Blackness

I'm sorry if this topic has been discussed before (if so post me to a link) but I don't post here much. Have you heard any arguments for the existence of Satan? I hear theists claim Satan exist but I've never heard any argument for it; I've only seen a tape of a supposed exorcism. Thanks.

Calzaer

I'd give Satan better odds of existing than YHWH. At least he doesn't have a "problem of evil" (since he's all-evil) OR a "problem of good" (since he's not all-powerful, or perhaps he's all-incompetant).

Matrioshka_Brain

I thought Yaweh was the devil in christian literature, but with a better P.R. machine.

In any event, there's no more evidence for either of the two mythological creatures than for anything humans have come up with in the past. Really, it has the same credibility of something H.P Lovecraft came up with, Norse, or Greco-Roman mythology.

And I don't think that watching a tape of an "exorcism" really counts twards anything.

mattdamore

The existence of Satan is proven in conjunction with the veridicality of the inspiration of Scripture. If Scripture is truly inspired by God, then everything in it is true. Satan�s in there, so he should exist given that the Scripture is indeed inspired. But that is another issue, I think.

Also, I have no problem discussing possible explanations of the ontological status of God or Satan, but to come right out and beg the question of whether Satan or God is mythological is not necessary, if, of course, intelligible discussion is our goal.

matt

Eidal

They are not mythlogical figures now, but its possible they will be in the future when they no longer have worshippers.

Religions have followers, mythologies do not.

mattdamore

If a being possesses the ontological status of existence, then how can any amount of time remove that actuality. You are defining �non-mythological� to be �believed in by N amount of people�. This is neither necessary nor sufficient. Something can be real and no one can be around to believe it. Back in the Jurassic age, when no humans were around (assuming of course that a certain class of human beings (cave-men) did not exist), could we say that dinosaurs were mythological because no humans could be there to make decisions on their existence? I doesn�t seem so.

Also, what do you mean by �religion�?
What do you mean by �follower�?
What do you mean by �mythology�?

Eidal

I myself am an atheist. I don't believe in Zeus or any of the other interesting mythlogical gods. It also goes to say that I don't believe in the currently popular Gods.

History tends to tell us something about human nature, and it seems unlikely to suggest that Christianity will remain as one of the "top dogs" in the religion aspect of humanity. Everything changes.

My point is that I'm not proposing that existence equals "X number of followers". At least, not in the sense of existence that you mean. I'm only proposing that when humanity gets bored of worshipping the Christian God, they'll probably have something new and heretical to jump into.

Hedshaker

Click here

mattdamore

I'm starting to see that all these �minor discussion� forums are just going to lead back to the major one: Is Christianity true or false? If it is true, then everything expounded in Scripture is true and therefore is applicable to reality. If it is true, then it is so much more than a social construct made to satisfy the temporary needs of a few thousand years of adherents. Your confidence in that this will happen and your statements suggesting �when it happens� need to be contingent upon the supposition that Christianity is not an accurate description of reality. Because if it is, then there is no way that Christianity will ever have a loss of followers and there won�t ever be a time when it will somehow �become� (whatever that consists of) a mythology. Arguments need to be provided for the supposed �mythology� of Christianity. This is hairy indeed.

Mageth

Many religions (including Xianity) are simply groups that wrongly misinterpret myth as history.