Do you think one could logically interpret God and Satan as one in the same?

@ulalume (713)
United States
February 17, 2009 11:16am CST
One thing that has always intrigued me about Christians is that many of them believe God is not the creator of evil, or evil at all. When you examine the bible, this is blatant. Whether he is capable of loving whole-heartedly, and still evil seems beyond many people. Now, I was considering how God could possibly be evil and create evil; yet still exist as a "loving" deity to his followers. If you are in need of sprucing up on some of your biblical scriptures, I would suggest reading it with an atheists viewpoint here: daylightatheism.org/2007/01/little-known-bible-verses-v-god-creates-evil.html No matter how you scew the bible, whether "evil" is justified or not, there is no denying its existance (from a religious perspective, anyways) and even more, no denying that God inheritantly is evil. Now, I was considering; if God created all things (presumably physical as well as spiritual, human and inhumane) could it be logically implied that God himself is the great deciever as well as the bringer of life? Could God and Satan inadvertantly be one being in the same? Satan being one side of God (the evil, cunning side) and Yahweh be the "good" side most religious people come to enjoy and become euphoric about? I would like to hear what you have to say!
1 person likes this
16 responses
@LouieWpHs04 (4554)
• United States
18 Feb 09
I have a very philosophical view on the whole religion bit but usually when I start talking about it I get a whole bunch of religious people pestering me about it & filling up my inbox or whatever with messages saying how horrible it is to say what I say. Buttt! To keep it simple. Yes, I could logically interpret God & Satan as one in the same but not in the way you're thinking. On the idea that God created all things, just because he created them doesn't mean he kept all of them 100% contained as in, to stay on a certain mind-set. He set them free to roam around & left them with a bit of a "guiding light" so to speak. Let them go on their own path. Hence why there is good and evil. He didn't make us perfect, and that goes along with everyone whether that be the good people, bad people, satan, etc.
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Feb 09
Well uh, I didn't actually say it. I was just responding to your part of the discussion.
@ulalume (713)
• United States
22 Feb 09
It doesn't really matter if you say it or not, it is implied. haha.
@ulalume (713)
• United States
18 Feb 09
I do not see why a religious person would be bothered by this. If you reword it, what you are saying is: "God gives people freewill." Its not a complex belief (if this paragraph is any indication), and a whole lot of people believe that.
1 person likes this
@Adoniah (7513)
• United States
18 Feb 09
Whole sects of early christians were slaughtered for those very beliefs, completely wiped off the face of the earth. That is also why there are so many wonderful gospels missing from the christian's testament, because they dared to broach that subject intelligently or not? I believe that G'd is Knowledge and that Knowledge is everything. In reality, Knowledge can be neither good nor bad it just is! It continues to grow and change constantly. Humans are the factor that decides good and bad. What was "bad" or "sinful" 100 years ago is today acceptable isn't it? There have been tribes who were cannibals which was perfectly acceptable to them, but we find it abhorant. In the Middle Ages it was OK to abort a fetus if it had not yet "Quickened" Yet the "Church" later made it a mortal sin and it became illegal until the 20th century. So what is "Evil" and what is "Good"? And who is Satan? Shalom~Adoniah
@ulalume (713)
• United States
22 Feb 09
I was not aware that people were actually murdered for those exact beliefs. Could you direct me to a place in history where that occurred? My first assumption would potentially be the Crusades, just considering so many people were murdered for petty reasons. I find that I agree with basically all that you have said, as well. I don't believe in the "god" of the bible or anything, but god as an essence is essentially knowledge. I always wondered why some people find "knowledge" to be evil. In the bible, the "tree of knowledge" was the evil in the realm of Eden; however I am not sure why a God would let something so good as knowledge (for it brings understanding!) be so misrepresented. I find that the biblical god is foolish for stating that Adam and Eve have "freedom" and by that, "free will"; yet the epitome of freedom (mental knowledge, as the mind has no barriers such as government and nation) is most represented by the tree of life and the serpentine amidst said tree.
@sirnose (2436)
• United States
18 Feb 09
I do think from a logical point of view that "God" and said"Satan" are one in the same...just image when you was born you have some of your mother's dna as well as your father's dna so why "God" canot be good and evil...the facts don't say that god is not just good there are passages all through the bible where god got angery and destroyed nations...
@ulalume (713)
• United States
18 Feb 09
I liked your analogy, a lot actually. It really made me think. DNA is basically a man-made coding system to define genes and other things, so it makes a lot of sense that a god could have a code such as this wherewith God is the "creator" (hence, father) and all of his "offspring" (or productions), good or evil, are all in essence a piece of the father. Maybe not directly, but in some way; like a child to a father.
@ddfreedie (690)
• India
18 Feb 09
they are like split personalities...we see god when we are good and when we are bad it makes the god a satan...thats it...it is only the reflection on of what we do... god or satan.its in you
1 person likes this
• Philippines
28 Feb 09
This is only what I think, I'm not following any beliefs or anything, Just my thought. I think Satan and God cannot be one. but somehow, I think that God is Good and also the evil. Well to think of that if I'm the the one who's in the higher rank or something, I can do whatever I want coz I MADE YOU! I can be good or bad, I can punish you or something. I think it's basically, We are born to suffer. Don't want it to think that way but I see it that way, We were just like a toys that he test so if ever he will create another world again, It could be perfect. I believe in god but don't believe what people says (Religious guys) I just have my own beliefs towards god and I still have to many questions to ask in my mind. So god can be also evil? I think so, People just believe that he can bring us to good eternal life. Which has no disease, sins and etc. that's what they picture about heaven ^_~ I'm just thinking that Lucifer once in heaven. ^_~ lolz. just my opinion
@Vaddiba (190)
18 Feb 09
Here's a direct and clear answer from the god of the bible: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil. I the lord do all these things." -- Isaiah 45:7
@kerriannc (4279)
• Jamaica
17 Feb 09
God is one of Good and also forgiveness. If you trace back the existence of evil you will realize that Lucifer was the highest Angel in Heaven until he wanted to overthrow God and took over. That is when he was banished from Heaven and was told that he will roam the four corners of the earth. God has no evilness in his body. Yes he can become angry but always remember that when he does seems to go to that end he withdrawn because he does not think like man. This earth is rule by two forces Good and Evil but it is up to you the individual which one you want to choose.
• United States
18 Feb 09
i believe in god and in satan but my view of good in eveil is matched with socrates :there is olny one good-knowledge: and one evil- ignorance
@GADHISUNU (2162)
• India
17 Feb 09
Look at the world and build a plausible theory- that is the way of Science as well as Religion, one must admit.Whereas, Science will drop a thing when one encounters a contradiction to the accepted principles of Logic, in Religion the method is to demand "faith". The reality is it is possible to land into contradictions, whenever you see life as a whole. Like, you see out in the world there, a person who is being very good but he is suffering, you see it. You find a person is doing all that is classified as evil and he is reveling in the goodies of Life! Now, when a believer is confronted with this situation, he has to offer a plausible explanation for why this happens. If you agree that God created Evil then the (Evil) person is not responsible for what he does! If God didn't create Evil then who is responsible? So, there is a Satan to take the blame of tempting people away from Good and God! This kind of a dichotomy would make it a lot easier to have God as benevolent, compassionate and merciful and one without having to do anything with Evil if only you had a Satan. You will keep coming back to this problem, so long as you do not reconcile that not only that the "Crooked and stunted are in Him, but Good and Evil too!"
@user_786 (1338)
18 Feb 09
Evil is created by God not because he wanted to make it bring evilness in people and in atmosphere. God created it and made it "free" to use by anyone who wants to be its friend. God has shown people both - good and bad paths and told man what path will lead to success. now its upto men which path they would choose.
@ulalume (713)
• United States
18 Feb 09
I agree with you to some extent. I do think it is vital for every person to choose their path. Even the bible tells people to "choose their god." But, it seems kind of far fetched for people to write off everything "not godly" as "evil", as many things exist without god (besides his creation of things, if you believe in god as it is). Many people are good, decent people in the world. Atheist or Christian, religious or not. I do not think "success" is the best wording either, due to the fact that people from both parties suffer (and likewise are rich).
@ROYALG333 (126)
• United States
17 Feb 09
I picture evil as hell and good as heaven in a spiritual dimension. Where the two meet is reality; the material world. I believe that this battle between good and evil is fought within each individual soul that have ever and will ever roam the earth. As a christian, I believe that Satan does have the ability to bring bad upon people who don't deserve it. I also believe Satan has the ability to blind us perceived good and deceive us. If a man steals food to feed his starving family, the result is good, but the means is evil since there are more honorable ways to get food. In the same way, people who have it all, money, cars, women, fame, are the ones who seem to be the most spiritually starved because they have put their life into things and not the soul or spirit.
@ulalume (713)
• United States
18 Feb 09
Couldn't the rich argue they are most spiritual because God has given them said things? Is not God also capable of bringing destruction and desolation? He took everything from Job (in the Bible), he destroyed cities, had people murdered. I do not think that scenerio you put forth is "Satan blinding" either, at least if you believe the ends justify the means (like myself). If a family is starving, the man is just using his basic, animalistic instincts to assure their safety. There is no "evil" to be found there. I'd agree there are better ways to get food, but in a case like that; I am sure those ways have been depleated.
@Vaddiba (190)
20 Feb 09
It's very clear to me that god is a concept based upon the intellectual and cultural values of the people who developed those concepts: a warlike culture will have a warlike god. As mankind develops a better understanding of himself, he is able to look back at his past religious practices and realise how barbaric he was in the treatment of his fellow man. Although modern society does have it's own problems and challenges, I think I can speak for many people who prefer living in today's society rather than to have lived in a past power-hungry barbaric religious world. Many religious people try to give the impression that past religious societies were based on perfect ideals. Nothing could be further from the truth: there was mainly fear and ignorance wherein a privileged few had access to knowledge. Religious establishments no longer have hold over information. We're free to pursue our own journey in search of truth, instead of blindly accepting the words of religious interest groups whose main agenda was/is to have POWER over the lives of other people by using the power of words to make people fearful. As we speak at this very minute, there are people throughout the world who are suffering in so many different ways without any sign of relief. If we ASSUME that a so-called god has been watching this suffering for thousands of years without stepping forward to help, then he/she/it doesn't deserve to be worshiped because he/she/it doesn't make any difference in the collective happiness of mankind. If all the organised religions were wiped from the minds of people and replaced with universal and mutual respect, the world would be a much better place. It's interesting that in the past, some religious societies claimed that "god" spoke directly to them. Why doesn't this happen in modern society? I think the answer is that the priests and religious establishments found it easy to lie to people and set their own agenda for power and dominance because there wasn't a way for people to access information to do their own independent research and come to their own independent conclusion. I will never ... ever allow any believer to religiously dictate what the truth of our existence is, because there has never ever been a single human being who has lived for as long as the universe has existed. Every single individual who actively supports an organised religion was converted through information gleaned from second-hand sources. If god truly exists, why doesn't he/she/it reveal himself/herself/itself and speak directly to all of us as one big collective audience? Seems much more efficient and an honest approach to hear and experience "god" directly without intermediaries. Seeing that believers accept that they have a CLOSE relationship with god who they say is real, can they answer the following: - Have they SEEN god? Is god a man or woman or both? Handsome, beautiful, ugly?Please describe. - What does god SMELL like? If so, describe. - What does god's accent SOUND like? - What does god FEEL like? Tough, curvy, soft? - What does god TASTE like? Must have kissed him/her/it at some point. As far as I'm aware and based on life experience: human beings are able to determine if something is real or not through ... - The sense of SIGHT - The sense of SMELL - The sense of HEARING - The sense of TOUCH - The sense of TASTE Human beings are the most imaginative creatures and as a result, it's very easy to create imaginary friends.
• China
18 Feb 09
I also often think that God looks like him to do in accordance with the human.We have two aspects of good and evil,perhaps God is like that.Also very often betrayed the evil side revealed good side,good side very much dislike the evil side and this is why God banished Satan reasons for it.
@sadiq007 (334)
• India
28 Feb 09
Hi friend, very challenging question..and difficult to answer....I believe god has create every soul but he also given us intellectual mind..so we can understand diff between good and bad..and we are free to do any among this two bad or good....and at last our soul is responsible for this.
@bird123 (10632)
• United States
28 Mar 09
Satan does not exist! He is just someone to blame. Man has always needed someone to blame.Did God create evil?? You bet!! Can evil be a good thing??? Sure!! How you ask? Life is about learning and growing as people. One thing crucial to learning is freedom of choice. Without this freedom, we will just do the opposite as soon as we are free.God will teach us WISDOM!! So we choose. If we choose evil, we learn that there are consequences for being evil.We soon learn that evil is never the right choice. If God did not invent evil, how would we ever learn? God counts on evil to teach us!!!! When we see the evil of others, it is just a reminder of which choice is the right one.
@ulalume (713)
• United States
29 Mar 09
This is basically why I follow Satanism. I do not believe in a "real" Satan (just, simply, a metephorical Satan and ideal being, if you could call him that). Wisdom and true happiness does come from true freedom (not this so called "freedom" other beliefs offer). I do not really believe in such a thing as good and evil, however I do still think in some areas "right" and "wrong" are good concepts to have to keep order within a society. There is no denying in my mind something like rape could be any less that "wrong." I do, however, disagree with the end of your statement. If an all powerful God needs to rely on our human flesh to commit evil acts just to learn a lesson, then our existance is utterly pointless. That is like saying we are constantly walking blindly with no real motivation, except to "do good" and not "evil." Yet, the very God that is said to be good created the largest barrier (evil) that stands between the ones who believe in Him and Himself. You are right, however (as far as I am concerned, anyways), that Satan is the epitome of scapegoats. He takes all the blame for being "evil", yet that is really not the case. Even biblically, he hardly does anything. He basically stands back and lets god destroy himself by allowing mankind to destroy themselves.
@1hopefulman (45125)
• Canada
17 Feb 09
If a man and woman have a child and he turns out to be an Adoplh Hitler, are they to blame for what the child becomes? God created an angel who later became rebellious and became a Satan, is God responsible for what this angel later became? Satan challenged God as to how He rules. Satan stated that God does not rule with mankinds best interests and that we would be better off on our own with Satan directing things. God had to allow Satan to rule the earth for a time, so that time and facts would prove who is the best ruler. When the facts showed that God was right, Satan now challenged all of God's creatures, saying that we all serve God out of selfishness and that if Satan brought hardships on us we would curse God and turn away from Him (the book of Job). Let's say I have a horse and so do you. You shout in front of all my neighbours that your horse is faster than mine. Now, let's say I'm bigger than you and I kill you, would that prove the challenge of whose horse was faster. What conclusion would the neighbours reach if I killed you? Would they think I'm a nice man? What would the solution to the challenge be? Let the horses race and that would prove which horse was faster. That's what's happening! The combined rulership of Satan and man has brought the earth to the brink of destruction. In a little while God will have had enough. Then when He destroys Satan and wicked men, we who have chosen rulership by God will rejoice and finally enjoy life under Yahweh's rulership. This challenge will only have to be endured once and never again!
@qxzqxz (5)
• United States
17 Feb 09
In the Judeo-Christian religion, before there was anything, there was god. God created everything, including his angels, one of whom became Satan. Since this god is also all-knowing, then he knew what would happen beforehand, and thus Satan must be part of his plan. Since there was never any point to god's work specified in any testament, we must assume that Satan is part of the mechanism needed to achieve this unknown point. If the Judeo-Christian religion is true, then I can't wait until we all get to find out what this universe has been leading up to. Maybe God is making a really cool time-lapse video of humanity, from creation, to self-extermination. That'd be awesome. To answer your question, God created Satan, which means that they are as much the same as an invention and an inventor. In my definition, no, but closely related.