Hot Topic (6/25): Do you believe in Satan?

[Cafe GroupAdmin]

 From the ABC Nightline site: 

The devil -- also known as Satan, Lucifer and Beelzebub -- has become the primary antagonist in almost every major religion. He is seen as the rebel, a serpent and a fallen angel who tempts mortals into committing sin, and preys upon their despair. But does Satan really exist?

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Do you believe in Satan? 

Please elaborate. 

[Da1nOnlyDestiny]

Do you believe in Satan? 

No, I do not believe in Satan.

Please elaborate. 

To me Satan was a created character to teach people lessons and try to keep order. Also, humans in a very early time realized that everything had negative and positives, ying and yang, so of course if they want to have a character such as God brought into their lives they could not do such a thing without having to bring negativity into the equation. Without the negativity (Satan) it would be far to non realistic and would not make people fear and try to stay on a secure path. If you look back in the ages when people were far more religious, you will see how the Gods, how Jesus, how Satan, was use to manipulate people and coax people into behaving a certain way.

[247mamaandwife]

Quoting Cafe GroupAdmin:

 From the ABC Nightline site: 

The devil -- also known as Satan, Lucifer and Beelzebub -- has become the primary antagonist in almost every major religion. He is seen as the rebel, a serpent and a fallen angel who tempts mortals into committing sin, and preys upon their despair. But does Satan really exist?

* * *

Do you believe in Satan? I do believe there is a satan

Please elaborate. I do believe there is a heavan and a hell and satan is in hell ! due to his acts againt jesus and god ! he had evil thoughts and hate with in him and only eanted to do harm to them. I see eveil like him about in this world some peope are just filled with hate as he was

[aidansmommy961]

No I don't believe in Satan. I don't believe in God either for that matter. Satan was invented as a counter balance to God, a reason for people to do good. As an agnostic/secular humanist, I believe that you can still be a good, moral, upright person without God or Satan to influence that behavior.

[whiteprincess2k]

yes I do believe in Satan.

I believe his part in the world is the same as god. They both contribute to the balance of the world. There has to be both good and bad in everything. as there is in every human.

But I don't believe that god nor the devil created any of our world. They just keep the balance

[jrdnjstn00]

Do you believe in Satan? Yep I do

Please elaborate. He's my ex! Either that or my ex is the spawn of Satan!

[IhartU]

I Am Satan... fear me.

[metalcowgirl34]

I am a Satanist (the atheistic kind), and no, I do not believe in Satan as an actual being or diety.  I see Satan as a symbol for our carnal nature, which cannot be suppressed.  I also see Satan as nature itself and the quest for knowledge.  The word Satan means "adversary"...so Satan (and Satanism) is the adversary of organized religion. 

While I don't believe the bible is true or that the characters in it exist(ed), I like the character of Satan in it (as a fictional character).  I see the bad things that Christianity calls "sins" as human nature.  The sex drive, the 7deadly sins, etc....they are all things that humans WILL do no matter if you threaten them with eternal hell or not.  This makes people feel guilt for things that come natural to them...which, in turn, makes people humbled and easy to control.  This has been used over and over in history to control people.  Though I don't literally believe in Satan, I see the Satan of the bible as "the good guy".  He is the one who wants mankind to have the knowledge of good and evil, he is the one who tells the truth about the tree of knowledge.  No one is directly killed by Satan in the bible, yet millions are killed by God or by his command...and at one point, EVERYONE (in the flood).  To me, Satan tries to sway people's belief in God because he is trying to show them the truth.  God keeps people blind to the truth because the truth is that he is a greedy egotistical tyrant. 

[MomIWant]

Yes, I believe in Satan.

I believe that Satan is the representation of all things evil.  Just as God represents all things good.  If there was no Satan, there would be no evil to explain the monster that set his 19 year old daughter on fire with gasoline and held help off at gunpoint while she burned alive...because she was pregnant or for the despicable being that shot his mother in law at point blank range and then sliced the throats of his own five year old and three year old in the back seat of his car because he wanted to cause his ex-wife "as much pain as possible".  

While some believe the religious cling to an illusion of good vs. evil - most spiritual beings believe we are born with the knowledge, the instinct, of good and evil.  We are aware on every level of our being the difference.  If I did not believe in Satan, I would have to believe that these horrendous acts just happen...because I believe in good, light and hope - I have to believe that the opposite exists. 

[Peajewel]

Quoting jrdnjstn00:

Do you believe in Satan? Yep I do

Please elaborate. He's my ex! Either that or my ex is the spawn of Satan!

I must have married your ex or they are brother's because I am certain that my hubby is Satan! 

[MissBearNMonkey]

Uh no.

Why? Because Satan is a metaphor and not meant to be taken literally. "He's" the personification (making an idea a person) of socially abhorrent behaviors. WAY back in early societies, the way one was taught the rules of that society was through story. Part of storytelling is the use of personification. I find those who take this stuff literally (and I realize there are MANY Christians, etc, who do not) don't understand or know the history behind the stories that shape our moral codes.