So I asked a question about if the Devil is pleased if you don't believe he exists and I got some good answers that made sense to me. Now my question is, is it possible to believe in God and not the Devil? If God exists, would that pleas him?
Again I am really looking for answers from believer only to get their take on it. It does not help me in the least to tell me none of them exist because that is how I feel and I want to hear about other beliefs that are different than mine.
Thanks for all the answers.
2006-12-02 02:40:21 · 27 answers · asked by haiku_katie 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Sure you can believe in God but not the devil.
Why would God care if you believed in a twisted fairy tail about his loyal assistant Satan aka devil, Lucifer.
In ancient Jewish tradition Satan is simply an angel doing the work that God assigned to Satan to do.
The word Satan means challenger. With the idea of Satan challenging us, or tempting if you will. This description sees Satan as the angel who is the embodiment of man's challenges. This idea of Satan works closely with God as an integral part of Gods plan for us. His job is to make choosing good over evil enough of a challenge so that it becomes clear to us that there can be only one meaningful or logical choice.
Contrast this to Christianity, which sees Satan as God's opponent. In Jewish thought, the idea that there exists anything capable of setting itself up as God's opponent would be considered polytheistic or setting up the devil to be an equally powerful polarity to god or a demigod.
Oddly, proof for The Christian satan/devil mythology is supposedly found in the ancient Jewish texts that were borrowed to create the bible. One can’t help but wonder how Christians came up with such a fantastically different interpretation of Gods assistant Satan in their theology.
Other hints about Satan’s role in human relations can be seen if you look at the name Lucifer. It’s meaning in the original tongue translates as Light bearer or light bringer. Essentially the bringer of enlightenment. The temptations of the Satan idea bring all of us eventually into Gods light. Hardly the Evil entity of Christian mythology.
Love and blessings
don
2006-12-02 02:47:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
Of course it's possible to believe just about anything. A lot of people tend to believe things about the spiritual dimension that appeal to them or that make sense to them. As you probably know, a lot of people tend to create a god in their own image. The trouble there is that so many have such different ideas of that god, that they cannot all be true, so obviously nobody has it all right. Then if you go to a religion, like Christianity, you are presented with a very real Satan, and if you reject that, you are denying the Bible as reliable and then it's anybody's guess as to which parts are true and which are not. If you believe in a spirit world but don't believe there are evil spirits, what basis for that do you have? And if you do believe there are evil spirits, why wouldn't you believe that there is a primary evil spirit which we call the devil? I don't believe there is an equal and opposite force competing with the creator of the universe, but I do believe there is an evil spiritual being who hates God and people too and tries to keep people from loving each other and loving God or even believing in Him. He doesn't really want people to believe in him either, because if they discover that there is a devil, it's almost inevitable that they will believe in God. I think the best thing people can do is respect each other, choose what is good and stop acting as though people who don't believe the same way are stupid or evil. We are all finite, imperfect beings who have never spoken with God face to face. Let us err therefore, as we are destined to err, on the side of good.
2006-12-02 10:58:39 · answer #2 · answered by Karen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is possible to believe in God and not the devil. However, the devil would like nothing more for you to accept that lie so he can tempt you all the more.
Hope the scripture helps you to understand.
The Devil opposes God and is completely evil. He is often called Lucifer which is a Latin translation of "light bearer" found in Isaiah 14:12, and also the accuser of the brethren in (Rev. 12:10), dragon (Rev. 12:9), the devil (Matt. 4:1), the tempter (Matt. 4:3), the accuser (Rev. 12:10), the prince of demons (Luke 11:15), the ruler of this world (John 12:31), See Isaiah 14:12-15 for a description of the fall of the devil. Upon Jesus' return, the Devil will be vanquished -- depending on the eschatological position. His future is the eternal lake of fire.
God Bless
2006-12-02 10:52:05 · answer #3 · answered by Jo 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just believing that God exist is not enough. I believe that the Bible revivals the four S's; Self, Sin, our Savior and Satan. The Bible is the what unmasks the devil so that believers can be on our guard.
The Bible say the enemy(Devil) come to steal, Kill and destroy but he(Jesus) has come to give us life and life more abundantly
When Jesus in was driven into the wilderness to be tempted. He had to oppose the Devil. And he war with the word of GOD. so if Jesus had to war with the Devil then..... We are made in the image of him and he did things on the earth so that we would follow in his foot steps.
You don't believe in the devil. but believe that he very much exist and the first place he attacks is in the mind. You have to keep getting knowledge. the word says my people are destroy by the lack of knowledge. The more knowledge we get from the word of God the more we can speak the word.
I know my answer is so long but i hope it helps.
god bless-
2006-12-08 16:59:51 · answer #4 · answered by natasha k 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If God exists: Would it please Him that you do not believe in the devil? Is that your question?
Let us say. To overlook the source of sickness, suffering and death in this world is, to put it mildly -- "A serious oversight." Jesus Christ spoke and delt with Satan constantly during His earthly ministry. That leaves you a choice. Did Jesus comprehend the reality of the spiritual world; or do you?
If you don't believe that you have an adversary you have no need of an advocate. Those whom the devil has bound are often free of adversity -- no need to muddy the waters when the victim has ceased to protest.
Scripture says that we either have God or the devil to our father. Scripture places the devil as the "god of this world" and the followers of this angel of light as the children of darkness, wrath and disobedience.
If you ignore the devil you cannot take up the cross which God may have called you to. The old song by Martin Luther comes to mind.
"But still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe. His power and might are great; and armed with cruel hate -- On earth is not His equal."
To disbelieve that the devil exists is to disbelieve God's Word.
If you disbelieve in the devil you are as deceived as Eve.
2006-12-02 11:40:07 · answer #5 · answered by Tommy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you Believe in God and not the devil then God is not pleased. He wants us to know the devil is a real and dangerous entity and warns us to not give in to his temptation. If you don't believe in the devil then you are saying that God made the sin that is here on earth, (otherwise where would it have come from) and also there is no reciprocation for our sinful nature. If you don't belive in satan then do you believe in hell? That brings up another point is that the bible states there is a heaven and hell and there is God and satan. If you don't believe these statements, then you don't believe the bible, therefore do not believe in God. It really all goes together.
2006-12-02 10:53:07 · answer #6 · answered by #1 Buckeye Fan!!!! 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'll say it this way, 1 Tim 3:16 i believe states all scripture is inspired of God and is beneficial for teaching and reproving and setting things straight. So with that it in mind, Satan is part of the Bible record. So if you choose not to believe in the Devil then you are dismissing the bible is Gods word. Also a person is missing the point of why we are suffering, and why we die, and the reason why God would have his son die as a ransom for us. So again, because it is a bible record, the apostles and Jesus himself stated Satan not as a example, parable, or fake, but as a real spirit creature that has direct influence on the world.
2006-12-02 10:48:58 · answer #7 · answered by fire 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I do not think it would please God if we believe in Him, but not the devil. After God created man and woman, and the serpent deceived them, it was all down hill from there. The choices we make that separate us from God make us more vulnerable to attacks from evil spirits. If there are angels, there are certainly demons. If there is a God, there is also a "devil" (or Lucifer, as the scriptures say). Without evil, there is no challenge in life. We walk with God so he can carry us through hard times, and away from sin and evil. Sin and evil will still happen in our very surrounding - but a believer immersed in God's presence will not suffer, even in times of tragedy.
Not sure if this answers your question - I think it is possible to believe in Heaven and not hell - or God but not the devil. But I do believe they both exist (I have seen exorcisms in real life).
2006-12-02 10:49:37 · answer #8 · answered by jane 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
God does exist. Unfortunately the devil exists also. You must know that the devil exists and be on your guard at all times. Although his outcome is evil, he tries to get into the hearts of people through deception.
2006-12-02 10:53:38 · answer #9 · answered by kayboff 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You asked: "is it possible to believe in God and not the Devil?" Well, of course it is possible, I am sure that some believe that way. However,people who believe that the Bible is the Word of God must believe in both God and the Devil. It is very important to learn about the Devil and his many tricks and ways of deceiving us. Ignorance is not bliss. It would not please God for us to be blinded to any of the truth. That is why the Bible goes in depth to teach us everything we need to know about God, Jesus, and Satan.
2006-12-02 11:02:58 · answer #10 · answered by wannaknow 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you believe in God and not the devil, you are still not going to please Him. According to the Bible, the devil believes in God, yet he does not give our Creator the worship and praise He deserves. The only way we can approach God in prayer or worship, and be heard by Him is to accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice, and believe that He is the resurrected Son of God. Merely believing in God is not enough.
2006-12-02 10:50:50 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋