read even if you don't believe in God
If you notice God has an enemy and he's the Devil! As a Christian we supposed to resist Satan, because he's trying to take us down, he's always trying to destroy us as followers of Christ! and his Job is to deceive people like you!
How come other "religions" don't have Spiritual enemies! for instance Budda, Allah, or Wiccans! don't have Spiritual Enemies! We Fight Against evil!
you can see this principle everywhere, There's always an enemy! you can see it in Movies, cartoons, Stories , even in Real and personal Life.
So God does make sense!, the Bible says God is Good! and he has an enemy which is the Devil! the whole point of the Spiritual World is a battle!
What do you think!
2007-11-20 07:35:55 · 53 answers · asked by Not of This World Returns 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Huh?!?
I don't thnk that a conflict is always necessary. It depends on the nature of the belief
Christianity may seem to rely on it, with Satan being the enemy.
(And, by the way Islam also lists Satan as God's adversary)
Other religions, (Wicca, Buddism) don't really need a conflict to drive their beliefs
2007-11-20 07:38:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 2⤋
OK I read your stuff now you read mine!
The problem with Christians is: you are in a battle yes
God is good yes
you have an enemy yes
it brings balance yes
BUT
If God created the Devil there is not really a battle, God is more power full and can destroy Satan whenever he wants so he's keeping the devil... why exactly?
maybe he is not THAT good?
maybe Your Satan is powerful AS Your God?
why do you give so much credit to this devil? why do you take power away from God? and if he is omnipotent as you say? why do you have him fighting a battle against someone that is not a worthy opponent? and if he is a worthy opponent does that mean God is not as powerful as you claim?
2007-11-20 07:49:00 · answer #2 · answered by ~Becks~ 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
when Constantine (the father of Christianity) and the Roman pontiffs created the Catholic Church they needed to unite the religions of the vast Roman Empire. If you study History (especially Roman and the lands/religions/cultures they conquered) you would understand about the dualist faith they have created.
Remember Jesus in the new testament never mentions the word Satan or Devil...there's on like 3 references in the WHOLE Bible that mentions an evil Nemesis to God. One in Genesis (Adam, Eve and the apple) and in Judgments/Revelations which i might add was written about 100 years AFTER Jesus, the son of God, came down and died on the cross for our sins. One could even say that Judgment and Revelations were added as a population/mass control over a dying empire (Roman).
Constantine was also a Pagan up until his death bed, he repentant and then on his dying reverted back to Paganism.
As a side note: Pagan in Latin simply means "an old country dweller, rustic". Pagan came from the Romans referring to the farmers and rustics outside of rome that worshiped the gods of the earth and weather.
2007-11-20 07:46:37 · answer #3 · answered by Hey U, Yeah U..Get over here 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, a lot of religion is belief in existence and if other religions do not believe in the existence of an evil force they need not make one up just to fit a standard scenario. Another way of looking at it is to say the believers can follow tenents without having to have a negative option. For instance they could say "don't touch that burner" and you would not because you believe that you should not instead of because you believe that you will get burned.
2007-11-20 07:40:55 · answer #4 · answered by Allison S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the majority of weak minded people need a reason to be good and it's because if you aren't then you are bad. Christians are usually the weakest minded of all the religious groups. Look how they have broken up into so many little sects. You never hear of a cult of Buddhists committing suicide for Budda. The other religions don't need that sort of assistance to make sense.
2007-11-20 07:41:27 · answer #5 · answered by Unmannered 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Other paths do indeed believe in negative energies, even if they don't take the form of God vs Satan. The real battle is not based on black and white or shades of gray. It is are you talking a step towards God or a step away from God? A step towards the Light or a step away from the Light?
2007-11-20 07:41:29 · answer #6 · answered by An Independent 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are mistakingly cause for effect, and using generally circular logic.
The opposed sides you speak of is not unique to christianity, zoariastirism (i'm probably misspelling that) is generally credited with being the first religion to feature a good/evil theme. And the good versus evil you see in fiction comes from the christian culture in which those stories were created, they don't validate the truth of the philosophy, merly reflect it.
Nothing in nature is good versus evil, it is all shades of grey. The lion seems evil to the gazelle, but it is merly trying to survive and feed it's own cubs. Why should the metaphysical world be so radically different from teh physical one?
2007-11-20 07:41:45 · answer #7 · answered by juicy_wishun 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Interesting point. For the record, Wiccan's believe in duality. Positive and Negative energies. Kind of the same theory. Early Christianity took many aspects of the pagan belief system and adapted them to their own religion. The purpose was to recruit members of the church. Prior to Christianity, Paganism was one of the world's largest religions. To make the conversion eaiser for the pagans, they took many traditions of the pagan path. I see pagan symbolisim everywhere in the christian faith. Most Christians just don't realize it. So to your question, good and evil represents the duality recognized by Pagan beliefs.
2007-11-20 07:43:33 · answer #8 · answered by Lady Astarte 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my boyfriend is Muslim and they have some form of a devil too. i don't think it is a fight against evil. there was god before the devil and Jesus was with his father from the beginning. the devil was an angel that was cast out from heaven. the devil preys on our sins and weaknesses but in Christ we can be made strong and these temptations wont bother is.
2007-11-20 07:42:06 · answer #9 · answered by cajunbaby 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never thought about it like that....but the whole point of the spiritual world being,"a battle" is not how I see it.
I think the whole point of the spiritual world is because God wants to share His creation with beings who will appreciate it and will want to live in harmony with Him.
2007-11-20 07:42:17 · answer #10 · answered by Jen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am with your thinking here, but I want to point out that most other religions are earning their "reward" by "doing good deeds". Or by being at peace with the earth, or themself, etc. etc. So, I think they would argue that they ARE fighting evil....in order to do good. They might not lable evil as satan, or lucifer, or any other of his many names, but they do have an enemy of some sort.
2007-11-20 07:41:09 · answer #11 · answered by habemf 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋