What do you think about the Devil?

by Mandybp 19 Replies latest jw friends

  • Mandybp
    Mandybp

    What would be the best way of explaining to my 17 yr old Witness son (who lives the other side of the world to me) about the Devil? I'm still a bit scared of it myself I must say, what are your thoughts on the Devil? do you think he exists or not? and if you think he does what form do you think he comes in?

    Thank you!

  • Jayson
    Jayson

    Christ is alive and well inside of me. But so is the devil.....unfortunatly.

    "A young warrior goes to the tribal elder and says that he is constantly being pulled between what he knows is right and what it is that he wants to do, It is like two wolves fighting inside of me, I need to know which will win he says. The elder replies, which ever one you feed."

  • JamesThomas
    JamesThomas

    I liked that Jayson. Probably because I agree.

    Hey Mandy, Personally I no longer believe in or entertain the idea of anthropomorphic deities. But this does not mean the there is not some mythological significance to them. The ultimate message of the mystics is the unifying presence of God or the Source of this universe as our True Identity. To some this is known as "Christ Consciousness". "Satan", on the other hand would be analytical of the individual ego, or "me" which believes itself separate from the infinity of the Source/Truth/God. The Kingdom, the Truth, is within us. So are the lies. All holy scripture throughout time has been about what is within us -- rather than outside. The good news is, we need go no further than our own selves to find the Divine. JamesT
  • rocketman
    rocketman

    Well, one could explain it petty much the way the Bible does - that he is apparently some malevolent creature from the spirit realm who is hell bent on proving God wrong and misleading men and even angels to their own eventual destruction.

    Frankly, I think people, especially jws and some other religious folks, get too carried away in their fear of the Devil. They see him as lurking behind every corner, and are led to believe that any thought or motive they have that is contrary to the goals of their religion is from the Devil himself.

  • cellomould
    cellomould

    The Devil is the result of a long process of one group of people demonizing another group's gods...

    ...and a split between two forces within the divinity (i.e. the 'divine company' ... "Let US make man in our image).

    Read the book of Job again. The first chapter or two are interpolations...to make up for the countless chapters afterward that blame Jehovah for Job's calamaties, a few very wicked deeds are inserted to blame a devious angel, Satan.

    Satan is mentioned in only one other place in the Old Testament.

    cellmould

  • asleif_dufansdottir
    asleif_dufansdottir

    I think the devil (whether he should exist as an actual entity, or merely as a concentration of the free-floating evil in the world) has this place in Brooklyn as his headquarters

  • Mandybp
    Mandybp

    Thanks everyone

  • Mandybp
    Mandybp

    Thanks everyone

  • Mandybp
    Mandybp

    Wierd one - I either can't get my messages to show up or they post twice lol

  • greven
    greven

    If we were to believe the bible then only God ever wrote an autobiography, telling of His great deeds and puny enemies. His great adversary, Satan did not write a book about himself and how he should be worshipped...So maybe he is modest?

    Well at best we have only an one-sided story written by his enemies, so how trustworthy is that?

    Greven

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