God vs Satan

[Trey of Diamonds]

What do you think the difference between God and Satan is? Is Satan a lesser being than God or of equal power and standing?

I know the stories but I've never bought into them. I've always thought that the two would be of equal strength or power, otherwise one would win. When I began studying other religions and eventually became a Unitarian I came to see both God and Satan as personifications of postitive and negative energies. This would make them equal or a good God and an evil God if you will and I wondered why the Abrahamic religions didn't portray them as such. Is it a deep seated need for Good to be more powerful than evil?

Thoughts?

 

[darkendless]

What do you think the difference between God and Satan is? Is Satan a lesser being than God or of equal power and standing?

I know the stories but I've never bought into them. I've always thought that the two would be of equal strength or power, otherwise one would win. When I began studying other religions and eventually became a Unitarian I came to see both God and Satan as personifications of postitive and negative energies. This would make them equal or a good God and an evil God if you will and I wondered why the Abrahamic religions didn't portray them as such. Is it a deep seated need for Good to be more powerful than evil?

Thoughts?

They're both whatever you want them to be. They may not even be entities, just either side of the coin, or opposition to the idealogy of eachother.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

They're both whatever you want them to be. They may not even be entities, just either side of the coin, or opposition to the idealogy of eachother.

Actually, that's not far from what I believe. Especially the two sides of the same coin. If the universe is made of two opposing energies, who's to say the energies aren't aspects of a single entity?

 

[Imagist]

Well, according to Christian tradition, even though god is infinitely more powerful than the devil, he decided not to kill the devil immediately, and left him to tempt us. That way, more of us would fry when god decides to take revenge on those who don't like him.

Personally, if I believed that god existed, I would feel morally obligated to rebel against such a petty god.

 

[darkendless]

Actually, that's not far from what I believe. Especially the two sides of the same coin. If the universe is made of two opposing energies, who's to say the energies aren't aspects of a single entity?

Well yes,

My belief is you have submission on one side being the dogmatic God side, and ideological freedom on the other side representing satan. Its entirely possible that they are exactly the same entity, its just a choice you must make which way you want to go about things.

 

[Charity]

God is more powerful....

 

[Dirty Penguin]

What do you think the difference between God and Satan is? Is Satan a lesser being than God or of equal power and standing?

I know the stories but I've never bought into them. I've always thought that the two would be of equal strength or power, otherwise one would win. When I began studying other religions and eventually became a Unitarian I came to see both God and Satan as personifications of postitive and negative energies. This would make them equal or a good God and an evil God if you will and I wondered why the Abrahamic religions didn't portray them as such. Is it a deep seated need for Good to be more powerful than evil?

Thoughts?

They're both myths.....

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I think Satan is a noble, and honorable entity who deserves praise.
God, on the other hand, I find to be a terrible, very oppressive, dictator.

 

[Father Heathen]

How is Satan's rebellion against god any different from the colonies' rebellion against the king?

 

[inquirer_Jn1717]

Simply because we do not see victory for either side does not mean that both are equal does it? That's like saying both fighters are just as good halfway through the fight.

And how is it "petty" if God would allow people to rebel along with Satan? Wouldn't He appear a bit "insecure," if at the first sign of defection He zapped Satan, and then the one after him, and the one after him, and the one after him...?

Personally, I'd be more likely to rebel against that kind of God than the one who allows evil to exist and spread for a time. Because evil destroys itself in the end, after it has consumed all else-it brings about only death. Evil cannot be self-existent like Good is.

So how could Satan be a pure personification of Evil when there are good things about him? ...he is intelligent, beautiful, powerful, etc., etc.

 

[ChristineES]

The question of Satan isn't really answered in The Bible. In Job, he is called the accuser. In the NT, he seemed to be a being of temptation with Jesus during his 40 day fast and with Judas as the betrayer.

So what is Satan? Is he an angel who went bad? Is he the embodiment of temptation? Is he even a being at all? If he isn't a being, is it just the name given to temptation in the bible?

So, is it really God vs. Satan or is it really God vs. fleshly desires?

 

[Father Heathen]

So, is it really God vs. Satan or is it really God vs. fleshly desires?

I never understood why fleshly desires are considered so dirty, sinful and ungodly in the first place. Could it be bronze age goat herders driving a wedge where there needn't be one?

 

[Kcnorwood]

Personally I'd like to hear Satans story after all we're only hearing Gods side of it. How do we know that he's just not telling his version of what happaned?

 

[mohammed_beiruti]

What do you think the difference between God and Satan is? Is Satan a lesser being than God or of equal power and standing?

I know the stories but I've never bought into them. I've always thought that the two would be of equal strength or power, otherwise one would win. When I began studying other religions and eventually became a Unitarian I came to see both God and Satan as personifications of postitive and negative energies. This would make them equal or a good God and an evil God if you will and I wondered why the Abrahamic religions didn't portray them as such. Is it a deep seated need for Good to be more powerful than evil?

Thoughts?

satan is our enemy
this life is like a test for us , we shall not trace the step of satan .

 

[darkendless]

Simply because we do not see victory for either side does not mean that both are equal does it? That's like saying both fighters are just as good halfway through the fight.

And how is it "petty" if God would allow people to rebel along with Satan? Wouldn't He appear a bit "insecure," if at the first sign of defection He zapped Satan, and then the one after him, and the one after him, and the one after him...?

Personally, I'd be more likely to rebel against that kind of God than the one who allows evil to exist and spread for a time. Because evil destroys itself in the end, after it has consumed all else-it brings about only death. Evil cannot be self-existent like Good is.

So how could Satan be a pure personification of Evil when there are good things about him? ...he is intelligent, beautiful, powerful, etc., etc.

How do you define satan as evil? Is he only evil because a book told you to believe so? If anything, strict dogma and supression is evil for reducing the worlds potential to prosper, but isn't it heresey to question the will of God?

 

[Heneni]

I'm not so sure that good and evil are two sides of the same coin. Neither sides of the coin would have been visible if it wasnt for light.

If there is darkness, none of the two sides would be visible.

I think that evil and good is in the eye of the beholder, but that light and darkness is not.

The light isnt visible to those that are blind. All they know is darkness. The darkness isnt something you can see, since light is necessary to see, but the darkness has no light. Nope, evil and good are not on the same coin.

If the coin was placed in the light, the evil would be dispelled and the coin would have both sides good.

If the coin was placed in the dark, there would be no light to see what was on either side of the coin.

So....nope evil and good are not on two opposites sides of the coin. Perhaps another analogy will make more sense to me, but this one...NOPE.:rainbow1:

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

I think Satan is a noble, and honorable entity who deserves praise.
God, on the other hand, I find to be a terrible, very oppressive, dictator.

Ok, but is one more powerful than the other or are they equals? What are the terms of their co-existance?

 

[Dirty Penguin]

Let's entertain the thought they both are real....

Satan did "exactly" what his god created him to do.......

If God didn't know Satan would be the way he was before he created Satan then this god is not as omipotent or as omniscient as he is portrayed.......

 

[Heneni]

Let's entertain the thought they both are real....

Satan did "exactly" what his god created him to do.......

If God didn't know Satan would be the way he was before he created Satan then this god is not as omipotent or as omniscient as he is portrayed.......

Satan did exactly what god created him to do....but he wanted to be more, and ended up less.

 

[Mike182]

Simply because we do not see victory for either side does not mean that both are equal does it? That's like saying both fighters are just as good halfway through the fight.

And how is it "petty" if God would allow people to rebel along with Satan? Wouldn't He appear a bit "insecure," if at the first sign of defection He zapped Satan, and then the one after him, and the one after him, and the one after him...?

Personally, I'd be more likely to rebel against that kind of God than the one who allows evil to exist and spread for a time. Because evil destroys itself in the end, after it has consumed all else-it brings about only death. Evil cannot be self-existent like Good is.

Evil is a similar concept to good, in that one can't exist without the other. You can't take one away and still be left with the other.

So how could Satan be a pure personification of Evil when there are good things about him? ...he is intelligent, beautiful, powerful, etc., etc.

So how can (the Christian) God be a pure personification of Good when there are evil things about him? ... He is wrathful, petty, vindictive, etc etc.