How do you cope with the fact that most people follow Satan?

[IndependantAce]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

 

[ABikerSailor]

I think that the religious zealots that try to shoehorn God into one belief system or dogma are actually the ones doing Satan's work.

Why? By limiting God to one faith or dogma, they are very much limiting God.

The only sin is to limit the Is. Don't.

That's a quote from "Illusions, Confessions of a Reluctant Messiah" by Richard Bach.

 

[ScienceRocks]

You're just angry that people don't believe in something or don't want to take up their entire lives in worship for something that doesn't seem to give a damn about them. It is a massive waste and I am sure 99% of them don't believe in satan either.

What has god done for humanity the past 2000 years? Or 6,000 years for that matter??? I am sure he wouldn't want us wasting our lives and abilities praising him instead of helping our selves. He gave us a brain for crying out loud and every ability to figure out our own problems.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I've often asked why people believe they and others "sin". I don't believe that because I don't see it.

Sure, there are bad people, criminals, people who set out to hurt others but most people are just trying to do the best they can to live a good life, take care of their family. They may make mistakes but I don't count that as a sin.

Then there's the other side of this question, which is personified by the incredible arrogance of thumpers, like the OP.

As guno pointed out, christians made up their god and they made up their devil. Its an imaginary, invisible bit of nonsense they're more than welcome to.

But the belief in a super-being does not somehow make you better than others and it most certainly does not qualify you to sit in judgment of others.

The Jesus you say you worship would abhor what the nutter thumpers have become.

 

[ABikerSailor]

You know, the only things in the Bible that are specifically designated as "sins" are those that are laid out in the 7 Noahide Commandments, or what is laid out in the 10 Commandments. And, both of them basically say the same thing.

Anything else? Simply a vice that if followed long enough, can cause you to sin.

Follow the 7 Noahide Commandments, or the 10 Commandments (neither of which is very hard to do), and you're golden with God.

 

[IndependantAce]

I've often asked why people believe they and others "sin". I don't believe that because I don't see it.

Sure, there are bad people, criminals, people who set out to hurt others but most people are just trying to do the best they can to live a good life, take care of their family. They may make mistakes but I don't count that as a sin.

I'm sure you feel that way about lynching blacks or stoning homosexuals?

Then there's the other side of this question, which is personified by the incredible arrogance of thumpers, like the OP.

As guno pointed out, christians made up their god and they made up their devil. Its an imaginary, invisible bit of nonsense they're more than welcome to.

Saying so doesn't make it so.

But the belief in a super-being does not somehow make you better than others and it most certainly does not qualify you to sit in judgment of others.

The Jesus you say you worship would abhor what the nutter thumpers have become.

Believing that evil doesn't exist is the worst thing one could do if they want to protect themselves or others from it.

 

[Bonzi]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Imagine how this hurts God!
We are by nature selfish, and, there are many schools of thoughts on "evidence" of salvation by the fruits a "Christian" bears.

Let me ask, what makes you "know" someone is saved?

 

[Bonzi]

You can logically argue against belief in God or, more specifically, his salvation plan through Jesus, his self manifestation as man.

Mocking it is not really necessary and is only mean-spirited. If that makes you happy, even on a humanistic level, it makes you at least a moderate sadist.

 

[IndependantAce]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Imagine how this hurts God!
We are by nature selfish, and, there are many schools of thoughts on "evidence" of salvation by the fruits a "Christian" bears.

Let me ask, what makes you "know" someone is saved?

It's not my place do just who is or who isn't, but the West definitely idolizes secularism more than spirituality.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Just as there’s no ‘god’ as perceived by theists, likewise there is no ‘satan’ as perceived by theists.

 

[IndependantAce]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Just as there’s no ‘god’ as perceived by theists, likewise there is no ‘satan’ as perceived by theists.

Atheists can't prove there is no god simply because they "can't see him" anymore than they can "prove" the earth is flat simply by saying "it looks flat to me".

 

[Moonglow]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Just as there’s no ‘god’ as perceived by theists, likewise there is no ‘satan’ as perceived by theists.

Atheists can't prove there is no god simply because they "can't see him" anymore than they can "prove" the earth is flat simply by saying "it looks flat to me".

If God is so powerful, why can't beat the Devil?

 

[ABikerSailor]

IndependantAce must be influenced by Satan, because the Devil made him spell "independent" as "independAnt".

Me? I think he should be named PedantAce. And, for you people who don't know what a "pedant" is, here's the definition...............

pedant

[ped-nt]

• Synonyms
• Examples
• Word Origin

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
noun
1. a person who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning.
2. a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details.
3. a person who adheres rigidly to book knowledge without regard to common sense.
4. Obsolete. a schoolmaster.
Origin of pedant

Italian
1580-1590
1580-90; < Italian pedante teacher, pedant; apparently akin to pedagogue; see -ant
Related forms

pedantesque, adjective
pedanthood, noun
Synonyms

 

[CremeBrulee]

I think that the religious zealots that try to shoehorn God into one belief system or dogma are actually the ones doing Satan's work.

Why? By limiting God to one faith or dogma, they are very much limiting God.

The only sin is to limit the Is. Don't.

That's a quote from "Illusions, Confessions of a Reluctant Messiah" by Richard Bach.

Or to quote (rightly or wrongly..J.B. Phillips?) Giordano Bruno, "Your God is too small."

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

I've often asked why people believe they and others "sin". I don't believe that because I don't see it.

Sure, there are bad people, criminals, people who set out to hurt others but most people are just trying to do the best they can to live a good life, take care of their family. They may make mistakes but I don't count that as a sin.

Then there's the other side of this question, which is personified by the incredible arrogance of thumpers, like the OP.

As guno pointed out, christians made up their god and they made up their devil. Its an imaginary, invisible bit of nonsense they're more than welcome to.

But the belief in a super-being does not somehow make you better than others and it most certainly does not qualify you to sit in judgment of others.

The Jesus you say you worship would abhor what the nutter thumpers have become.

Or it can be metaphor and simile – where ‘satan’ represents the evil men are capable of, and ‘god’ represents the collective good of humankind.

But there is no omnipotent extra-terrestrial deity that hears prayers, intercedes on the behalf of humans, and issues edicts of religious dogma, where transgressors are subject to some sort of punishment after death.

Likewise, there’s no malevolent extra-terrestrial deity that compels men to do evil, entices them to commit ‘sin,’ and is responsible for all that is wrong in the world.

 

[ABikerSailor]

You know, in the Garden, the original sin wasn't so much that Adam and Eve ate the apple, it was the fact that neither of them would take responsibility for their actions.

Want to avoid original sin? It's easy, take responsibility for your own actions, even if you mess up.

 

[Dale Smith]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Just as there’s no ‘god’ as perceived by theists, likewise there is no ‘satan’ as perceived by theists.

Atheists can't prove there is no god simply because they "can't see him" anymore than they can "prove" the earth is flat simply by saying "it looks flat to me".

If God is so powerful, why can't beat the Devil?

You have never read the Bible, obviously. Satan was given dominion over this earth. When Jesus wandered off for an indefinite period of time, Satan tried to tempt Jesus by telling him that he would give him a kingdom if only he bowed down and worshipped him. Let me put it in terms that you will understand. The earth is a pissing match between God and Satan.....God is betting on us while Satan is betting that he can take a multitude of souls with him. Jesus will return but until that time, angels are doing their best to keep watch over us. I have one for sure. I would have died along with my son back in August of 1999 had I not been saved by one......honestly and with a hand upon the Bible, it is true.

 

[Bonzi]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Imagine how this hurts God!
We are by nature selfish, and, there are many schools of thoughts on "evidence" of salvation by the fruits a "Christian" bears.

Let me ask, what makes you "know" someone is saved?

It's not my place do just who is or who isn't, but the West definitely idolizes secularism more than spirituality.

no doubt. love of money is the root of all evil
we all have our thorn in the flesh, it is hard to see people living secular lives and not by Biblical standards because it is not what is best for them - even here on Earth. Much less their eternal soul.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Sadly most people, even many who visit church and claim to be followers of God, spend more time following Satan, it can therefore be depressing seeing friends, family, etc who may never find inner piece and live their whole lives in search of material happiness which doesn't exist. Seeing people declare life as meaningless and spending more time planning a vacation or retirement plan than they actually do their spiritual lives.

What's the best way to cope with this without becoming discouraged and contemptuous of Americans today; I suppose remembering the passage about entering the narrow gate comes to mind.

Just as there’s no ‘god’ as perceived by theists, likewise there is no ‘satan’ as perceived by theists.

Atheists can't prove there is no god simply because they "can't see him" anymore than they can "prove" the earth is flat simply by saying "it looks flat to me".

Nonsense.

No one said anything about ‘proof.’

The fact is, religion and ‘god’ are creations of man, the consequence of his fear and ignorance.

 

[Bonzi]

You know, in the Garden, the original sin wasn't so much that Adam and Eve ate the apple, it was the fact that neither of them would take responsibility for their actions.

Want to avoid original sin? It's easy, take responsibility for your own actions, even if you mess up.

No. They were disobedient to God. Which is a sin.