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After much searching, I could not find this alleged personal being; the so called prince of darkness, or detect his influence. Christians differing claims of the existence of Satan and the way he interacts with the world are contradictory to each other, (see part 2). So called Satanists only assert their silly claims and fail to explain them. Scripture does not support the concept of a ‘fallen angel’. (See part 3)
The question that arises is: Why then is it claimed that Satan exists and is responsible for many woes faced by humanity?
The best argument I could find for the existence of Satan (See part 4) is very weak, and appears only to serve as an attempt to excuse God of evil and separate the All-loving modern Christian God along with Jesus- meek and mild, from Yahweh the Old Testament God that bestows terrible suffering on humanity.
Modern Christianity’s views are in conflict when it comes to human suffering caused by what we label as evil. The invention of an evil force, and diminishing the power of God in some way, may remove the responsibility of suffering caused by evil, from God in the non-thinking, or gullible mind; however, that is only, until the “hard” questions are asked.
Both believers and sceptics label certain actions perpetrated by our fellow humans as evil; these are mostly unwarranted actions that cause great suffering.
I am going to give an example of such an act, which I believe rational humans would label as evil.
A little girl in South Africa was recently tortured to death by her parents. She eventually died of a brain haemorrhage/cracked skull. She had multiple broken bones that had been left to heal without medical treatment, which showed incredible suffering since birth, she had been starved, burnt with cigarettes and her body was covered in scars. This little girl was three years old when she died. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of suffering she endured.
The problem of suffering has been the cause of many a learned and devout Christian becoming an agnostic or atheist. The problem is best illustrated with the following propositions:
1) God created the world from nothing, He is all powerful.
2) God is all loving and good.
3) God is all-knowing.
4) God has a continued interest in his creation
5) There is suffering in this world,( as per the example given of the innocent child’s suffering)
Christians agree that the above propositions are true. However here lies the problem. Why would an all loving God KNOWINGLY create a world where such suffering of an innocent child takes place, if He is all loving and good?
The standard answer to this problem by Christians is that of mankind’s free will to choose his actions, which, I agree seems to at least rationally solve the problem, if indeed there is such a thing as free will.
Christians reason that the suffering of the child, as per the example, happens because man has chosen to sin and used his free will to harm the child. Free will is given to man that he may CHOOSE to worship God or not, and CHOOSE to do right or wrong. This all, so that man may be saved and forgiven their sins, and live for eternity in the presence of God. In other words; free will is for a greater good.
I would like to put forward an argument based on compassion, human compassion. Something I believe all rational decent humans share. It does not matter what the bible says, or whether one believes what it says, whether the bible is the word of God or not, whether evolution is fact or not, whether God, or Satan exists or not, or whether we do indeed have free will or not.
This argument is about what people believe and how the problem of suffering is rationalised by them to make sense of their beliefs.
I am challenging all readers to answer the following, especially before commenting.
The Challenge
You have to design a "system", a complex system of beliefs, of human fortune, with the ultimate goal of giving people everlasting peace and joy. However, this system requires the unavoidable and horrific suffering of the child as per the example given.
Question 1) would you agree to be the designer of the system on those terms? Yes/No
Question 2) and from the point of view as one of the people the "system" is being designed for:
Could you agree to accept the peace being brought by the torture and suffering of the child we speak about, and having accepted that terrible torture of the child as a price for free will, be happy, and experience joy for eternity? Yes/No
Question 3) Can you explain why the architect of such a system, that allows the terrible suffering of an innocent child who has not yet reached the age of reason, for some greater good, should not only be praised and worshipped, but also glorified? Please explain no need to quote scripture.
I have found that there are only two responses to these questions. The first is to become an atheist, the second to become agnostic. Indeed Catholicism and many Christians take this second option, ‘The Catholic dictionary of theology’, in its discussions on evil, concludes,” Thus the place of evil in the world remains mysterious”.
Their only response to the problem of evil is to claim it is a mystery that we are unable to understand, and some believe one that we should never question. A person who claims, with respect to any particular question, that the answer cannot be known with certainty is an agnostic.
Some say that this is the most effective attack against God ever produced, many theologians agree that rationally and on balance the attack succeeds. I disagree with their opinion. This “attack” is not against God, but directed at the beliefs Christians hold in order to maintain faith in the nonsense on stilts they call Christianity.
Any Christian looking to defend against this attack has to find a greater good that warrants the suffering of an innocent child. I can in no way see that the suffering of any innocent child is worth any end, no matter how glorious, never mind the millions of innocent children that do get born only to suffer. And yet this is exactly what Christians have to believe unless the essential propositions for Christian theology are false.
In summary: Christians have to be selfish, fearful, callous and abhorrent people to make sense of their beliefs. I can now see why many atheists and sceptics treat them as such.
