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The Beast is the collective mentality of all of humanity. We are the devil and it is us that keep this thing alive...we feed evil because we fall short in intelligence...To stupid to heed God and goodness...evil and stupidity are kin.
Evil and the devil are two different things. Evil is anything that does harm physically or mentally to someone or our society. There are people that are evil. The devil is what some people choose to personify the lack of accountability by those that commit evil acts.
I believe that Satan is a real being; that he was created; and that he originally lived in heaven but was cast out of heaven when he rebelled against God. He is totally sinful, deceptive, and powerful. I believe that he is the leader of a vast host of evil spirits who seek to keep unsaved people lost, and to divide and deceive individual Christians.
So aparantly the "eternal life in paradise with god" if you accept jesus as savior and keep your nose clean and follow the teachings of your religion I heard about in church in my youth doesn't really mean eternal, since aparantely you can be cast out for various reasons.
That never made sense to me as a kid when it was talked about in church....and it makes even less sense to me now. If heaven is a perfect place and everyone lives eternally in perfect paradise.....how would evil start and get to the point where someone was thrown out ?
I'm just glad I'm over all that now. Peace comes from inside yourself. You don't need anyone else to "save" you. You have everything you need to guide you in living a just, productive and moral life inside you right now...just listen to what seems right and rings true to you from that "still small voice" inside.
The devil and his fallen angels and demon spirit are celestial beings of the spirit and they are Not a conjecture of ideas that the natural mind who has no discernment of the spirit ..... See the evil in the world then there is a dark spirit who is there manipulation of man to produce this evil of bad things ..... The hospitals and jails and wars and rebellions and hated and control and deception are the works of these celestial beings who the natural mind with out discernment of spirit will not see ..... Ever see a person or animal in your dreams , than these are demons spirits .... ever have an illness or pain than these are demon spirit corrupting the body of man and animals...... Were Lord Jesus through the judgment of the blood He shed is the only way that can rip these dark spirits out of a persons life and has proven time and time again of Jesus ripping these dark spirit out of people lives...
"the devil made me do it"
Yup- this is how I see it. My nutshell explanation is that the devil is our ego.
Now Lucifer, he is a whole different character....out side of the bible. Interesting that Lucifer is commonly known as 'evil' and yet his name translates to 'light bringer'.... And being Christian is to be enlightened? How does that work!?
And Satan being Gods puppet.... Nails it!
I just can't buy into any of it.
I believe in Satan just about as much as I believe there's gonna be a 4th of July blizzard in Death Valley.
For the first 10 years of my life, I pictured a man with an evil face, horns, an orange-red outfit, a tail, and a pitchfork. I'm glad I've gotten that cartoon out of my head.
I've always just given the short answer of the Devil representing the psychological darker side of human nature. I thought I might expand on that this time with how I came to that conclusion.
The Christian representation of the devil or Satan is (I think) a composite of a few other ancient gods. Pan (hairy, horns, cloven feet) and Poseidon (trident) immediately spring to mind. Both of these gods are earth gods and they represent nature and basic instinct. Pan is about the beast within, he is animalistic sexuality and bodily functions, all the things that 'polite' people never talk about in mixed company. Poseidon is about the earth itself and nature on the grand scale. I think that the concept behind this, or at the root of it, is the drive to overcome the animal that we are and rise above it. It represents all that we must control and tame in nature to evolve to a higher state of being, to become more than our lowest common denominator if you like. What he represents is tempting because it is easy to say 'well that's just the way I was born' or 'that's just how it is' and never really try to be better or find better solutions. He represents the way of nature which is to merely react without thought. The lazy option which requires nothing of you. Or the sleazy option (sex with strangers, hard drugs) that seems like so much fun but usually just leads to a lot of pain and heartache or at best zero emotional or intellectual growth.
In the tarot the devil is depicted with a naked man and woman in front of him bound by chains that he controls. When one looks closely at the card though, it can be seen that the chains are not that restrictive and could be easily broken free of if the will is there to do so. That is the crux of it's meaning, being caught up in the darker side of existance is a choice, it can feel like you are bound there but really it only takes intelligent thought and higher vision to overcome. A desire to be better than that.
In my opinion Christians (and many other religions) still don't get it and externalise it all as different and seperate beings when it is really meant to be about us and how we progress and evolve.
I've always just given the short answer of the Devil representing the psychological darker side of human nature. I thought I might expand on that this time with how I came to that conclusion.
The Christian representation of the devil or Satan is (I think) a composite of a few other ancient gods. Pan (hairy, horns, cloven feet) and Poseidon (trident) immediately spring to mind. Both of these gods are earth gods and they represent nature and basic instinct. Pan is about the beast within, he is animalistic sexuality and bodily functions, all the things that 'polite' people never talk about in mixed company. Poseidon is about the earth itself and nature on the grand scale. I think that the concept behind this, or at the root of it, is the drive to overcome the animal that we are and rise above it. It represents all that we must control and tame in nature to evolve to a higher state of being, to become more than our lowest common denominator if you like. What he represents is tempting because it is easy to say 'well that's just the way I was born' or 'that's just how it is' and never really try to be better or find better solutions. He represents the way of nature which is to merely react without thought. The lazy option which requires nothing of you. Or the sleazy option (sex with strangers, hard drugs) that seems like so much fun but usually just leads to a lot of pain and heartache or at best zero emotional or intellectual growth.
In the tarot the devil is depicted with a naked man and woman in front of him bound by chains that he controls. When one looks closely at the card though, it can be seen that the chains are not that restrictive and could be easily broken free of if the will is there to do so. That is the crux of it's meaning, being caught up in the darker side of existance is a choice, it can feel like you are bound there but really it only takes intelligent thought and higher vision to overcome. A desire to be better than that.
In my opinion Christians (and many other religions) still don't get it and externalise it all as different and seperate beings when it is really meant to be about us and how we progress and evolve.
You've come a long way, Lady . . . excellent post. Keep an open mind as you learn more and more about psychology and neuroscience. It is not always as they would portray it . . . being materialistic monists. Let your already developed right brain sensitivities have some free reign too . . . not just the left brain strictures.
yes Lady Ice great post.
I have said all along that "the devil" is not real, but it has become a cultural icon (Sometimes comical in the red suit and horns) it is a central part of Christian mythology, but it is that...only a myth.
There is plenty of evidence to show that "the devil" is an excuse for people who do not want to take responsibilty for their actions. They want t keep their lives out of their self control, and blame everything on the "Will of God" or the "Work of the Devil"
Let me point out that in the Self-Actualization model of human health, there is no devil.
And self actualization is more or less that human endeavor which for centuries religions have labeled "enlightened" and "saved."
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You've come a long way, Lady
