When you can't believe the evil you see all around you.. Jesus told us WHY

[rightnow909]

Jesus said, right b4 he was crucified that "the ruler of this world is coming" [after Him]

Then there is John 8:44 where Satan says that the world has been given to him and Jesus (as far as we know) did not argue w/ Satan about that.

Satan is usually a liar but sometimes he tells the truth when he thinks the truth will serve him better than a lie...

In any case, all we need know is that JESUS Himself called him "ruler of this world."

So when you see or experience all the evil.... you can recall this passage.

 

[johngaltshrugged]

This is what I tell others if asked why God allows such bad things to happen in the world.
We gave ourselves over to sin & the evil that comes with it in the Garden of Eden

 

[rightnow909]

This is what I tell others if asked why God allows such bad things to happen in the world.
We gave ourselves over to sin & the evil that comes with it in the Garden of Eden

yeh... too bad we all had to suffer for the sins of thos 2 knuckleheads (as Sgt Carter would call them... laugh) but that's life... We are fallen and to deny that is to deny truth and reality.. which is to deny our need for Christ... which is to end up in Hell if we do not correct ourselves...

 

[occupied]

Blaming everything bad on Satan is a cop out. God allegedly created him and could destroy him at any time. God seemingly allows this pure evil monster to screw up his creation and doom his children to Hell for what? Because he's still mad about Adam and Eve? This has never made a lick of sense. Satan is nothing but a handy scapegoat when terrible things happen to good people and bad people prosper.

 

[rightnow909]

Blaming everything bad on Satan is a cop out. God allegedly created him and could destroy him at any time. God seemingly allows this pure evil monster to screw up his creation and doom his children to Hell for what? Because he's still mad about Adam and Eve? This has never made a lick of sense. Satan is nothing but a handy scapegoat when terrible things happen to good people and bad people prosper.

you are wrong and no Christian "church" much less THE CHURCH Christ established teaches this so... again: straw man.

Walk a mile in my shoes and you will believe in Satan in no time...

 

[occupied]

you are wrong and no Christian "church" much less THE CHURCH Christ established teaches this so... again: straw man.

Walk a mile in my shoes and you will believe in Satan in no time...

The Question has long haunted Christianity. They invented Satan, they invented original sin but none of it points to a merciful, all powerful God. He either does not care about evil or can do do nothing about it or he does not exist. Choose one. I've seen so many good people get ground under the heel of this world. I've seen evil triumph despite our best efforts. I grew up a believer but no one has a sensible answer.

 

[Meriweather]

The Question has long haunted Christianity. They invented Satan, they invented original sin but none of it points to a merciful, all powerful God. He either does not care about evil or can do do nothing about it or he does not exist. Choose one. I've seen so many good people get ground under the heel of this world. I've seen evil triumph despite our best efforts. I grew up a believer but no one has a sensible answer.

Neither satan nor original sin were "invented". Instead, what was offered were simple, quick, shallow explanations--first grade basics. What they forgot to add was, "Study more in depth as you mature--these are greatly profound concepts.

Adam and Eve, for example: In Judaism one teaching suggests that the original Garden of Eden was actually outside the gates of heaven, right on the edge of physical existence. The Tree of Knowledge was not a test in and of itself--mankind was meant to partake of it--eventually. Adam and Eve jumped the gun and partook before the 'fruit' was ready, and the consequences of partaking that not yet ripe 'fruit' had unintended consequences, which God lists. Even though this was not what God had originally envisioned for mankind, He was not going to forsake us. He was still with us.

Also: This was not the sin of two people, the story was simply condensed into two characters. It speaks to all of us: Women/mothers who were first tempted and men who went along with the idea. We all made this choice, and we all learn from the consequences.

Orthodox Jews do not eat fruit from trees until the third year it bears as a reminder about waiting for the proper time.

 

[Meriweather]

They invented Satan

In the Old Testament, and even in Jesus' time, Satan (ha Satan) was the tester of quality and strength. He was the Inspector of the finished product we might say. Adam and Eve failed temptation. Would Job? Would Jesus? Will we? Satan was different from demons, who meddled.

 

[Bezukhov]

So it's a lost cause for Christians to think they're going to make a difference by running for elected office.

 

[rightnow909]

The Question has long haunted Christianity. They invented Satan, they invented original sin but none of it points to a merciful, all powerful God. He either does not care about evil or can do do nothing about it or he does not exist. Choose one. I've seen so many good people get ground under the heel of this world. I've seen evil triumph despite our best efforts. I grew up a believer but no one has a sensible answer.

well, the Word tells us to trust god and "lean not on your own understanding"

I have found this to be true, through experience the Greatest teacher (besides God of course)

Do I understand why God allows the devil free reign in the world? no.... and neither does anyone else have an explanation. But that doesn't mean God doesn't exist..

it probably means he has given man free will to do whatever, and man does... whatever... and then God gets blamed for all the evil...

 

[occupied]

well, the Word tells us to trust god and "lean not on your own understanding"

I have found this to be true, through experience the Greatest teacher (besides God of course)

Do I understand why God allows the devil free reign in the world? no.... and neither does anyone else have an explanation. But that doesn't mean God doesn't exist..

it probably means he has given man free will to do whatever, and man does... whatever... and then God gets blamed for all the evil...

The free will argument only comes out when someone is trying to explain why God lets children starve and allows monsters to die peacefully in their beds. It never comes out when evangelical types are trying to ban sin. It is therefore just another cop-out no one really believes.

 

[rightnow909]

The free will argument only comes out when someone is trying to explain why God lets children starve and allows monsters to die peacefully in their beds. It never comes out when evangelical types are trying to ban sin. It is therefore just another cop-out no one really believes.

explain that comment about "trying to ban sin"

what do you mean?

and I think God gave this world to humans and He knew we could, esp with the help of Jesus, figure things out RE right and wrong... you know... things like how having huge sums of money while someone else is starving may not be exactly good and upright behavior.. Do we really think the uber rich never think about this? those people who never do a damn thing for the downtrodden?

Frankly, even Trump never seemed to want to .. do something about people being able to afford rent... I mean, you'd think w/ all the brainpower available... we'd figure it out..

and we COULD figure it out

and GOD apparently believes / knows this... that we COULD

but bc of our stubbornness and selfishness, we do not figure it out... Well, we do, but then we just shrug our shoulders and move on to important things, like What can I do for myself today, with all this $$$$?

again, explain that comment about "trying to ban sin"

 

[occupied]

explain that comment about "trying to ban sin"

what do you mean?

and I think God gave this world to humans and He knew we could, esp with the help of Jesus, figure things out RE right and wrong... you know... things like how having huge sums of money while someone else is starving may not be exactly good and upright behavior.. Do we really think the uber rich never think about this? those people who never do a damn thing for the downtrodden?

Frankly, even Trump never seemed to want to .. do something about people being able to afford rent... I mean, you'd think w/ all the brainpower available... we'd figure it out..

and we COULD figure it out

and GOD apparently believes / knows this... that we COULD

but bc of our stubbornness and selfishness, we do not figure it out... Well, we do, but then we just shrug our shoulders and move on to important things, like What can I do for myself today, with all this $$$$?

again, explain that comment about "trying to ban sin"

The US has a long history of imposing morality laws on it's citizens which we have had to eventually do away with after it became clear that they are useless and sometimes unconstitutional. Laws against drinking, drugs, gambling, homosexuality, miscegenation, abortion and non christian religions have variously been in force around the country at one time or another. Letting people have the free will to find heaven or hell on their own terms is just not part of Christianity when it gains even a little secular authority. If Christians really believed in free will they would not be trying to use the law to keep people on the straight and narrow.

 

[SweetSue92]

The Question has long haunted Christianity. They invented Satan, they invented original sin but none of it points to a merciful, all powerful God. He either does not care about evil or can do do nothing about it or he does not exist. Choose one. I've seen so many good people get ground under the heel of this world. I've seen evil triumph despite our best efforts. I grew up a believer but no one has a sensible answer.

This isn't Heaven yet

That's it

 

[Blues Man]

Jesus said, right b4 he was crucified that "the ruler of this world is coming" [after Him]

Then there is John 8:44 where Satan says that the world has been given to him and Jesus (as far as we know) did not argue w/ Satan about that.

Satan is usually a liar but sometimes he tells the truth when he thinks the truth will serve him better than a lie...

In any case, all we need know is that JESUS Himself called him "ruler of this world."

So when you see or experience all the evil.... you can recall this passage.

Yup your god created Satan and let him wreak havoc on the creations your god says he loves

 

[SweetSue92]

Yup your god created Satan and let him wreak havoc on the creations your god says he loves

It was worth it

 

[Blues Man]

It was worth it

No it wasn't.

Would you let a pedophile babysit your kids?

 

[there4eyeM]

It is mystifying how people decide which things to believe that Jesus said. When it doesn't fit their narrative, they are even prepared to deny he said what he did.

 

[SweetSue92]

No it wasn't.

Would you let a pedophile babysit your kids?

You know what I have never heard? I have never heard a person born of a mother faced with choice of abortion who said---yeah. Mom should have aborted me. Or if that person is out there he is very rare.

God saw all of it ahead of time--God is omniscient--and decided it was worth it. You're aborted if He didn't.

 

[SweetSue92]

No it wasn't.

Would you let a pedophile babysit your kids?

And no I would not let a pedophile babysit my kids. Neither does God engage in gratuitous destruction for no reason.