views on the christian devil

[whiporwill-o]

after reading some posts in another topic here it kinda got my wheels turning a bit.

if pagans acknowledge the christian/jewish god, though they do not worship him, what would be the views of the chirstian devil?

just for some friendly discussion. 3nodding  

[Morgandria]

whiporwill-o

after reading some posts in another topic here it kinda got my wheels turning a bit.

if pagans acknowledge the christian/jewish god, though they do not worship him, what would be the views of the chirstian devil?

just for some friendly discussion. 3nodding

I honestly don't know anything about him, really. I acknowledge that he may exist, but I really don't devote any sort of thought or space to him at all. Just not that interested.  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

I guess I really don't have an opinion on him. I don't devote time or energy to him, I acknowledge that he exists. That's about it xd  

[too2sweet]

I acknowledge that he exists as well, though I don't really pay all that much attention to him. I don't know that I see him as being the "ultimate evil" either, but that could just be my pagan-side showing through. sweatdrop  

[Tari_Leralonde]

To me, he's just the collective negative side of humanity. Everything has its negative side (if you want to go all "Star Wars" here, go ahead and call it a dark side). Nothing is excepted. Every religion has its negative side, and the Christian "devil" or "satan" is just the name given to that negative side, though they view it as an actual entity. Which I suppose it could be viewed as an actual entity, since so much thought and fear has been put toward making it an entity, but in that case it would be more like a thought-form than an actual being.
I agree with too2sweet: "satan" isn't an "ultimate evil" like Christians believe it to be. Why? Well, because I believe there's no such thing as "evil" or "good"...those are extremes, and this world has no room for extremes. Everything is both "evil" and "good", no matter who or what it is.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

I'm afraid I can't separate my understanding from Paradise Lost. As such, I cannot make a comment as to his existence. I mean, sure, it'd be nice... he's such a wonderful romantic figure. Terry Pratchett says that if you don't identify with Satan in Paradise Lost, you're not human. xd

But I hear the Jewish people don't believe in hell... but they have a Satan figure. So either he's totally different to how he tends to be interpreted from a Christian perspective, or he has nowhere to live.  

[Tari_Leralonde]

Sanguina Cruenta

But I hear the Jewish people don't believe in hell... but they have a Satan figure. So either he's totally different to how he tends to be interpreted from a Christian perspective, or he has nowhere to live.

Coincidentally, Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in "Hell", either. They can actually point out specifically in the bible where it says that Hell is just the place they bury you when you die. Essentially, it comes from some Greek word and some Hebrew word, both of which mean "grave"....I can't remember haha. My fundie Jehovah's Witness grandparents told me this. Actually, they have kind of the same views on Satan as I do. Kind of. So maybe they aren't as fundie as I think they are, haha.  

[o sunflower king]

Well, I don't think Satan is an evil figure. I think he's just the opposite side of the whole "god" idea Christians have. I mean, I have a God and Goddess, they're the duality of the whole.
Satan and Yahweh are just two parts of a whole idea of the higher being, I guess. I don't really have an opinion. I suppose, though, Jews and Christians needed a scapegoat, so there he was.
All he did was stand up to an unfair god, which I find admirable.  

[[ Nicolette ]]

Well, I've heard that Satan emerged from a pagan deity, thus explaining the goat-like appearance (perhaps they believed in a stag then as well), which is why he's not mentioned in the Old Testament (I believe). If he was based off of a pagan deity, then that explains why he's evil, being that they (The Judeo-Christians) would have wanted to demonize anyone who worshiped that deity. That's probably why many people associate paganism with Satanism.

Personally, I don't believe in an eternal Hell. I'm not ruling out any deities, but whoever may have created this earth certainly wouldn't want their children to suffer for eternity for what they did in one lifetime. There may be multiple hells, for sins committed in this past life, before reaching reincarnation or 'heaven' (such as a certain Chinese belief), and there may be a Satan-like figure overseeing that [the hell or hells].

However, I have read in an Atheists' Bible (yes quite paradoxical, no?) a quote from somebody that said, "Pray for the sinner who needs prayer most: Satan."  

[Zabi_baby]

My belief is that there really isnt a supream evil being. Maybe bad spirits but I just dont think that there is some big bad guy out there leading all of the other little dark things. I think that when the knights templar came a running through the country side telling all the pagans that they needed to conform to there way of thinking, the pagans went nah thats ok we like our gods. Then the templar knights went well your God looks like our Devil. To try to scare them into believing in the Christan God.  

[Aryain Flames]

[ Nicolette ]

Well, I've heard that Satan emerged from a pagan deity, thus explaining the goat-like appearance (perhaps they believed in a stag then as well), which is why he's not mentioned in the Old Testament (I believe). If he was based off of a pagan deity, then that explains why he's evil, being that they (The Judeo-Christians) would have wanted to demonize anyone who worshiped that deity. That's probably why many people associate paganism with Satanism.

I've heard that too. Personally, my belief is that man creates enough trouble for itself--it doesn't need a "supreme evil being" to help them in that department. "Satan" is the Christain/jewish/whatever scapegoat for doing bad things. Does anyone recall the popular saying "the devil made me do it"? Case in point...  

[whiporwill-o]

Sanguina Cruenta

But I hear the Jewish people don't believe in hell... but they have a Satan figure. So either he's totally different to how he tends to be interpreted from a Christian perspective, or he has nowhere to live.

to the jewish the devil is not real, however they do have a satan, but he's is an adversary, a tempter, not the embodiment of pure evil.  

[whiporwill-o]

thanks everyone for commenting. i love hearing other peoples views. coming from a christian upbringing, i just cant have discussions/ask questions about these things with my family.  

[whiporwill-o]

Aryain Flames

[ Nicolette ]

Well, I've heard that Satan emerged from a pagan deity, thus explaining the goat-like appearance (perhaps they believed in a stag then as well), which is why he's not mentioned in the Old Testament (I believe). If he was based off of a pagan deity, then that explains why he's evil, being that they (The Judeo-Christians) would have wanted to demonize anyone who worshiped that deity. That's probably why many people associate paganism with Satanism.

I've heard that too. Personally, my belief is that man creates enough trouble for itself--it doesn't need a "supreme evil being" to help them in that department. "Satan" is the Christain/jewish/whatever scapegoat for doing bad things. Does anyone recall the popular saying "the devil made me do it"? Case in point...

i read that his image was coined from the greek god pan, hence the horns and cloven hooves. i dont remember a specific source, but i have read it many places. pan, because he is wild, natural and untamed, the christian society viewed him as being immoral and disturbing.

but i wasn't there when the devil imaged was created, so i cant really say for a fact.  

[Aryain Flames]

whiporwill-o

Aryain Flames

[ Nicolette ]

Well, I've heard that Satan emerged from a pagan deity, thus explaining the goat-like appearance (perhaps they believed in a stag then as well), which is why he's not mentioned in the Old Testament (I believe). If he was based off of a pagan deity, then that explains why he's evil, being that they (The Judeo-Christians) would have wanted to demonize anyone who worshiped that deity. That's probably why many people associate paganism with Satanism.

I've heard that too. Personally, my belief is that man creates enough trouble for itself--it doesn't need a "supreme evil being" to help them in that department. "Satan" is the Christain/jewish/whatever scapegoat for doing bad things. Does anyone recall the popular saying "the devil made me do it"? Case in point...

i read that his image was coined from the greek god pan, hence the horns and cloven hooves. i dont remember a specific source, but i have read it many places. pan, because he was wild, natural and untamed, the christian society viwed him as being immoral and disturbing.

but i wasn there when the devil imaged was created, so i cant really say for a fact.

The whole image of the devil (not the idea, but the way he looks) comes from the Pagan Horned God. When the Christain Anglo-Saxons were busy converting the Germanic Pagans to Christanity, the protrayed the Pagan God as the devil, hence, the Pagans were devil-worshippers and needed to convert to save their souls.