Firstly, this isn't about whether or not he exists. That result is exactly the same as a God debate and those get tiresome anyway.
I'm really edgy about posting this. It could be a great discussion, or it could be a goat-fest. Don't **** this up, SPP.
Secondly, I know I said Satan in the title, but that's just because I thought it had a better ring to it. The devil would be a more appropriate term because that way we don't have to focus soley on Christianity. I shall continue to use the word 'Satan' because it's quicker than 'The Devil' and it often makes for a better sentance.

Thirdly, don't start devil-worshipping in this thread. It's not big and it's not clever. If you do happen to be a devil-worshipper, however (not looking at anyone in particular), it would be very interesting to hear your views if you are willing to put them sensibly.

Fourthly, don't say "It depends on your opinion" or "Different people believe different things". I know that. I want to collate as many of these different views together as possible, discuss them, expose any logical inconsistancies, and determine which of the views are actually reasonable. That's what debating is about.

Now then. What this thread is about is what Satan is believed to be.

Is he a seperate thing from God or is he just the name for God's nasty side?

If Satan punishes the evil then is he himself evil or is he a vessel of good?

Why do some people worship Satan?

If God is all-powerful, why doesn't he kill Satan?

Feel free to add any other good questions you think of.

How do you know that Satan was the bad guy?

Also, why doesnt god kill satan?

Why doesnt Ying kill Yang?

I got at least 2/3 of them.

because satan is in hell, tortures bad people and shit
and when satan makes people do bad shit i guess its supposed to be testing your faith to gawd.

lol religion

Right. God and Satan or any being and the Devil is like Ying and Yang.

God is just a euphemism for god, and the Devil for evil

Ying and Yang co-exist because they both need each other. For every evil act there is some small compassion contained within it, and there is no saint without ill thoughts. The God doesn't kill the Devil because with a perfectly good world half of it will just corrupt itself and the cycle will begin again. And the reason the Devil doesn't kill the god is the exact same reason vice versa

Or you can look at it this way :

The Devil and any higher beings are imaginary figures made to fill in a role we as humanity need for self comfort. True concentrated evil does not exist like that, nor does true purity.

So absolute good and absolute evil are impossible, therefore there will always be some good and some evil. God and the Devil are just man-made stories that help people come to terms with it. I believe that's what you're saying.

What about the stories we are all told as children, or indeed the book of Revelation in the Bible? These tell us that good will always triumph over evil in the end. Presumably this is just to convince us to be good, but won't that lead to massive disapointment in the long run, thus making the writers hypocrites?

Of course, silly.

EVERY BOOK PLOT, EVERY FILM ENDING, EVERY FREAKING LIE YOUR PARENTS TOLD YOU WERE HYPOCRITICAL

Good does not triumph over evil, most of the time the person with the biggest army wins, or the strongest insults.

Good. Now that we've got that cleared up, what are the religious takes on these various questions? I doubt any of the mainstream religions would be satisfied with our answer.

Religion expects that temptation should be over-ruled with the teachings of god and holy writ, and those who cannot BURN FOREVER IN HELL FOR THEIR CRIMES FOREVER IN NEVERENDING PAIN AND UNABLE TO REPENT

Satan is to Satanism as The King is to Constitutional Monarcy.

He's a figurehead.

Quote from Failed_Abortion

Of course, silly.

EVERY BOOK PLOT, EVERY FILM ENDING, EVERY FREAKING LIE YOUR PARENTS TOLD YOU WERE HYPOCRITICAL

Good does not triumph over evil, most of the time the person with the biggest army wins, or the strongest insults.

The problem is that in this scenario, good will logistically win over evil.

Satan is a fallen angel. He is not a complementary force to God. He obviously failed when challenging God. If they were equal and complementary, they would extinguish each other.

Your answer is shallow. You are essentially talking about Taoism and psychology. Neither of which are very relevant. In fact, Taoism does not even lean on the idea of good versus evil. It has more basic contrasts like light vs dark, or femininity vs masculinity. Taoism does not endorse the idea of absolute forces; instead it talks about a balance within the individual (not the macrocosm) .

You sir are just yelling refutable word vomit.

EVERY BOOK PLOT, EVERY FILM ENDING, EVERY FREAKING LIE YOUR PARENTS TOLD YOU WERE HYPOCRITICAL

Quote from Failed_Abortion

True concentrated evil does not exist like that, nor does true purity.

thats because their not human dur

Quote from Chunkels

thats because their not human dur

No they have like retarded wings and speaketh like this


Also Dudeman :

Taoism is the basis that something needs the exact opposite to survive and be in balance, Good and Evil therefor fits into that category.

Quote from Failed_Abortion

No they have like retarded wings and speaketh like this


Also Dudeman :

Taoism is the basis that something needs the exact opposite to survive and be in balance, Good and Evil therefor fits into that category.

That is an interpretation of Taoism. I'll agree to that. But the original basis of Ying and Yang / complementary forces does not mention good and evil.


Once again, complementary forces do not specifically apply here. Even if they are a social construction, the situation involving the devil is different.

The devil is a fallen angel. He is not as powerful as god, and thus cannot be compared to yin and yang, as they are not oppisites. To me, they aren't forces, they aren't euphorisms for good/evil. To me, they are beings like any other being. Like Jack the Ripper and say, Martin Luther King. You can't compare them to yin/yang because they are not opposites, it's just one is bad and one is good. And to truly define what they are, we would need to know: a) which religion we're on about. b) what the "creators" of the religion intended. . The concept is quite simple, they represent only themselves. One is good, one is bad, one is more powerful than the other, but for some "unknown" reason God hasn't destroyed the devil yet. Though we all know the reason is that there isn't one because it's not real.