2007-12-02 01:18:54 · 18 answers · asked by angry man 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
what* i mean
2007-12-02 01:20:12 · update #1
It means exactly what it says.
The modern secular world (the majority of it anyway) seems to believe that evil is merely the absense of good or the absense of light. Not so. Evil is an active force in it's own right, with an active persona behind it.
Someone on R&S recently made an analogy that I liked and that has stuck with me (occasionally someone comes up with a good one) concerning the misguided idea that evil is merely the absense of good:
A street bum is hungry and needs some money to get something to eat -
Good = Giving that bum some money to get something to eat
Absense of Good = Not giving the bum some money
Evil = Beating the bum up and stealing what little he has
2007-12-02 01:34:13 · answer #1 · answered by the phantom 6 · 13⤊ 5⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
whay is the meaning of "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist"
2015-08-12 08:10:41 · answer #2 · answered by Audy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My heavens, I never have been flashed, but I did unintentionally flash a few folks once. I was in the hospital some time back and decided to take a stoll to the vending area. Well, I wasn't thinking about what I was wearing and, let's just say that those hospital gowns don't leave a lot to the imagination on the backside. The nurse came up from behind me and put a blanket over my shoulders . . . I was wondering why it was a little drafty back there!
2016-03-13 10:29:56 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh wow, it's not some of riddle. It means exactly what it says. It's about how allot of people don't belive in organised religion therfore they don't belive in he'll or heaven it's the devil's work, making people not belive. He is trying to say that people don't belive in religion because of the devil but they just don't know that, because if they did then they would obviously belive in God. That is why it's the greates trick ever pulled.
2016-03-31 04:13:15 · answer #4 · answered by sam 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means that if people don't believe in the devil, then he is more free and unimpeded to go about his mission of the corruption of mankind.
IF you believe in the devil, that is.
The quote is really a neat play on people's willingness to believe what comforts them the most - For example, if you don't want to accept the consequences of your own evil, then, PRESTO: There's this guy called The Devil, and he MADE you do bad things - So whatever rotten thing you did isn't really your fault.
It doubly works as a way of eliminating any regret for your own evil, or reticence at committing acts of evil - In that if you don't believe in the devil and in hell, then you don't believe that you'll be punished after you die.
Which means that the only chance of you being punished for your evil in this life is by being caught and sentenced by people that you know can be hoodwinked and fooled quite easily. Makes it easier to do evil when you're pretty sure you won't get caught.
People invented gods and devils as a way of explaining not only the world around them, but as a way of explaining their own weird and inexplicable behavior - Behavior which includes both sacrificing oneself to save a complete stranger, or believing that all the world's woes and sorrow can be "explained" by blaming them all on a character for whom there isn't a shred of proof of his existence - Instead of simply accepting the blame for our own greed, hate and evil.
The parallel is this: Mark Twain once remarked that whenever a man does something good, then god gets all the credit, but when a man does something bad, both man and the devil share the blame.
2014-01-20 05:34:28 · answer #5 · answered by Dave H 2 · 7⤊ 1⤋
It means that because so many don't believe in him, they also don't feel the need to obey the commandments or to be aware of the mortal temptations that hound us. Ergo it is to the advantage of the devil and caused by him for us not to believe.
2007-12-02 01:30:44 · answer #6 · answered by len b 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
That's after Satan couldn't convince Jesus that the Devil was meant to be good.
2007-12-02 01:25:03 · answer #7 · answered by Drop short and duck 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
"Pretend Normal".... evil mascarades as sheep.. and do their coniving deeds in the shadows... So you think that sociopath is a charming person.. but they have an agenda, always
2015-05-28 10:55:26 · answer #8 · answered by lmikehoff 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if we believed that the devil never existed he would be in total control being capable of manipulating our minds into whatever diverse plan he could concieve
2007-12-02 01:29:10 · answer #9 · answered by loveChrist 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
So no one could blame all the bad stuff on him.
2007-12-02 01:31:48 · answer #10 · answered by Squee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋