan and his followers are hurled into the lake of fire.
• 

  SacrificialLoon

  Superstitious nonsense.
• 

  Gopher

  Every sizeable group, whether political or religious, seems to need a terrible enemy (or group of enemies) to rally the troops.

  The enemy is made to be larger-than-life, is caricaturized and distorted, and demonized. It is easier to get people to HATE or "be against" something than to organize them to accomplish a sophisticated positive agenda.

  For Bible-believers, that enemy is Satan the Devil. HE must surely be the reason the world is going to "hell in a handbasket".

  I doubt the world is going to hell in a handbasket. There were times in the dark and medieval ages where war, famine, disease, poverty and plague took a terrible toll on huge percentages of mankind.

  But the Christian belief system looks for relief from this life, and looks to unseen (and unprovable) beings like Satan and demons to blame for any misery in the world.

  Satan was invented to make the Bible (esp. the book of Revelation) more compelling. That book of Revelation, what a piece of work!
• 

  Aleman

  Hello All,

  I do believe in the Almighty, there fore the belief of Satan in present. I must say, many of you are quite wrong in the whole idea of Satan.

  There is the faithful Job who was attacked by Satan without Job knowing it was he. He thought it was God who was punishing him.

  Then there is the devils. In Gen. 6 I can positivly say that the angels that came down to take any and all the beautiful nearly perfect women and that they left the celestial organisation of Jehovah to please themselves.

  It is because of satan and his minions of devils that this world is the way it is. War, rape, greed, selfishness, it all boils down to the teachers of all evil.

  I mean there was a time when the world wasn't this way. But since the great war everything changed. Fathers were taken away due to war. Those fathers who could have taught their children better morals died, leaving the children alone to solve problems of the world by themselves.

  Then they teach their kids what they learn, but by then WW2 came around taking more great fathers and the cycle continues.

  May God bless the Bros. & Sis. of the organisation,

  -Aleman
• 

  Mary

  I'm with BA......I absolutely believe there is an evil entity out there.