The wiles of Satan (or Stan for short)

Rather than hi-jack another thread.......

It seems to be a fact that the more a person believes in Satan and the capacity of such a figure to deceive and lure the unwary to their doom, the more that believer considers themselves immune from having been ensnared.

Oh, we shall hear such things as "Oh, I have been tricked, oh yes, no doubt, even being on guard I've fallen foul of Satan's snares and no doubt will do again......BUT" (there is always the BUT!!) the believer then proceeds to a basic position and assumption of ultimate safety, leaving all others to the various tricks catalogued by their understanding.

As I see it, the fundamental attitude of Faith is not "I have avoided the snares" or "the spirit protects his own (i.e. me)" but is found in the words of a little verse I have quoted before.....


Whether I am falling to hell
Or bound for the Pure Land,
I have no knowledge:
All is left to Amida's Vow.
"Namu-amida-butsu!"

Which can be put alongside the words of Julian of Norwich, as a counterpoint......

If there be anywhere on earth a lover of God who is always kept safe, I know nothing of it, for it was not shown to me. But this was shown: that in falling and rising again we are always kept in that same precious love.

Irrespective of whether we actually believe in some "cosmic" figure - or power - of evil, maybe such beliefs point us towards thoughts about "doubt".

William Blake once said, in one of his famous couplets......"If the sun and moon would begin to doubt, they would immediately go out". Well that may be so ( ) but doubt can be with us to make us waver when we have even the best of intentions, as well as at other moments.

Again, one of the most moving moments of Jacob Bronowski's "Ascent of Man" was when he knelt at Auschwitz and spoke the words of Oliver Cromwell...."I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, pray consider you may be wrong."

For me, Satan, or Stan, can be active when doubt is absent. The lack of doubt can lead to many woes.

The trick is, or seems to be, or at least it seems to me, to move forward towards what could be called "the making of a better world" without thinking each and every move is the "right" one. Perhaps to "do what man can do, then wait for heavens will."

Just to adapt a few words of the Buddhist writer Stephen Batchelor, speaking of agnosticism, "Agnosticism is no excuse for indecision" Doubt need not be either.

Are you casting out your line to see who bites

The truth is that I found myself in a discussion with the Biker which seemed to involve many of the questions here. But the discussion had evolved on a thread that in fact had little to do with it. I apologised to the thread starter and opened this one.

So yes, in a sense what I have said is said in one way to one who would appear to think that to doubt ones beliefs is in fact lack of belief.

Yet, having said that, I think the points I have raised should have sufficient interest to bring others into the discussion. So I not "trolling" as such.

No wonder you're confused!



..and how do you know that it is "the making of a better world" when you have doubt in your mind!?



So how can you make a good decision when you have doubt in your mind!?

Well, if/when one has doubt then it is indeed no longer a strong or "fanatic" belief.

You miss the points being made. The point IS that we do not know if we are making a better world. That IS the point.

When we give a hand out to a beggar we do not know the consequences.

Once again you merely demonstrate complete and utter stupidity, apparently because you think you are the great "I-AM" , code data in execution!

Stan and his little entourage of demons are just a human fabrication to explain why bad things happen to good people, why some people do "terrible" things to others, and why "scary" things go bump in the night.

The devil made me do it...

Well, what you know or don't know is of course NOT what I know or don't know! So and as usual you have no point!



It depends on what you give to the beggar. If you give the beggar good food, the consequence is that the beggar will not go hungry. Basic cause and effect...



I don't think, I know that I AM, the great one! Wake up!!!

..and "utter stupidity" must be when you look at yourself in the mirror!!!

+1 (Neo)

A sly dig at my typos in your thread title Tariki, lol, nice one.

ell he wouldn't would he, since he was one of those under Satan's influence anyway. He was part of "Christinaity when the Apostasy was at it's height, and during the time God had decreed that it was not to be countered (Revelation 22:11) "He that is doing unrighteousness, let him do unrighteousness still; and let the filthy one be made filthy still; but let the righteous one do righteousness still, and let the holy one be made holy still."

The Apostasy was long foretold, and it was known to Christ and the Apostles that it would take a full hold when they were no longer alive to combat it, that is why Revelation 22:11 is one of the last commands, because God knew there was no point in countering it until the "time of the end" which we are now in.

That is why Christ foretold the preaching work for this time, the preaching of "this Good News of the Kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the Nations" and after it "the end would come", (Matthew 24:14), because Armageddon is soon to be brought on the earth to clear it of all wickedness, hence the preaching work is to alert people to what is coming, and how to avoid being on the wrong side of it.

Would that that were true but unfortunately history tells us otherwise.

Of course their favourite trick is to con people into thinking that they don't exist. That way people do nothing to protect themselves from the influence, and Satan is vary powerful, as are his followers.

However it is true that "Satan made me do it" is no excuse, because hard as it is to do, we can always resist the impulses he plants in our minds. We have all the armour we need to combat him, and his demons, in God's word, the bible. We also have God's protection "on tap" if we ask for it with the right motivation.

Mad dude, end of what!?



Again, end of what!?



Soon when!?

..and what exactly is coming anyway!?

Either case, why would anyone in their right frame of mind would want to be in the side of your devil god, before, now or after!?

Yes, some people claim that Satan's best trick is to convince people that he doesn't exist. I think his best trick is to convince people that he does!

Sly? Blatant!

So mad dude, does this mean that Satan is more powerful than your devil god!?



So mad dude, does Satan plant impulses in your mind!? Is that when you're possessed!?