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What is your take on the story of satan, especially those who follow or have subscribed to Abrahamic religions at some point?
Do you think satan is a metaphorical representation of our hubris, ego, id, vices or is it a real being? If Satan can influence all of us, through its whispers, does it reside within us? Is it omnipresent since it knows what is going on inside our minds and can tempt us accordingly?
An interesting take I read about Satan is from Sufi Islam, where it is said that Satan refused to bow to Adam because it was devoted to God and became an example of unrequited love because it preferred to be damned to hell than to prostrate before anyone other than God.
See, you already have opinion and confusion, as you already have too many options to choose from, instead of developing your own opinion based on your own thinking.
Then you come here, and get more opinions and more confusion. Unless, you simply want to stir very sensitive pot.
So, here's one. satan is a metaphorical representation of our hubris, ego, id, vices
Correct. If Satan can influence all of us, through its whispers, does it reside within us?
Correct. You do understand that, if concept is representation of your...., it does reside within you? is it a real being
Depends on what you mean by being. It is egregore based on thinking of those who believe into him. There are various "satans" as there are various beliefs into him. Egregore, being what it is, surely backfeeds into its followers and is attempting to caper more of them and fight against other egregores. In that mening, sure, it exists. Is it omnipresent
Only in the minds of those who believe into it. When believers die out, egregore dissolves.
What is your take on the story of satan, especially those who follow or have subscribed to Abrahamic religions at some point?
Do you think satan is a metaphorical representation of our hubris, ego, id, vices or is it a real being? If Satan can influence all of us, through its whispers, does it reside within us? Is it omnipresent since it knows what is going on inside our minds and can tempt us accordingly?
An interesting take I read about Satan is from Sufi Islam, where it is said that Satan refused to bow to Adam because it was devoted to God and became an example of unrequited love because it preferred to be damned to hell than to prostrate before anyone other than God.
Whether or not you believe the Bible . . . or Christianity for that matter, I don't see how Satan . . . and demons for that matter can be seen as being portrayed as anything but actual entities, rather than as metaphorical representations of our hubris. In Revelation 12:7-9 Satan and his angels get thrown out of heaven down to the earth. In 12:10 Satan is said to accuse the brethren before God day and night.
As for demons, in Mark 5:1-20 Jesus sends a large number of demons out of a man and into a herd of pigs which cause the pigs to run into the sea and drown. Again then, I don't see how that could be taken as a metaphorical representation of our hubris or as anything other than real beings.
External to the Bible, the Essenes, a Jewish sect thought by most to have produced the Dead Sea scrolls, have a Satan figure which is called 'Belial' and the 'angel of darkness' (in the New Testament Satan is also referred to as Belial) in the War Scroll and in the Community Rule scroll who is the enemy of God. In the end, Belial and the angels of his dominion, and the men of his forces will be destroyed forever.
Satan and the lake or place of fire and eternal punishment are not inventions of Christianity but come out of at least certain sects of Judaism. Also, see the 2nd temple period book of 1 Enoch in which fallen or disobedient angels (Satan is not mentioned in 1 Enoch) descend from heaven to the summit of Mount Hermon and make a pact to take human wives for themselves which results in the birth of the Nephilim whose disembodied spirits after they have been slain become the demons.
Book of Enoch
[Chapter 6]
1 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto 2 them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: 'Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men 3 and beget us children.' And Semjaza, who was their leader, said unto them: 'I fear ye will not 4 indeed agree to do this deed, and I alone shall have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' And they all answered him and said: 'Let us all swear an oath, and all bind ourselves by mutual imprecations 5 not to abandon this plan but to do this thing.' Then sware they all together and bound themselves 6 by mutual imprecations upon it. And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn 7 and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. And these are the names of their leaders: Samlazaz, their leader, Araklba, Rameel, Kokablel, Tamlel, Ramlel, Danel, Ezeqeel, Baraqijal, 8 Asael, Armaros, Batarel, Ananel, Zaq1el, Samsapeel, Satarel, Turel, Jomjael, Sariel. These are their chiefs of tens.
....
Satan and the lake or place of fire and eternal punishment are not inventions of Christianity but come out of at least certain sects of Judaism. Also, see the 2nd temple period book of 1 Enoch in which fallen or disobedient angels descend from heaven to the summit of Mount Hermon and make a pact to take human wives for themselves which results in the birth of the Nephilim whose disembodied spirits after they have been slain become the demons.
So take from that what you will.
The Book of Enoch is not part of Jewish scripture, and, while some of it does coincide with Jewish belief, much of it is contrary to Jewish belief. The part you are pointing to, specifically, is contrary to Jewish teaching.
The Book of Enoch is not part of Jewish scripture, and, while some of it does coincide with Jewish belief, much of it is contrary to Jewish belief. The part you are pointing to, specifically, is contrary to Jewish teaching.
I didn't say that 1 Enoch was scripture or canonical. The book of Enoch is as scholars recognize, second temple period Jewish literature.
James Charlesworth writes: "This pseudepigraph has evoked divergent opinions; but today there is a consensus that the book is a composite, portions of which are clearly pre-Christian as demonstrated by the discovery of Aramaic and Hebrew fragments from four of the five sections of the book among the Dead Sea Scrolls. One of these fragments, moreover, Hena, was copied in the second half of the second century B.C. The main question concerns the date of the second section, chapters 37-71, which contains the Son of Man sayings. J. T. Milik (esp. no. 755) has shown that this section, which is not represented among the early fragments, is probably a later addition to 1 Enoch; but his contention that it was composed around A.D. 270 (no. 755, p. 377) is very speculative. If, as most specialists concur, the early portions of 1 Enoch date from the first half of the second century B.C., chapters 37-71 could have been added in the first century B.C. or first century A.D. The original language of 1 Enoch appears to be Aramaic, except for the Noah traditions, which were probably composed in Hebrew. The earliest portions display impressive parallels with the nascent thoughts of the Jewish sect which eventually settled at Qumran." (The Pseudepigrapha and Modern Research, p. 98)
I never said you did. I provided information for clarification for those who are interested.
Of note also is that both 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6 (New Testament) refer to the angels who sinned in Genesis 6:4 (there's no other incident in the Hebrew Bible to which they could be referring) and which 1 Enoch expands upon reflecting the views of the writer of that section of 1 Enoch.
Satan is basically the beast instinct to survive at all costs. Jesus called His best friends "Satan" if they told Him to fight to survive instead of letting Himself be crucified. God shows me all the demons He keeps locked in caves & He makes some of them stand before me so i can examine their natures closely. All I could see was pure selfishness in their eyes. It turns them into ugly monsters, while selflessness turns souls into the most beautiful people in Heaven where all The Saints are. God takes me to see The Saints in Heaven, & They Are a trillion times more beautiful than the most beautiful people on earth. They are absolutely awesome & I advise you all to become Saints if it is the last thing you do.
There's always the constant struggle between good & evil going on inside everyone. When God makes me watch all the people in Hell being judged & thrown into The Lake of Fire 'He says clearly "THE ONLY THING PEOPLE OWN ARE THE GOOD DEEDS THEY DO" .....
God makes me see The Tree of Life all the time & The Tree simply Gives endlessly & is never selfish. Jesus often said He is The Vine & He compared people to branches that must bear fruit for God. We are expected to give selflessly forever just like The Tree of Life. That is what Goodness is. Selflessness. While Satan is Selfishness (The Beast)
Satan was the biblical god-thing's patsy. The god-thing admits it created evil in Isaiah and then feigns innocence and points the finger at his patsy for the evils in the world.
I think Satan is a Christian entity and affects only Christians, so much so that many of them 'invite him in' by their obsession with him. For the rest of us, he doesn't exist.
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Satan is basically the beast instinct to survive at all costs. Jesus called His best friends "Satan" if they told Him to fight to survive instead of letting Himself be crucified. God shows me all the demons He keeps locked in caves & He makes some of them stand before me so i can examine their natures closely. All I could see was pure selfishness in their eyes. It turns them into ugly monsters, while selflessness turns souls into the most beautiful people in Heaven where all The Saints are. God takes me to see The Saints in Heaven, & They Are a trillion times more beautiful than the most beautiful people on earth. They are absolutely awesome & I advise you all to become Saints if it is the last thing you do.
