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Quote by: Ken Carman That's a pretty good point. It also goes to the heart of both threads. How much control does Satan actually have or use? I assume most followers of traditional Christianity would answer God is "all powerful;" although I do find the concept of having a "struggle" with Satan kind of puts a kink in the concept, so I guess the question is how much he actually uses.
Atheists and agnostics... how convenient are believers concepts of control to their concept of God? ...how much of a contradiction to what they actually believe? |
This is very much the basis of conflict with Islam (Muslims). From there point of view, Christians are politheist, believing in more than one supernatural being (God). To tell their story they embellished on the old testiment Satan and demons. This wasn't just a deliberate effort to tell a new story, but Rome being the empire it was, increased contact with the east and therefore the eastern understanding of demons. This eastern understanding of demons was assimulated into the new Roman religion, helping separate this religion from Judism and create the new religion Christianity.
Realistically, at no time in history did humans have a special contact with God and angels that we do not have today. In the past, as today, we increase our information and our world view changes. Democracy is best fit for this. Religion however, holds people to a past that doesn't work in the present, unless the holy books are understood abstractly and we appreciate the human effort in all of them.