Is Satan evil or simple an angel of God used by God as a test of our will while we're on earth?
The book of job shows that Satan cannot do anything without Gods permission
And it's is shown that angels have no free will
Issiah 45:7 says that he "create(s) evil"
Augustine says that Satan wouldn't hesitate a bit to kill us all if he only had a free hand from God. God is the one keeping him in check. Thus the only option left for Satan is to try to tempt you and deceive you into becoming his follower. In this way he pushes you away from God and hurls you into your own damnation. You have a choice to give in to his temptations or not.
Be sure that God would never join forces with his own fallen angel in order to test you. Also be sure that no evil can come from God, as he is the ultimate Good. Where there is lack of God, evil emerges.
Ok then,
your question is inherently flawed and should be a reason we look pass the beliefs of a 5000 year old desert people and move on to a logical atheist society
>>1394585
>logical atheist society
>not even just saying "secular" and leaving it at that
I would classify our current system as secular, what I am proposing is that we have no religion whatsoever so we can let logic and science prevail
>>1394573
>no evil can come from god
>literally created everything, including the concept of evil
Satan /= Lucifer
>>1394599
The governments of every first world country is entirely divorced from the concepts of religion, usually as mandated in the first or second parts of their constitutions.
What the hell else do you want, just put all people who go to church in gulags?
>>1394623
>the concept of evil
There is no "concept" of evil. Evil is what is opposite of God. Satan is the Enemy of both human kind and God,and thus represents evil.
Evil is never a necessity. Evil is a choice. Everyone has a choice, and so did Satan when he decided to rebel against God.
>>1394599
Even mathematics isn't wholly. logical
Btfo
>>1394626
>The governments of every first world country is entirely divorced from the concepts of religion, usually as mandated in the first or second parts of their constitutions.
It always amuses me that Americans just think everywhere is the USA.
Your claim is simply not true. England, Scotland , Malta, the Vatican City, Monaco, Greece, Denmark, Greenland, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Malaysia all have established churches.
>>1394708
>He actually thinks the church has ANY power whatsoever in those countries and that their role isn't purely ceremonial
>>1394712
That's misrepresenting me to deliberately argue against something else entirely a tactic know as strawmanning.
And the new point you are making isn't true either. I'm not familiar enough with the workings of the other countries to tell you what role religion plays but in the UK the CofE has positions in parliament reserved for bishops and the power to levy taxes to pay for churches in some areas as well as control of a large chunk of the public education system.
>>1394405
Hi Peter!
>>1394719
Hi Jonny
>>1394719
Nice stating on topic were having
>>1394573
I once had a 3 hour running argument with a girl I was dating at the time who argued your exact position.
Eventually, she actually checked her scripture, and promptly admitted she was wrong.
Either all things are God, both good and bad, or there is no God, by definition.
>>1394405
It's like this issue in the higher realm....Of which the Bible says....Matthew 11:
>11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Maybe we don't even want to focus on this because we have better things to do. Like being 100% rich available to all. The sex thing solved >>1390587, A nice checksum check by real prophets that have supernatural sight. This sort of things.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
And after that, this might be interesting.
>>1394573
>Augustine says that Satan wouldn't hesitate a bit to kill us all if he only had a free hand from God. God is the one keeping him in check
How many books of the Bible did Augustine write? 0? OK then
