we are the devil (hell, mythology, bible, faith)

[nicolepsy]

i dont believe in demons or the devil because i hold every man responsible for his own actions. it is not some outside force that makes people behave badly it is just part of being a human.

[MontanaGuy]

I agree with you. The invention of a devil to take the responsibility for human misbehavior comes in very handy when you're trying to explain away something you've done wrong.

[Huckleberry3911948]

the single most great achievement (from a recent film) for satan was that people no longer believe in his existance.
that is why we have no crime in california, only terrible misunderstandings all done in a hawaiian shirt.

[Padgett2]

Too many people tend to blame Satan for the evil in this world. It will be only when everyone recognizes that man is responsible that things will get better.

Man is capable of doing every kind of vile deed. We need to blame Man, not a possibly imaginary being. Then, and only then, we may be able to come up with solutions. Blaming Satan is taking the easy way out.

[Mooseketeer]

It's high time we took personal responsibility for our actions. Man is capable of both the best and the worst. Evil is in all of us, we all have that capacity. It is part of human nature. The devil has nothing to do with it. What a magnificent cop-out to have a feared and hated figure to assign all our terrible acts to.

We have the ability to tell right from wrong from an early age and all the decisions we make are our own, not some mythological creature.
We make choices, some are good , some are terrible but nobody else but us is to blame for them. It seems so convenient to be able to shift all our evil deeds and thoughts onto somebody else.
And utterly childish.
We are "blessed" with not only the ability to think but also to empathise with others ( apart from true sociopaths who are amoral and unable to empathise) and thus are given the tools to make rational and well thought out decisions. Our bad choices are due to selfishness and self interest not a little "devil" on out shoulders urging us on to do bad just for the sake of it.

[Tricky D]

Humanity has as much capacity to do good as it has to do evil.
It is just a sad fact that being selfish is much easier than to do do good for the many.
And it also is unfortunately we humans excel in denial.

Insecurity, poverty, ambition are three roots of this destructive nationalism. Its expression is often dependant on ethnic loyalty, an appropriation of God to one’s side, a certain pride in ignorance and a conviction that you have been permanently wounded – that is, an active mythology of having been irreparably wronged

Speaker after speaker at the 2004 Republican Convention in the United States invoked the family because, they said, family comes first and is the measure or structure of society. Of course, family is central to human life and our emotional life in all its complexity. But family as the measure or structure of society is a mafia argument or an argument of the extreme right, for whom there are only two possible choices: either the sacred family or the sacred nation. In either case, loyalty is measured according how successfully it represents a closed situation. Thus the democratic and humanist ideas of civilization, society and community, which are all dependent on our ability to imagine the other –the one who is not close- are expelled to the margin.
J.R. Saul, The collapse of globalism.

It is also just as unfortunate that theists and idealists do not even try to perceive reality as it is, because they compare reality with how it should be (the garden of Eden, nirvana, etc.) which contaminates their perception of how reality actually is. I guess that theists and idealists, unlike realists, find the perception of reality more important than reality itself.
Believers simply explain their perception of reality as God’s vision or as they so often call it: their faith.

There is no law of progress. Our future is in our own hands, to make or to mar. It will be an uphill fight to the end, and would we have it otherwise? Let no one suppose that evolution will ever exempt us from struggles. 'You forget,' said the Devil, with a chuckle, 'that I have been evolving too.'
William Ralph Inge, English author & Anglican prelate (1860 - 1954)

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
Edmund Burke
Irish orator, philosopher, & politician (1729 - 1797)

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.
Blaise Pascal
French mathematician, physicist (1623 - 1662)
Quote Details: Blaise Pascal: Men never do evil... - The Quotations Page

[Nikk]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

i dont believe in demons or the devil because i hold every man responsible for his own actions. it is not some outside force that makes people behave badly it is just part of being a human.

I am not the devil. Speak for yourself.

Yes, everyone is responsible for their own actions. And one day each one of us will have to stand before the Judgement seat of Christ and give an account of our actions in this life.

Does the devil exist? Yes, he was created by God. He is a created being that was created as an angel of light by the name of Lucifer. There are many devils but he is "The devil" or Satan. He is a liar and murderer from the beginning and is refered to as the "acuser of the bretheren". That is he accuses you before God. While Christ is the Judge can also act as you defendant. If you accept what Christ did on the cross then this belief and confession in Christ saves you from the punishment you deserve.

Did the devil make you do it? He may give you the idea by wispering into your ear, but you are still responsible for your actions. Don't blame the devil when you acted on your own accord to satisfy your selfesh lustful cravings. All humans have a choice to do good or bad, choose good.

The bible says "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you".

[Travelling fella]

Originally Posted by nicolepsy

i dont believe in demons or the devil because i hold every man responsible for his own actions. it is not some outside force that makes people behave badly it is just part of being a human.

imho Ego is the devil inside man, or at least one of his demons.

[Miss Blue]

"The Devil made me do it"...I would like to have a dime for each time I have heard this excuse

I have heard many personal confessions with this excuse, which (imo) invalidates the confession

Satan is the creator of the lie, but he can't make you lie..That is your choice

[charolastra00]

We are demons and this world is Hell. Any God worth believing in would not be so evil as to banish people to a world worse than this because we didn't believe in an unbelievable tale- especially out of so many thousands of unbelievable tales!