Old Scratch

I don’t know if there’s a literal person named Satan, or not — I just want to be good.

I’m really glad you brought this up. I use to believe in a literal Satan and “the devil made me do it” was a big part of my life. Those ideas are changing but I have no idea where they are going. I’m leaning towards a metaphor gone amok but C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters idea is so engrained in my mind that it is a tough paradigm to change. I kind of think that what I’ve been attributing to Satan is what I believe psychologist call our ego? That part of us that keeps us down, tells us we’re trash and sometimes leads us down the wrong path. I’m very interested in what everyone else thinks about this.

I’m pretty sure you’re on the right track. I’ll have to do some thinking about what the practical differences are, but to me the idea that ‘the enemy is us’, as opposed to the idea of an independent intelligence constantly leading us down forbidden paths, puts the responsibility where it ought to be. I suppose you could argue that there is no practical difference, i.e. that we are also being responsible if we’re constantly on the watch for Satan’s influences.

I made (and subsequently deleted) a comment that would be difficult to interpret as anything other than insulting to those that believe in a literal Satan. Such was not my intent. I apologize. *Note to self to try better to follow good examples of others on the board. Especially late at night.*

I am reminded of something I read in Gerald Lund’s book, Hearing the Voice of the Lord — something or other. “A testimony is when you believe that what you know is true”. I puzzled over that one for a while and finally decided it was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. Later, I decided that maybe there was some deeper meaning hidden there, intended or otherwise. Our beliefs are only as true as we choose to make them. A testimony is when our beliefs become real enough to provoke us to action. Maybe that’s what he meant.

Anyway, like most things related to faith and religion, whether or not Satan is real in a literal sense is not subject to verification, so to speculate one way or the other is nothing more than that — speculation. I brought it up not because I’m going to change some fundamental behaviour based on the outcome, but out of idle curiousity. It’s a mere decoration in a house I am building. The model of the world that currently fits in my head leaves no room for such a being, though that could change.

This applies to all aspects of my faith. Does God exist? I choose to believe that the answer is ‘yes’. Does Satan exist? I choose to believe the idea of Satan is a metaphor. In my estimation, these things (and myriad others) are the best choices out of many that can both impel me towards spiritual improvement AND not leave my rational mind reeling. Since, as has been pointed out recently, no two people see things the same way, why should I expect any uniformity of belief? A big problem with the church for me is that I feel that uniformity of belief is expected (culturally, at least). Once one gets used to that idea it becomes easy to get into the habit of shooting down other people’s models out of self-preservation when they are (invariably) different than our own. Or, more often for me, seeking external validation for my interior decorating skills. Maybe a big part of being in stage 5 involves losing the craving for that validation.

In the meantime, I guess I’ll keep asking questions about things that don’t really matter.

… I brought it up not because I’m going to change some fundamental behaviour based on the outcome, but out of idle curiousity. It’s a mere decoration in a house I am building. The model of the world that currently fits in my head leaves no room for such a being, though that could change….This applies to all aspects of my faith.

In the meantime, I guess I’ll keep asking questions about things that don’t really matter.

Please do. Many if not most of these issues really don’t mean much in the larger scheme of things, but they certainly mean something on an individual basis and in the search for truth – and peace. I enjoy contemplating the unknown, knowing that no one really knows, and that most people will probably NEVER know in this life. It doesn’t mean that we should ignore. That’s just the way I am.