How can we non-Christians be sure we haven't been deceived by Satan?

Question

Sure. Evolution, the big bang, and all the other great reasons not to be an evangelical Christian sound perfectly reasonable. The whole theory is a blatant contradiction of the bible, after all. That said, How can we be sure we're not under the influence of Satan as the Bible suggests?

Perhaps, a 6000 year creation and a God who chunks all nonbelievers into a lake of fire for all eternity is completely reasonable on some level. But we're all too Satanically influenced to realize it.

Answer 1

I do not know that my way of ornamenting my model of self and world with myth is true. I think, believe and expect that my way of ornamenting my model of self and world with myth is true because I desire to experience the potential emotional and physiological benefits of doing so. I desire to enjoy the entertainment that I derive from the thought, belief and expectation that my way of ornamenting my model of self and world with myth is true. I do not choose to close my mind by merely concluding I do not know. I choose to open my mind to the possibility that divinely inspired myth may come to me through the divine eternal essence of finite self in continuous spiritual communion with the divine eternal essence of infinite world. I believe that by meditation on what is possible within the realm of mystery, I realize that truth limits myth. I base my truth and knowledge on finite scientifically reproducible discovery. I know what I know based on scientifically reproducible discovery of truth and I do not know what I do not know based on what is possible within the realm of mystery. What is possible within the realm of mystery is that my soul guides my mind towards true myth that best satisfies my need and aspiration to achieve and maintain happiness and good health. There is truth that is within the grasp of my fractal infernal temporal senses and tools and there is truth that is beyond the grasp of my fractal infernal temporal senses and tools. Just because a truth is beyond the grasp of my fractal infernal temporal senses and tools does not mean that it is any less true.

Some scientific authorities teach us to come to know of the truth through a scientific method. In the case of my hypothesis that my will is guided by my divine eternal soul in continuous spiritual communion with our infinite divine eternal spirit, I am not dealing with a hypothesis that is testable, disprovable or provable by scientific method. I believe a divine eternal soul spirit guides my mind to ornament a model of self and world with myth that when believed to be true in the mind of self produces the most powerful emotional responses of joy, faith and love imaginable. Yet, there is no way that I know of to use my senses and tools to observe test, prove or disprove that these myths are true. I recognize and acknowledge that there is a number, variety, and diversity of valid ways of ornamenting a model of self and world with myth only limited by our creative abilities and powers of imagination. Continuous spiritual communion is merely one of an endless number of positive possibilities.

From my point of view as High Ideologue of the House of Ideology, the more important consideration is the emotive force produced by the thought of an idea. I think, believe and expect that a divine eternal essence of self that I call my soul guides my mind and is in continuous spiritual communion with a divine eternal essence of infinite world that I call our spirit. Maybe I am right about the myth that a divine eternal essence of finite self that I call soul guides my mind and is in continuous spiritual communion with a divine eternal essence of infinite world that I call our spirit. Maybe if my myths are true then the fact that I think, believe and expect my myths are true could significantly boost my ability to make use of continuous spiritual communion. Maybe boosting my ability to make use of continuous spiritual communion between my soul and our spirit by believing my myths to be true will help me further develop my psychic powers. In any case, powerful emotional responses of joy, faith and love caused by thoughts, beliefs and expectations arising from the mystery of the divine immunity and eternal life of my soul spirit help balance the emotive forces of sad sorrow, mad fear, and bad anger caused by thoughts, beliefs and expectations arising from discovery of the impending destruction, disease and death of my seed body. I believe I can best satisfy my need and aspiration to achieve and maintain happiness and good health by devoting my energy, space and time to a model of self and world that affirms the guidance of my will by my divine eternal soul. I have resolved to create an ideology that is capable of best satisfying my need and aspiration to achieve and maintain happiness and good health. I will include the idea that my divine eternal soul rides my body, gets inside my mind, guides my will, and selects the thoughts and feelings that I experience as consciousness.

I do not claim to know that these myths are true. I do claim to use ideas that are both possible and imaginable in making these myths. I do claim to think, believe and expect that these myths are true because in doing so, I produce the most powerful emotional responses of joy, faith and love imaginable.

I think, believe and expect my divine eternal soul in is continuous communion with our spirit. I believe my divine eternal soul selects those thoughts, feelings and actions possibilities that will be transformed into energy, space and time and manifest as conscious will from amongst those possibilities for thoughts, feelings, and actions made available by the unconscious mind created by my seed body. I celebrate ideas about self and world that result from the thought, belief and expectation that the guidance of my will by our soul spirit is great. I celebrate my spiritual liberation, even if numerous, vocal and or visible segments of society, the powers that be and or state sanctioned conservative ideological authorities warn me not to celebrate my way of ornamenting a model of self and world with myth because they consider my way to be evil and or their way to be good. I celebrate my spiritual liberation even if aggressive ideological traditions lead by conservative ideological authorities patronized by a mercenary plutocratic predatory few promote a belief in a model of self and world divided by a spiritual conflict between a good one in Heaven and an evil one cast down to and ruling over Earth. I celebrate my spiritual liberation even if these same conservative ideological authorities warn me that I risk unpleasant consequences in my life and or afterlife that follow; from the judgment of my soul by their good one in Heaven; and from condemnation of my soul to an abominable infernal place of alienation and torment where in an evil one will be sent by the good one in Heaven on judgment day. I celebrate my spiritual liberation even if these same conservative ideological authorities threaten me with attack by their evil spirits during life and threaten me with eternal torment in an abominable infernal place called hell after death. I celebrate my spiritual freedom because these aggressive ideological traditions lead by conservative ideological authorities patronized by a mercenary plutocratic predatory few offer me only the spiritual slavery of a model of self and world divided by a spiritual conflict between good and evil that leads to low esteem self and world. I believe that my soul, my source of inspiration, my guiding light is perfect, divine and eternal. I believe my divine eternal soul guides my will in the direction that is right for me. It feels great to believe that this is so, and I believe that feeling great is good for my health and produces good health related behavior. Regardless of whether I am right or wrong, I am going to enjoy great feelings in my life by devoting energy, space, and time to the myth that my divine eternal soul guides my will continuously.

Answer 2

Great question! We even see in the New Testament Satan taking scripture out of context in order to tempt Jesus. The question I always ask when I question whether or not I'm being deceived is "where is this leading me?" And I look. If I see that something is leading me to selfishness or pride or hatred, then I can be sure it is not from God... that doesn't necessarily mean I am being deceived by the devil (it's too easy to blame him, ie give him so much credit... the terd). It is possible that I have deceived myself. Sometimes in our attempt to hold on to sin we do that. I know I'm being deceived when what believe would lead me to trust God more and to love others. Two things Satan wants to undermine. Two things I also need to work on. By the way, anything in any other faith, which leads to that which is truly good I see as coming from God, not the devil. Thanks again for your question. By the way, I'm a Christian whose not a foundamentalist.

Answer 3

Evolution and the big bang are not reasons to abandon Christianity. The Bible and Christianity (both modern and historical) are reasons to abandon Christianity. We can be spiritual and even entertain some religious ideas safely and reasonably. But due to what the bible says (contradictions, historical inaccuracies, unfulfilled prophecies, etc.), that is reason enough to chunk it. Due to the way Christians have acted throughout history and the way they act today, THAT is a reflection of who their god is. They set the example for their religion. They preach one thing but live differently. Why be like them? Why let a fear of hell (which may or may not exist) be motivation enough for one to pick up a belief of known lies, contradictions, hypocrisies, and intolerance?

Answer 4

First off, just because you don't believe in the evangelical Church and therefore...their version of the Bible does not make you a "non-christian"...even though according to them you are damned to that fiery pit. So, with that being said, if you truly are an atheist...and do not believe in a higher being...you may be at risk for something worse in death...lol, but that's not for me to decide or to judge.

So, back to your question....if we are all under Satan's control...at which point did we authorize that?? When did we turn from the fraud that calls itself the word of God? Was it when we all learned of the molestation of young boys by Catholic priests? Or the extortion of millions of dollars and usage of prostetution by high profile Baptist ministers? When was that moment of "Hey...this **** doesn't make any sense??"

Bottom line, the Church and Bible ARE NOT of God. God may have guided the hand that wrote the Bible...but again...you would be putting faith in the words of MEN who say that they are acting on God's behalf...those same men who sought to control the masses through fear and ignorance. In the days when the Bible was written...Church and State were one....think about that for a minute....Why would an all powerful omnipotent God need money for his church?? The Bible demands that you pay 10% of your income...do you really think that God wants your money?? Nope, but I dare say the ruling Governments that benefitted from it appreciated that little added income. Think about it honestly....God is real. However, God cannot be found in the Bible...God is in your soul. You know when something is right or wrong...stop listening to the bullshit and follow your own intuition. Watch this if you get a chance...the first thirty minutes will answer many of your questions....http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331

Answer 5

That is a reasonable question. The same can be said of believers.

I have asked this of MANY believers of many faiths. "Do you know for a fact that you understand entirely what God wants you to do for your salvation? Are you so intelligent and have experienced so much that you believe without a doubt that you are correct in your assessments? How do you know for certain you are not being deceived by Satan?"

People who say they are absolutely sure, I believe, are the ones unGodly influenced. I will ask them, "Rember Job, his anger and questioning of God was what God found to be so commendable. It was Job's friends who thought they were agreeing with God that God later chastised."

I think: No one can say for sure that they are not being influenced by Satan.

Answer 6

You'll never get to know or understand God if you totally depend on man's infallible reason and logic---you must have faith as a little child. Satan is a liar and the father of it---so the Bible says and he'll do anything he can to cause you to doubt God's Word is true and that Jesus is our Savior.
God's plan of salvation does not make a lot of sense to people either...we simply have to accept it is true as it is written in the Bible and understand God's love for us to redeem us through no efforts of our own. Our sin debt to God is fully paid by Jesus' death on the cross...all we have to do for eternal salvation is to believe in Him. He suffered the punishments we deserve.

Answer 7

Satan has blinded you and is keeping you from being able to recognize the truth. You are in the middle of a spiritual warefare. Satan is laughing at all the people on this site that he is deceiving. Atheists are under his "spell" and being controlled by him whether they realize it or not. Your question leads me to believe that a small part of you is in tune to the Holy Spirit and that Jesus is nudging you. Just continue to have an open mind and ask to be lead into the truth. I appreciate your very candid and heartfelt question. That was brave of you.

Answer 8

If Christianity and Jesus were able to be proven and were scientifically sound it would not be called faith. Satan would love for science and other "logic" to prove against Christianity. The fact is you cannot prove for or against it. You have to search within yourself. Everyone has an instinct manifested in them that there is something bigger and better out there. One fact is...you have nothing to lose by having faith in God. Much to gain! Once you start to believe it will be so real that you will have no doubt.

Answer 9

It is not Satan deceiving anybody! God does a much better job, but only among believers so he can send them to Hell without a hustle...!

Ezekiel 14:9 (KJV-1611) And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

Jeremiah 4:10 Then I said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, how completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'You will have peace,' when the sword is at our throats."

Answer 10

You write about evolution and the big bang as if they were written with the purpose of contradicting the Bible... Here's some news for you - they weren't.

Scientists didn't start out with "Hmm, how can we disprove the Bible? I know, lets say everything came about without God." ya know.

Answer 11

For me, the key is to continually seek a higher level of education and understanding. I never stop studying science, religion, philosophy, history and nature. It all boils down to logic, evidence and results, for me.

There are other things like the fact that children and animals are drawn to me ~ they obviously sense something inherently 'good' about me. I am confident that I am doing what is 'right' *for me*.