Which of the following statements/opinions do you agree with?

[Otto 83]

George W Bush is a Dork!

'nuff said.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I find it funny that 16 believe that God exists, but only 9 for Satan

Xianity doesn't have a patent on the word "God". Ergo, it's very likely that more people would believe in God than in Satan. "God" is a generic. If the poll had asked "Do You believe in YHVH/Yahweh", then it might close the gap a bit. "God" can be YHVH, Allah, Thor, Odin, Cernunnos, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, or whichever god one worships.

Never claimed any one religion had a patent on the word 'God' nor did I say that 'God' was in reference to a particular faith. Obviously that means different things to different people.

My point was that if one believes in the existance of God...or whatever they want to call HIM...how can one get to that belief of an omnipotent being, yet deny there's a possibility of an evil prescence as well. I see it as confusing, for if one has the faith to believe in God....which requires a faith beyond what can be seen...how does one then dismiss the idea of Satan?

And I mean Satan as not referring to any particular religion either.

It appears (maybe wrongly) that for good to exist, evil must also.

However, that is like saying that for heat to exist, COLD must also--which is NOT true, as cold is the ABSENCE (or non-presence) of heat.

So, evil can be said as the absence (non-presence) of good.

(note: this does not change the fact of Old Nick's existence)

[Fandango 1,439]

I find it funny that 16 believe that God exists, but only 9 for Satan

Xianity doesn't have a patent on the word "God". Ergo, it's very likely that more people would believe in God than in Satan. "God" is a generic. If the poll had asked "Do You believe in YHVH/Yahweh", then it might close the gap a bit. "God" can be YHVH, Allah, Thor, Odin, Cernunnos, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, or whichever god one worships.

Never claimed any one religion had a patent on the word 'God' nor did I say that 'God' was in reference to a particular faith. Obviously that means different things to different people.

My point was that if one believes in the existance of God...or whatever they want to call HIM...how can one get to that belief of an omnipotent being, yet deny there's a possibility of an evil prescence as well. I see it as confusing, for if one has the faith to believe in God....which requires a faith beyond what can be seen...how does one then dismiss the idea of Satan?

And I mean Satan as not referring to any particular religion either.

It appears (maybe wrongly) that for good to exist, evil must also.

However, that is like saying that for heat to exist, COLD must also--which is NOT true, as cold is the ABSENCE (or non-presence) of heat.

So, evil can be said as the absence (non-presence) of good.

(note: this does not change the fact of Old Nick's existence)

I didn't really say that just cos God exists to someone that an anti-God had to exist as well. Just wondering the motivation for having the faith that God does exist, yet not having the same faith that Satan did.

[Fuzzness 2]

a few notes

i didnt vote for god exists because the higher power i believe in is not called or ever referred to as "God" but rather "the great spirit" or "the creator"

"The official story of the JFK assassination is a lie." does not mean one believes in the magic bullet theory. it means you dont believe the official story.

how in the hell do people believe that Obama is a member or supporter of al qaeda? where did that come from?

satan was created by the early church to scare people into religion

[Caladan 19]

Quite a lot of people think that there is a God, but that Satan isn't a person, just personified evil.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

satan was created by the early church to scare people into religion

More specifically Satan (as the popularly conceived half-man/half-best creation) was created by the early church to monopolise religion and demonise followers of older pantheistic 'pagan' religions. It is no coincidence that Satan is almost identical to Pan, the Greek God of nature (incidentally the British museum has a whole cache of hidden art works and statues that are rarely, if ever, shown to the public - because they are deemed too offensive for general exhibition). Depictions of Pan in classical art almost always show him with an erect ####### (as a symbol of fertility). This (as well as another Greek God - Priapus, hence priapism and the Roman God Bacchus) had elaborate rituals of worship that usually involved group sex. As the church subsequently condemned that sort of sexual activity - demonising the older religions through scripture (along with various bloody inquisitions) was a way for the clergy to gain ideological control and stamp out paganism. Clearly they did a pretty good job...

Edited March 4, 2007 by erekose

[Caladan 19]

Ehhhhhh. The concept of Satan is a *lot* older than the association with Pan. Christianity picked up the imagery from the Greeks, but the idea that God has an adversary is at least as old as the book of Job.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Well, the good news is that 35 out of 52 VJ respondents believe in God.

The bad news is we have a lone Holocaust denier in our midst LOL.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Interesting results.

[Ban Hammer 13,335]

Well, the good news is that 35 out of 52 VJ respondents believe in God.

The bad news is we have a lone Holocaust denier in our midst LOL.

along with 8 people thinking that fdr knew pearl harbor was gonna get bombed..........

conspiracy theories are still in fashion i see.

[Fuzzness 2]

Ehhhhhh. The concept of Satan is a *lot* older than the association with Pan. Christianity picked up the imagery from the Greeks, but the idea that God has an adversary is at least as old as the book of Job.

"Satan" is a christian concept. Pan is much older than christianity.

[Sofiyya 1,687]

I just saw a new Geico caveman commercial. They showed two in a row! I love those! Too bad you didn't have a poll question about them.

[Scott & Lai 12]

Ehhhhhh. The concept of Satan is a *lot* older than the association with Pan. Christianity picked up the imagery from the Greeks, but the idea that God has an adversary is at least as old as the book of Job.

"Satan" is a christian concept. Pan is much older than christianity.

Satan predates Christianity. He is first referred to in the Bible by that name (actually a title, "The Accuser") in the book of Job, which likely is older than the Torah, so a minimum of 1500 B.C.

[Fuzzness 2]

Ehhhhhh. The concept of Satan is a *lot* older than the association with Pan. Christianity picked up the imagery from the Greeks, but the idea that God has an adversary is at least as old as the book of Job.

"Satan" is a christian concept. Pan is much older than christianity.

Satan predates Christianity. He is first referred to in the Bible by that name (actually a title, "The Accuser") in the book of Job, which likely is older than the Torah, so a minimum of 1500 B.C.

You're right, I didn't think of that. However the age of the book can be debated.

[Caladan 19]

Ehhhhhh. The concept of Satan is a *lot* older than the association with Pan. Christianity picked up the imagery from the Greeks, but the idea that God has an adversary is at least as old as the book of Job.

"Satan" is a christian concept. Pan is much older than christianity.

"Satan" is an Abrahamic concept. It may or may not be older than Pan, which is fortunately not my point, hence why I didn't say that Pan was younger than Christianity, because the *association* of Satan with Pan is a Christian phenomenon, but the idea of Satan, as Scott says, as an adversary of God, is much older. Christianity didn't invent the concept of Satan, just gave it a face with pointy horns.