Does anyone here still believe in the Devil?

by cantleave 98 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  brotherdan

  Also, he desires our worship. Worship can come in many forms and you don't have to be a "Devil Worshiper" per say to worship him. He directly asked for worship from Jesus at Mt 4:9. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bown down and worship me."

  Why do corrupt governments do what they do? Is it for money only? Mainly (at least as far as I can see) they do it for POWER. Satan wants power. He's corrupted by it. When we take our worship from God, we give it to something else, we have made Satan more powerful. Or at least given him a sense that he is. He's just a fallen angel.
• 

  brotherdan

  Yeah, I share that belief, because it is supported by the Bible.
• 

  brotherdan

  I have a feeling that you are luring me in because you have a point to make, Cantleave?
• 

  designs

  Are the Fundamentalists and Witnesses on this Board the only ones who still believe in a literal Devil.
• 

  cantleave

  Not exactly! I was discussing the idea of the Devil with a witness at work. He was saying more or less what you are. I just seeing if the perspective of non-JW christians was shared. TBH, after 42 years of JW indictrination, I am genuinely interested if ANY of their beliefs are shared with mainstream christianity.
• 

  brotherdan

  I would honestly like a biblical response from someone that says that the devil is NOT a physical person. I've never heard their argument.
• 

  brotherdan

  Well I am a "new" christian. But I do know the Bible very well and I can't justify the belief in Satan being just a metaphore for evil. He is talked about over and over by both Jesus and the apostels as a real person.
• 

  ProdigalSon

  If we just apply a little bit of logic and reason to the question, I think the idea of Satan as a distinct, sentient being makes no sense.

  Here we have this once high-ranking angel, that God created, who was appointed as the "covering cherub" over the earth. Somehow, he lost all sense of reason, everything that God gave him...all sense of love, compassion, justice, etc., and became the total opposite. All of a sudden, he exists for no other reason than to cause misery, suffering, pain...etc.... and for what reason? He was JEALOUS of God. Did this angel never learn ANYTHING??? Did he think he was the rightful ruler of the universe when he KNOWS he had nothing to do with creating it? Does that make sense???

  But, what else is the devil famous for? Trying to tempt people to indulge in PLEASURE. Now, who is it that GAVE you that body that craves this pleasure? So, now we have this God who gave us these bodies that crave pleasure, but then we're told that we're not allowed to indulge unless it is under strict guidelines set by God....marriage, moderation, etc...but where do these desires originate? The MIND!! The FLESH!! It has nothing to do with ANYTHING OR ANYBODY ELSE! There is NO ONE ELSE TO BLAME! And when OTHER bring people THEIR evil into OUR lives, where does THAT come from? Their OWN minds! Their OWN flesh! Their OWN desires! (Listen to the Dalai Lama, HE makes sense.)

  Everyone in our world is evolving into God. There cannot be evolution without an adversary to evolution. Satan is the adversary, and Satan is NON-EXISTANT without human consciousness.

  ~PS
• 

  notverylikely

  I would honestly like a biblical response from someone that says that the devil is NOT a physical person. I've never heard their argument.

  Of course he isn't physical, he is a spirit according to the bible.
• 

  brotherdan

  PS, you forget that sin is corruption. God made us with the ability to derive pleasure from the flesh in a balanced way. But sin corrupts. He didn't GIVE us the desire for sin. Sin gave us the desire for sin. You may find the Bible interesting because it is VERY clear on these issues.