Like God, Satan is Everywhere

Satan, the adversary or "opposer" of God is alive, well and responding to your column! Thank you for sharing your beiefs. Those who oppose are proving you right!

The spirit of good and evil is the classic battle that rages within all of us, known as the war between the flesh (carnal mind) and spirit. Being sensitive to the "least of these" comes from the Spirit of God. Walking in this Spirit is a choice. As long as people believe that "the devil made me do it," they can justify their choices NOT to walk in the Spirit of God.

Hey Rev Sue:

The evil that exists seems fruitful in its spiraling downward conundrum--it only begets more of itself. If the Omen scared you check out The Devil's Advocate where Pacino's famous line, "Ahh, vanity, my favorite sin!" seems to say it all. The seduction of profit and personal gain is legion at the expense of humanity.

Walter Brueggemann (Sojourners) has written a powerful article on the current financial debacle. He contends that where there is no "restraint of God" there will be no awareness of experience of the "resource of God." Our need for bigger barns has caused us to lose the land. I have mentioned this before, but there is a carving in Ghana that reads, "Greed is never satisfied because self is at the center of its world." I still remember Dr. Jeremiah Wright's sermon where he talks about the implications for trouble, "When self rears its ugly head."

I too am troubled by the seeming lack of restraint and greed that plagues our world. There is nothing new in this war other than the fact that evil seems to have triumphed such that it, like the Joker in Dark Knight, is "glad to see the city burn." I do however have a dream and desire that good will prevail--it will. God is faithful! We might remember Dr. King's words, "Evil carries the seeds of its own destruction." Thanks for another thought-provoking piece.
Peace,
Ozzie

The broader discussion of theological aspects of good and evil seem to be missed.

I does not matter if a person believes there is an evil force that has influence over us or that "evil lurks in the hearts of men", there is evil.

My question, in this forum (one of theological underpinnings) is at what point does the understanding of God as the opposite of evil become the impetus for change in our social and political lives, and what does that look like for each of us?

Actually, Satan is in an undisclosed location and only comes out to talk to FOX News.

Our country has borrowed so much money from China and other nations that it is scary. We have dug ourselves into a hole that is too deep to even fathom. God despairs; Satan laughs.

Like most believers, you seem to have created God in your own image; an American God. But perhaps God favors the Chinese and it is Satan who despairs.

How silly you are.

Asinine.

Manichaean 'evil' is necessary to pump the idea of 'Anything with a cross on it is Good, and anyone not in agreement with my extrapolations therefrom must be 'evil.' Which exists, cause obviously someone disagrees with me.'

I ask this question in sincerity.
Cause the way you monotheists talk, it seems you're *constantly* tempted to do kinda psychotic things, which temptation you only occasionally yield to, and use to justify some irrational control-freak thing.

I know you call it 'human nature.'

But are you *seriously* walking around 'tempted' to do horrible things to people?

I mean, I hear you folks being like, 'Satan tempts me to like, kiss someone of the same sex, but I'd rather shoot them!'

*thunderous applause and hallelujahs*

Err.

Folks?

Save the drama for Mama. Be excellent to each other.

Any Devil or 'God' don't like the legalese, we could deal with that together.

Let's stop running scared of Gods and devils. Let's start doing the lot of em proud. Together.

Cause we're primates. Evolved or 'Intelligently designed, that which we are, we are.

So happens few things make us more irrational than 'alone.'

How bout. This ain't a race, it ain't a competition, it ain't a 'struggle' against 'temptations' so conveniently advertised by those who claim to be saving us from 'temptation' to things they don't own in the first place...

How bout. Screw the dogma and devils. And we take hands, may it please all good Gods that be, maybe pray to see clear, and resolve to together work to the good, not worry someone in some back row is getting diddled the wrong way.

Seriously. We're in it, now. If a God is about tabooes, someone ain't living up to their potential. I try not to figure that's Deities.

But here we are.

For crying out loud, Susan!!! At one point I thought you had it together (stupid me!).

The spirit of Satan is strong????? If you believe in your idiotic holy book, the Satan is nothing else but another concoction of God (i.e. son). Your beloved Jesus's brother.

Just think about it, there is good and evil in every human being, and whoever denies it is a liar and a fraud.

How can you possibly believe this stuff????

The panel members seem to agree that evil exists but I did not catch that anyone mentioned exorcism as a human need so evil must not be so tuff or what?

Susan:
" I talked with a young man who once sold drugs on the street. "You will not believe how much money you make," he said. "I could get $100,000 a week with no sweat."

I don't believe this is true. Are you trying to say that there is a kid on some street corner making $100,000 per week, Over five million dollars per year, and he's still selling drugs 'on the street'?

I truly believe you are making this up, or that you have been cosmically misled.
Selling drugs on the street is not that profitable of a business to the kid on the street. The drug business is not that different from legitimate businesses. There are those at the top making substantial $$$ but the street corner retailers themselves are not. The guys making big money are not the guys that sell directly to users. There are many layers between management and retail.

Is this story true as you claim it is?

This is no small point. If you are willing to make up stories to make your case, then, well you are obviously willing to make up a LOT of stories to make your case.
BTW, did you report this young man to the police or the DEA, even if he's no longer in the business, with that kind of profit margin, he's someone who has serious high level connections.