God and Satan

[Free Soviets]

It says nowhere in the bible that Satan runs hell

the bible doesn't say lots of things. religions are full of non-textual beliefs.

[Free Soviets]

and for those saying no, what possible grounds are there for excluding satan from the category of gods? he clearly passes the greek god test. what more do you want?

[South East Europe]

Religious rationalist is an oxymoron.

I beg to differ.

On what grounds?

[Free Soviets]

the bible doesn't say lots of things. religions are full of non-textual beliefs.

Hell was designed originally for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).

It's stated that Satan is a victim quite clearly actually

and its also stated that you can't wear poly-cotton blend shirts. religions are not delineated by their texts, but by the range of additional crazy shit the believers happen to believe.

[Jahada]

and for those saying no, what possible grounds are there for excluding satan from the category of gods? he clearly passes the greek god test. what more do you want?

He cannot not possibly be a god because his very existence is overseen by a superior god. If there was no belief in this god, there would be no belief in Satan either.

[Lacadaemon]

Christianity is not paganism or populism, everything that Christians are required to know about spiritual events are in the Bible.

Actually that's not true. The bible is sort of irrelevant to many branches of xtianity. Sure there are some verses that come up time and time again, but you absolutely don't need the whole thing to be a good episcopalian for example.

[Dagnia]

As a practicing Satanist, I would have to say no. Satan lives in your mind and is the thing that tells you to stand above the mindless herd, look out for yourself first, never be a part of anyone else's plans, not turn the other cheek, hate your enemy with a whole heart and smash your enemy's cheek when he smites yours.

As for the theologies of the major religions that believe in an evil satan, it could go either way. They are very self-contradictory and show god himself as being all powerful and active in one instance, then showing him as weak in another, then showing him as completely passive. It is also mostly the same with Satan. He is sometimes the cause of all evil, other times an almost loveable trickster, other times evil but powerless.

[Free Soviets]

Christianity is not paganism or populism, everything that Christians are required to know about spiritual events are in the Bible.

that belief is not one held by the majority of christians, let alone something that is actually true from an anthropological perspective. you sola scriptura types are in the minority within christianity, and most of the members of the branches that hold it in principle ignore it in practice.

[Lacadaemon]

and for those saying no, what possible grounds are there for excluding satan from the category of gods? he clearly passes the greek god test. what more do you want?

Agreed. But for the sake of argument he doesn't pass the Abrahamic god test.

And I am curious. Do you never use capital letters because you hate capitalism?

[Free Soviets]

and for those saying no, what possible grounds are there for excluding satan from the category of gods? he clearly passes the greek god test. what more do you want?

He cannot not possibly be a god because his very existence is overseen by a superior god.

that's never stopped any other gods from being gods. gods can come in ranked order of power, no problem.

[Jahada]

I beg to differ.

On what grounds?

On the grounds that:

A) My faith is not blind
B) My religious beliefs are completely compatible with science.
C) I use common sense and objectivity, and am not some sort of harebrained zealot.

[Jahada]

He cannot not possibly be a god because his very existence is overseen by a superior god.

that's never stopped any other gods from being gods. gods can come in ranked order of power, no problem.

What I'm saying is, without the Abrahamic religions, the entire idea of Satan as we commonly know him would not exist.

[Free Soviets]

and for those saying no, what possible grounds are there for excluding satan from the category of gods? he clearly passes the greek god test. what more do you want?

Agreed. But for the sake of argument he doesn't pass the Abrahamic god test.

yeah, but neither does jesus.

And I am curious. Do you never use capital letters because you hate capitalism?

yeah, pretty much. that and my opposition to work. damn oppressive capitalists and their illegitimate 'shift keys'. abolish all shifts, i say.

[South East Europe]

On what grounds?

On the grounds that:

A) My faith is not blind
B) My religious beliefs are completely compatible with science.
C) I use common sense and objectivity, and am not some sort of harebrained zealot.

Prove that your faith is not blind, I mean you sound like a Catholic.

[Jahada]

On the grounds that:

A) My faith is not blind
B) My religious beliefs are completely compatible with science.
C) I use common sense and objectivity, and am not some sort of harebrained zealot.

Prove that your faith is not blind, I mean you sound like a Catholic.

Well, for starters, there's Intelligent Design.

And no offense to any Catholics, but Catholicism is a complete corruption of religion. The Church kept people in the dark and stood in the way of societal progress for centuries.

Anyways, we're getting off topic here.

[South East Europe]

Prove that your faith is not blind, I mean you sound like a Catholic.

Well, for starters, there's Intelligent Design.

Um, sorry but Intelligent Design is bullshit and it is completely incompatible with the Theory of Evolution which no person has ever been able to dispute.

[Lacadaemon]

yeah, but neither does jesus.

Yah...but Jesus is god...or something. I really don't know how it works to be quite honest. But I can assure you from my time at school the fact that he sits at the right hand of the father doesn't stop him from being the father. Or someshit. In any event you can't use jesus as a counter example because he is god.

yeah, pretty much. that and my opposition to work. damn oppressive capitalists and their illegitimate 'shift keys'. abolish all shifts, i say.

Most excellent thing said on NSG ever. I lolled hard.

[Free Soviets]

that's never stopped any other gods from being gods. gods can come in ranked order of power, no problem.

What I'm saying is, without the Abrahamic religions, the entire idea of Satan as we commonly know him would not exist.

well sure. and he is a god of those religions. just not one of the good gods, like jesus or the various archangels and such, but a bad god, like all the various demons.

[South East Europe]

Um, sorry but Intelligent Design is bullshit and it is completely incompatible with the Theory of Evolution which no person has ever been able to dispute.

lol

do you even know how evolution works brah?

First, I'm not a bro, brah, or anything of that sort. Second, um anyone who is majoring in biology, as I am, should know how evolution works, so yeah. Do you? If so, prove it.

[Creativenameia]

The idea of Hell was created by monks to coerce conversion, but yes, he would count as a god in his own right. The Bible doesn't deny the existence of other gods. It just says that "Thou shalt not have any gods before(i.e. above) me" I believe it recognizes Baal, for instance.

[Free Soviets]

yeah, but neither does jesus.

Yah...but Jesus is god...or something. I really don't know how it works to be quite honest. But I can assure you from my time at school the fact that he sits at the right hand of the father doesn't stop him from being the father. Or someshit. In any event you can't use jesus as a counter example because he is god.

"myself, myself, why have i forsaken me?"

[Imperial Lunar Clans]

The argument is as relevant as asking if Santa Claus & The Easter Bunny are the same. There is no 'god', at least in terms a human would think of. There is, of course, no 'Satan' either. Ridiculous ideas...& even if you choose to 'believe' in them, it does not make them a reality.

[Grainne Ni Malley]

The argument is as relevant as asking if Santa Claus & The Easter Bunny are the same. There is no 'god', at least in terms a human would think of. There is, of course, no 'Satan' either. Ridiculous ideas...& even if you choose to 'believe' in them, it does not make them a reality.

But, but... I believe in you!

[Lacadaemon]

Yah...but Jesus is god...or something. I really don't know how it works to be quite honest. But I can assure you from my time at school the fact that he sits at the right hand of the father doesn't stop him from being the father. Or someshit. In any event you can't use jesus as a counter example because he is god.

"myself, myself, why have i forsaken me?"

It's not supposed to make sense. It's a religion. If it made sense it wouldn't be a religion.

[Imperial Lunar Clans]

The argument is as relevant as asking if Santa Claus & The Easter Bunny are the same. There is no 'god', at least in terms a human would think of. There is, of course, no 'Satan' either. Ridiculous ideas...& even if you choose to 'believe' in them, it does not make them a reality.

But, but... I believe in you!

HaHaHaHa!!! Awesome...