What is the Devil's most effective tool against mankind?

Question

I'm not looking for a correct answer...I'd like for us to explore this one together. What do you think?

Very thought provoking. Try to avoid giving me all of the Sunday School answers... I know what the scriptures say about Satan. What I'm interested in particularly is how he is working today. Is it in technology? Some of you have touched on this. The increase in technology has increased potential good (medicine) and the potential evil (weapons) of mankind. Be specific! Is it Psychological? Is it Physical?
Also, please don't waste anyone's time stating that I'm stupid for even believing in Satan. I'm a hopelessly indoctrinated Christian, just like many of you are hoplessly indoctrinated athiests. Besides nearly every athiest attack on Christianity that I've seen in Yahoo Answers has come from a kindergarden level understanding of Christian Theology (much like all of the other attacks).
Does Satan perfer outright debauchery, or does he find trickery especially delicious. Give me some examples!

Answer 1

Mass media. It always makes us think we need more of this, or more of that. It sends us on a continuous attempt to consume, and puts all focus on our physical being and needs.

Answer 2

Truthfully, Christians. Really religion overall is the greatest evil in our time. There are some seriously corrupt and mislead Christians out there that claim to be something they are not. They make the remaining population either not respect the religions or have no int rest in exploring it. For example the priests who molest children, the nun claiming to be a pregnant virgin, the Christan who through himself into a lions cage at a zoo because God told him he would be safe and of course he died, making Christians look like fanatic fools. As for the evil of religion.... just about every war that has ever been documented was lead because of a religion or by a religious leader. That isn't a coincidence.

Answer 3

The Devil does not always use brutal means to attack those who want to do God's will. At times, he makes himself seem like "an angel of light."
Satan is not alone in his rulership of the world. He was successful in persuading some of the other angels to join him in rebellion against God. These became demons, his spirit accomplices. The Bible speaks of them when it urges Christians: "Stand firm against the machinations of the Devil; because we have a wrestling, not against blood and flesh, but . . . against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places."—Ephesians 6:11, 12.
These unseen, wicked world rulers are determined to mislead all mankind, turning them away from the worship of God. One way wicked spirits do this is by promoting the idea of survival after death, even though God's Word clearly shows that the dead are not conscious. (Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Ezekiel 18:4; Psalm 146:3, 4; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10)
In addition, wicked spirits capitalize on the sinful bent of humans by promoting literature, movies, and television programs that feature immoral and unnatural sexual behavior. The demons know that wrong thoughts if not expelled from the mind will cause indelible impressions and lead humans to behave immorally—like the demons themselves.—Genesis 6:1, 2; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Jude 6.
Satan is very clever and his most clever deception has been in blinding many to the fact that he and his demons really exist. But do not be deceived! The Devil and his demons are real, and you need to resist them continually.—1 Peter 5:8, 9.

Answer 4

A number of people have mentioned pride, fear, lies, temptation, etc. Those are all correct, but I would like to add one that nobody seems to have remembered. I heard this story years ago and it is worth remembering.

satan wanted to attack a certain Christian and make him ineffective. The devil spoke to many lesser demons, who suggested this, or that.

One said. "I will lay before him all the pleasures. Soon, he will be so distracted by them that he will be able to neither pray, nor work, nor read the Bible."

But satan said, "That will not work. He knows what the Bible says and he knows that in the life to come, "You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalms 16:11)

Another demon spoke up and said, "I will fill him with fear, so that he will not be able to take a step against us!"

But satan said, "That will not work either. He has read his Bible and he knows that "Perfect love casts out all fears." (1 John 4:18)

A third demon spoke up and said, "I will discourage his soul."

And satan said "Go and do it! you will succeed."

Hannah Whitall Smith, who wrote The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life used to say, "All discouragement is of the devil." And I think that this is one of the devil's subtlest and most powerful tools.

Unbelievers have a saying that it is only the dissatisfied man who makes progress (thinking of believers as satisfied to wait and do no works to bring about change on earth.) We as believers must not give in to either a lazy faith that rejects work or a false satisfaction expecting God to do everything for us, when there is discipline that we can only find through working to make things better for all people. We must break out of such false alternatives.

Let's not give in to discouragement, but praise God with the works of our hands!

Answer 5

Women

Answer 6

Man's own desires.

I was drinking buddies with Satan. He's a good ol' boy! He'll give you everything you want in this world, with a big grin on his face!

All you gotta do is accept!

But boy, he sure vanishes fast and doesn't know you the moment something goes wrong!

Answer 7

well personally i think that since christians very often do hurtful damage to others thinking they are attacking satan i would say that when they say he hides in plain sight i would say to look within. im a witch and i dont do anything towards or for satan. just like you dont do anything for or towards loki the trickster. so if i went and bashed you for being loki worshippers i would look pretty dumb in your eyes? so then why do you bash witchcraft? why do you allow any bashing of any religion? is it that hard to concieve a god other then yours that you attack any that seem different? is that not what satan would want you to do? hmmmm

Answer 8

2 Cor.11.14 And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.

Jesus Christ referred to him as being “the ruler of the world,” the one whom mankind in general obeys by heeding his urgings to ignore God’s requirements. (John 14:30; Eph. 2:2) The Bible also calls him “the god of this system of things,” who is honored by the religious practices of people who adhere to this system of things.—2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Cor. 10:20.

When endeavoring to tempt Jesus Christ, the Devil “brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time; and the Devil said to him: ‘I will give you all this authority and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give it. You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.’” (Luke 4:5-7) Revelation 13:1, 2 reveals that Satan gives ‘power, throne and great authority’ to the global political system of rulership. Daniel 10:13, 20 discloses that Satan has had demonic princes over principal kingdoms of the earth. Ephesians 6:12 refers to these as constituting ‘governments, authorities, world rulers of this darkness, wicked spirit forces in heavenly places.’

Answer 9

Probably religion itself, since it has proved to be the most powerful tool in dividing the peoples of the world instead of uniting them. For that reason I decided to become spiritual instead of religious. Universal truth transcends religion or any belief that may be in existence. Self-discovery is the key, how can one claim to know God if one doesn't even know one's self?

Answer 10

Opportunity

Answer 11

his ability to have just about everyone fooled, praying to him everyday. He goes by the name jesus, or zues. Come on people do your homework. The messiah's name was never jesus, nor christ. The name jesus came from the greek god zues. The letter J never even exist back then. His true name is YAHOSHUA pronounced yah-ho-shu-way. If you seek thruth www.yahwehsnewkingdom.com