What is Satan and how does he influence my life?

winner08 said:
Right there proves that you did not act out of free will. I caused you to do that stupid experiment. someone or something always causes you to choose the way you do. it is a law of nature. there is no way around it. Just as the law of gravity here on earth. But if you feel it is meaningless , well that your life not mine.
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Apparently you don't understand what the word "cause" means.

You never mentioned turning this issue into experiment. That was my choice.

If you want to prove your point, secretly write down what you're going to "cause" me to do next and let's see if it works.

Of course, writing "I'm going to respond to your post" would be pretty obvious, so let's just not go there.

Make it something special.
 
winner08 said:
citizenzen, let me ask you a question. are you a sinner?
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Yes. Of course a Buddhist doesn't operate under the concept of "sin", but why nitpick?

winner08 said:
Do you like to sin?
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Sometimes it is fun. Sometimes it is expedient. Sometimes I am lazy.

I always work towards bettering my thoughts and acts. And the good news is that I am.


winner08 said:
Do you wish you could not sin? If so why can't you or anybody else in the world who wishes they would not sin, do so? Why commit a sin?
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See above.

winner08 said:
If you have a free will then why can't you use that free will to choose not to sin and be right with God?
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I am. With effort my thoughts and behaviors are improving. I am a "better" person than I was ten years ago.

It's like the stock market. I have up days and down days, but the overall trend is quite positive.

winner08 said:
For that matter why do we need God?
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We need God because most people hate the idea of randomness and need to feel that their life is directed and has meaning.

I do not.


winner08 said:
Why did Jesus have to die for our sins if we have free will.
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I believe Jesus was simply a man. He died, but not "for our sins".

winner08 said:
We should be able to choose not to sin and therefore we can choose to be saved, So why do we need God?
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Some of us don't need God. I think the question is really why do you need God... and I'd never presume to answer for you.

winner08 said:
If we choose not to commit sin why did Jesus have to die for our sins?
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Hmmmm... let's see now... before Jesus: people sinned, people connected with God. After Jesus: people sin, people connect with God.

Maybe Jesus was just a waste of time.



There! All questions answered. Time for a nap.
 
Alex P said:
Azazel(pbuh) Means scapegoat does it not?
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An individual who serves as a scapegoat is an innocent person and yet he is made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in the place of them.

The test of one’s integrity in such a position is not made any lighter when one has to bear the blame and suffer even to the death for the whole world of mankind.



and i am sure you know who that was
 
citizenzen said:
Yes. Of course a Buddhist doesn't operate under the concept of "sin", but why nitpick?



Sometimes it is fun. Sometimes it is expedient. Sometimes I am lazy.

I always work towards bettering my thoughts and acts. And the good news is that I am.




See above.



aIm. With effort my thoughts and behaviors are improving. I am a "better" person than I was ten years ago.

It's like the stock market. I have up days and down days, but the overall trend is quite positive.



We need God because most people hate the idea of randomness and need to feel that their life is directed and has meaning.

I do not.




I believe Jesus was simply a man. He died, but not "for our sins".



Some of us don't need God. I think the question is really why do you need God... and I'd never presume to answer for you.



Hmmmm... let's see now... before Jesus: people sinned, people connected with God. After Jesus: people sin, people connect with God.

Maybe Jesus was just a waste of time.



There! All questions answered. Time for a nap.
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I see you are above such univerisal laws. the Law of cause and effect. choice without cause. As many of you here. You must be God.

Darren
 
citizenzen said:
Apparently you don't understand what the word "cause" means.

You never mentioned turning this issue into experiment. That was my choice.

If you want to prove your point, secretly write down what you're going to "cause" me to do next and let's see if it works.

Of course, writing "I'm going to respond to your post" would be pretty obvious, so let's just not go there.

Make it something special.
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I here ya. but your not worth all that time.

Darren
 
mee said:
An individual who serves as a scapegoat is an innocent person and yet he is made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in the place of them.

The test of one’s integrity in such a position is not made any lighter when one has to bear the blame and suffer even to the death for the whole world of mankind.



and i am sure you know who that was
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Satan?

"Satan made me do it!"

Zen... I will write down on paper what you will do next.... Then show you it, and I bet that is what you will do. :)
 
Did you say I gave you a big wet kiss because you avatar is hot! Hot!! HOT!!!?

Wait a minute... I'm heterosexual.

Dude, you ARE hot.

Did you write that down?
 
citizenzen said:
I believe Jesus was simply a man. He died, but not "for our sins".
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Jesus was a hero to outcasts. He gave outcasts of society a sense of dignity. They felt loved, accepted and appreciated by God because Jesus was a man of God. Society put Jesus on the cross, but it wasn't defeat for the outcasts. It was, instead, the opposite. Society unjustly persecuted an innocent man, a good man who restored the dignity that outcasts of society lost because of what they meant to society. Unfortunately, society couldn't accept that man either. That man willingly allowed himself to be arrested, charged and condemned for those for whom he cared.

Because he was a man of God, it was a sign of support from God. Society was the oppressor. Jesus was their ally, their supporter. Society had made them feel worthless, but here was a sign God didn't care what society thought of them. God accepted them despite what society thought. That is what I consider to be the significance of Jesus.

Forgiving sins? The question is whose "sins"?

Should rich and powerful people, people with power and money receive the same support as the outcasts whom Jesus supported? I think it would be to a lesser extent.

With power comes responsibility. Very often, power corrupts.

I think some people have the wrong concept of the crucifixion. It wasn't for everybody. It wasn't for rich and powerful people. It was for poor, downtrodden, oppressed and persecuted people. It was for people with low self-esteem, stripped of their dignity, humiliated.

A CEO with a salary of $1 million may think of himself as a Christian and chant slogans like, "Jesus saved me," but if he lives like a king and doesn't help the poor, persecuted, oppressed and outcasts of his society, doesn't live like a "little Christ," like Jesus, I have to say that the crucifixion means very little to him. Moreover, it's a sign that he doesn't understand the crucifixion.

If you've got money, you've got the power to help the "little people," but if you don't help the little people, you are nothing, no matter how much you earn.

The "sins" of the "little people" are acceptable to God because they are fairly insignificant. Jesus didn't die for "big people." He died for "little people."

A "big person" (ie. a rich and powerful guy, including religious leaders) who causes injustice and misery in society must become one of the "little people" to be accepted by God. His "big person" status isn't acceptable because of his misuse and abuse of power.

Justice and redemption can't happen without some humiliation.

Whose sins? It's a matter of social status and social standing. Are you one of the little people? That's the question.

To be honest, I don't live like one of the "little people." I just aspire to live like one.
 
winner08 said:
If you have a free will then why can't you use that free will to choose not to sin and be right with God? You can't. So much for your free will. For that matter why do we need God? Why did Jesus have to die for our sins if we have free will. We should be able to choose not to sin and therefore we can choose to be saved, So why do we need God? If we choose not to commit sin why did Jesus have to die for our sins?
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Actually, if we don't have free will, then why do we need to be saved, Darren? When we sin, it isn't our fault if we didn't make the choice to sin, yeah?

On the other hand, if we have free will, then it is our fault when we sin. And if it is our fault, then we must pay the price-- unless someone else pays it for us, like Jesus did.

Jesus said that he stands at the door and knocks, and whoever opens the door with him will dine with him. Now, why would Jesus be standing at the door and knocking if we don't have the choice to open the door or not? Why would he waste his time? Why not just go to the doors that are predetermined to be opened? Even more, why would he need to knock if those doors are predetermined to open at a specific time?

Just questions.
 
citizenzen said:
I'm going to be honest here. I am a Buddhist and a non-theist (if that's even a word). I make plenty of mistakes every day. I often choose to follow a course of action that is not wholesome. I am prone to selfishness, laziness and arrogance. All of these things I see as my shortcomings, my "faults", my responsibility to fix.

But lately, I've been reading (skimming) a lot of posts about Satan, and I wonder how would you describe his influence on your life and the lives of others?

What impact does Satan really have?
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His greatest trick, is to convince man that he doesn't exist...
 
Quahom1 said:
His greatest trick, is to convince man that he doesn't exist...
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Scary quote but I’m going to take the plunge and say he doesn't exist.

So who is Satan? Satan is supposedly a powerful, supernatural being created by God. God intended Satan to be good. Yet Satan turned evil. How is it possible that God--from whom only good things come--created a supernatural being that turned evil? Right off the proverbial bat, this seems to make the idea of Satan hard to believe. Note that Matthew 7:18 says, "a good tree cannot bear bad fruit." How could the "bad fruit" of Satan have come from the "good tree" of God?"
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http://www.caseagainstfaith.com/articles/satan_logic.htm
 
citizenzen said:
So Quahom, how does he exist in your life?

Where do your human weaknesses end and Satan's influence begin?
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Ah, you mean "the devil made me do it"? No. Satan can not make man do anything. He can only suggest. It's up to us to choose to do or not do something.

Even in the Book of Genesis, Satan had no power over man. But he knew how to tip the scale.

my two cents.
 
Quahom1 said:
Ah, you mean "the devil made me do it"? No. Satan can not make man do anything. He can only suggest. It's up to us to choose to do or not do something.
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So how does Satan suggest things to you? Does he literally put thoughts into your head?
 
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