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Subject: 
Re: God and the Devil and forgiveness (was Re: POV-RAY orange color)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Mon, 23 Aug 1999 21:52:16 GMT
Viewed: 
1107 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Mike Stanley writes:
Jesse Long <jesse.r.long@gte.net> wrote:
That last question is pretty interesting.  Would God forgive the Devil if
asked?  It appears to me (without being a divinity scholar) that angels
(normal and fallen) have not displayed any freedom of choice since the
Rebellion.  I don't know.  It's not possible, so I haven't thought about it.

Yeah, what if Satan just suddenly gave up?  Admitted he was a jerk and
wrong, and honestly (how could you hide it from God?) asked for
forgiveness?

If you believe the axiom that "God knows everything" (and that I know is a
muchly overused notion) and that he is all-wise, then it's not hard to stretch
and say that God knows (and has apparently declared) that Satan is
incorrigible. It seems the Underworld won't ever be passing out snow parkas.

Or was his original crime, way back when, so bad that he's too far
gone?

IMO too far gone. If you're perfectly healthy and you believe that you're like
God in your heart of hearts, you're so far out to lunch you miss dinner.

Or is he the pefectly arrorgant being some would paint him as, so
arrogant that, knowing he's up against the ALMIGHTY, knowing
everything God has ever wanted to do He did, knowing there's a book
that details just how crappy this will all end up for him, knowing all
that, he'd still keep going?

Perfectly arrogant is an interesting way to describe him. If you [have] read
Tolkien's _Silmarillion_, JRR paints an interesting picture of the Melkor
character as an equivalent of Satan, a created being so powerful and beautiful
(at one time) that he was just so like unto God that it was amazing.

My father-in-law the preacher would probably have a heart attack to
hear me say it, but in a lot of ways I find the concept of Satan as he
is painted in Christian mythology much harder to accept than most of
the happier stuff.

Maybe so, but if you approached it from an aspect of really and honestly
wanting to get to the truth, most preachers can't resist the challenge :-)  I
don't think you'd have nearly as bad a time with your father-in-law regarding
this as you might think.

It is difficult to comprehend why evil exists, because evil must ultimately
destroy itself, or its basis at least be found illogical. But it obviously
does exist and Satan's malice seems to know no bounds.

-Tom McD.
when replying, Spamcake Charms: they're magically deelicious!



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: God and the Devil and forgiveness (was Re: POV-RAY orange color)
 
(...) Augh! Now you're talking about predestination. That's been a theological hot button for quite awhile. Does God already know who's going to be saved, and who isn't? And how is His knowing different from Him selecting? Is there actually free (...) (25 years ago, 24-Aug-99, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: God and the Devil and forgiveness (was Re: POV-RAY orange color)
 
(...) Yeah, what if Satan just suddenly gave up? Admitted he was a jerk and wrong, and honestly (how could you hide it from God?) asked for forgiveness? Or was his original crime, way back when, so bad that he's too far gone? Or is he the pefectly (...) (25 years ago, 19-Aug-99, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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