Like, with hooves and a tail and a pitchfork? And he rules a firey pit underneath the Earth? And sometimes he likes to come up to Earth and make you smoke a joint or lie on your income tax so you can come hang out with him when you die?
This isn't really part of your religion, right?
2006-06-28 01:12:27 · 17 answers · asked by Brackalicious 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I know it's silly. I believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
2006-06-28 01:17:19 · answer #1 · answered by xoɟ ʍous 6 · 13⤊ 11⤋
Yes he exsits. He's not however a horned creature with a tail and a pitchfork. He does not rule a firey pit underneath the earth. He is a malicious “manslayer.” The Bible reveals that he is a real person, not just the evil in someone’s heart. (Matthew 4:1-11) He is fittingly named Satan the Devil! (Revelation 12:9) This criminal is also called “Devil,” meaning “slanderer,” for he has blasphemously misrepresented God. If you believe in God then you believe in the devil.
2006-06-28 08:21:44 · answer #2 · answered by Valerie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The idea of the "devil" (satan, lucifer, beelzebub) stems from scripture.
A description giving him horns, hooves, and a tail is not found anywhere in scripture. This was more of a symbolic way to represent him and was also a play on the pagan god Pan.
Scripture says that he can and does appear as an angel of light. He has also appeared as a serpent and has been called a dragon as well. Therefore, we can see that he can take on many forms. This is likely because he is a spiritual creation not a physical one.
Hope this helps.
2006-06-28 08:33:30 · answer #3 · answered by Keith B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Without a conflict between good and evil there would, essentially, be no religion.
I mean it would be quite simple. The first 5 pages of Genesis and that would be it. God created us. Boom. We're here.
What do you need all those other stories for! David, Jacob, Job. What purpose do they provide without RIGHT and WRONG?
It's all about sin, evil, disobedence and enticement.
You don't think it's God telling you to pick up the $5 bill you find on the street? You don't think it's God telling you to go through the red light at 3 AM after you have been sitting there for 20 minutes waiting for it to change! Do you think God is responsible for a 14 year old girl "giving it up" and becoming pregant? That's the work of God?! Your GOD does that to 14 year old girls? Do you think it's God telling a husband to go ahead and fool around with the girl at the office, his wife will never find out. Do you think it's God telling people at Enron to hide losses, make up profits, phoney documents, ruin the lives of all their employees, millions of electrical customer in the West Coast who faced rate hikes and brown outs and then walk away from the company with millions in a Kamin Island bank account! That''s GOD at work?
Anyone who wants to see the Devil in action, look in the mirror the next time you decide to cheat on your diet, spend some budget money foolishly, lie to someone about something serious, deny you were doing anything wrong to the traffic cop (the prisons are filled with totally innocent people -- just ask any of them if they truly belong in prison, see what they tell you), tell your mommy you didn't eat the cookies, etc., etc., etc.
Satan is an evil, ugly, mean, hairy, lousey, good for nothing beast! I've heard women tell me that over and over. And he looks a lot like their husbands or boyfriends!
2006-06-28 08:33:23 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everything seems to have a polar opposite + the devil is another of these. Hot/cold, darkness/light, and so good/evil exists too. As to the form, the hooves, tail characterisation is just a symbolic "face" for evil and the devil. The reality is a hidden mystery, not so tangible by man and more likely to be subtle forces.
2006-06-28 08:22:38 · answer #5 · answered by sweetpeachmummy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a Christian no, I dont believe in the tradition ideals on what Satan actually looks like. I do believe in the spirit of Satan or Lucifer or whatever you wanna call him. I dont believe that he's red with goat horns and carries a pitchfork around. That image came from some woodblock print sometime during the darkages when the Catholic Church had such a tight squeezing grip on the world that it couldnt see out its own butthole.
Actually I believe that if Satan showed a physical form to me right now at this moment, he would probably be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Satan was once one of the highest angels in Heaven until he got prideful and tried to overthrow God.
But no, I do not believe that it is always Satan that makes me do the bad things that I do. I believe that it is me that makes me do the bad things I do. I do believe that Satan has his hands in certain affairs that happen in the Earth, sturring up trouble and taking peoples minds away from spiritual things. I mean if you were out to bring the entire world down to hell wouldnt you try to keep their minds thinking about ANYTHING else other than God?
And yes... I think that Satan is trying to drag down the entire world down to hell. Not particularly to get at us, but just to get at God. Again keep a man's mind off Godly things and keep him from having the relationship God wants, its a stab at God.
But that is MY doctrine, what I believe. Yes there are people out there that do believe in the old phrase "The Devil made me do it". But I do not agree with them.
2006-06-28 08:24:10 · answer #6 · answered by buccaneerparrot 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well of course! People don't want to take any responsibility for their own horrible actions. They need a boogieman to blame things on.
This is especially useful for when someone is saying something you don't agree with. Then you can just say 'the devil is telling you to say that'. See? Then you don't have to think or debate or make any logical sense.
On the opposite end of the spectrum you can also use 'god' as an excuse. 'god why won't you hear my prayers?'
That's what religion is all about.
2006-06-28 08:18:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lucifer, the angel who became Satan, is described as an angel of light, a deceiver, and a roaring lion. Not exactly a little fellow with a tail and a pitchfork. That sounds more like a leprechaun and is not the scriptural view of Satan.
2006-06-28 08:24:52 · answer #8 · answered by irishharpist 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course I believe in the devil, I believe in God so I believe in Lucifer as well. Lucifer is not that red personna with hooves. He is a spiritual being and was made to be beautiful. I am a Roman Catholic so it is part of my religion. Since you seem to not believe I would say he's done a good job of fooling you.
2006-06-28 08:21:38 · answer #9 · answered by Debra M. Wishing Peace To All 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"a perception of the sphere of falsity from evil that flows forth from hell has often been granted me. It was like a perpetual effort to destroy all that is good and true, combined with anger and a kind of fury at not being able to do so, especially an effort to annihilate and destroy the Divine of the Lord, and this because all good and truth are from Him. But out of heaven a sphere of truth and good was perceived, whereby the fury of the effort ascending from hell was restrained. The result of this was an equilibrium. This sphere from heaven was perceived to come from the Lord alone, although it appeared to come from the angels in heaven. It is from the Lord alone, and not from the angels, because every angel in heaven acknowledges that nothing of good and truth is from himself, but all is from the Lord" (Heaven and Hell n. 538).
2006-06-28 08:22:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I beleive in the devil but I don't think he has the pitchfork and so forth if you believe in God you have to believe in the devil
2006-06-28 08:16:56 · answer #11 · answered by musiclover 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋