If God is all-powerful, why doesn't he kill Satan?

[pellinore]

This is something that has always troubled me. I think this is the answer. And the answer is, don't ask the question. Right.

It is not wise to question His right to do exactly as He pleases. The psalmist tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). Whatever plan comes from the mind of the Almighty is the best plan possible. It is true that we can’t expect to understand that mind perfectly, as He reminds us, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Nevertheless, our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him, and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not. In the case of His timing for Satan’s demise, it has to be the best possible plan because it is God’s plan.

God vs. Satan - if God is all-powerful, why does He not just kill Satan? | GotQuestions.org

Edited March 4, 2023 by pellinore

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Because God knows every system needs something to be in the “either/or” category. “Either God or Satan”. 
That or God knows someone needs to do the drudge work and run Hell.

[eight bits]

Satan left an envelope with his lawyer to be sent to Wikileaks in case Satan ever goes missing.

[Orphalesion]

That's one of the big flaws in Christian mythology. The whole Satan vs God thing as it eventually evolved in Christianity entered Ancient Hebrew thought through exposure to Zoroastrianism, where the good god Ahura Mazda is opposed by an equally strong force of evil, Ahirman.  When that was adopted by some sects among the Ancient Hebrews they ran into the problem that due to the rest of their theology there couldn't be an evil mirror image to Yahweh, so Satan was awkwardly shuffled into the position of lord of evil.
It's an imperfect cultural translation since it leaves Yahweh all-powerful while Satan is this power-less loser who's just allowed to play "because god said so!"  

[XenoFish]

Why would God delete his favorite employee? 

[lightly]

Creation and Destruction are two halves of  the whole?    One becomes the other.   Man decided half of reality is good..and half is evil.   Out of fear? 

[Grim Reaper 6]

27 minutes ago, pellinore said:

This is something that has always troubled me. I think this is the answer. And the answer is, don't ask the question. Right.

It is not wise to question His right to do exactly as He pleases. The psalmist tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect” (Psalm 18:30). Whatever plan comes from the mind of the Almighty is the best plan possible. It is true that we can’t expect to understand that mind perfectly, as He reminds us, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Nevertheless, our responsibility to God is to obey Him, to trust Him, and to submit to His will, whether we understand it or not. In the case of His timing for Satan’s demise, it has to be the best possible plan because it is God’s plan.

God vs. Satan - if God is all-powerful, why does He not just kill Satan? | GotQuestions.org

The reason God can’t destroy Satan is simple, God has multiple personalities. One moment he’s all that’s good and holy, and then Satan takes over and God becomes Evil. But, here is the Problem since God created all and he is an omnipotent deity there is no where to turn for help with his mental instability. Sooner or later one of Gods personalities will take over permanently and as this occurs the final battle will also occur the battle of Armageddon!

[Hankenhunter]

There is no Satan. It's just a construct created to control the masses. 

[XenoFish]

58 minutes ago, lightly said:

Creation and Destruction are two halves of  the whole?  

Neither is separate. In order to create you must destroy, what you destroy becomes something else 

[cormac mac airt]

2 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

Neither is separate. In order to create you must destroy, what you destroy becomes something else 

Depends on what someone defines as “something else”. Case in point: the planck-scale totality of what would become the observable universe prior to the Big Bang and its creation of “time”, amongst everything else. 
 

cormac

[XenoFish]

4 minutes ago, cormac mac airt said:

Depends on what someone defines as “something else”. Case in point: the planck-scale totality of what would become the observable universe prior to the Big Bang and its creation of “time”, amongst everything else. 
 

cormac

Then poof, something became something, which turned into something else, that then turned into something else. Till it started moving around on a mudball floating around a star. That something grew into something else, and then the universe made a mistake, humans. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by XenoFish

[Alchopwn]

God doesn't kill Satan, because Satan is his son, and killing is evil and God is omnibenevolent.  We transitory creatures need to be tested and destroyed so we can be assigned to heaven or the incinerator, and Satan is involved in quality control.  People regard death as a tragedy, but a good Christian looks forwards to death and fervently prays that it shall come sooner rather than later, as it represents an end to the trials and temptations of this world and the beginning of their eternal reward.  Note however, how many Christians wail at funerals and fear death.  They are not good Christians.

[Crazy Horse]

Because GOD is Love, and therefore respects our free will.

Even if your free will is leading you straight to hell.

Its your choice.

 

[Sojo]

I think the good/evil dichotomy has always been hard to understand, but I think the real answer is discovering how to synthesize the discrepancies into something that seems to at least make a little sense.

First, for freewill to exist, the choice of committing any action that would be considered “sinful” or “evil” must be allowed. (This is also represented in the bible when God says “of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat”). It’s pointed out that free will is given. But then it is pointed out that there will be consequences for a “wrong” choice. This allows the opportunity for the creation of sin or evil.

But then, how to deal with this sin/evil.

This same problem also relates to the issue of individuality and oneness.

For everything to be copacetic, a plan or system would need to be in place to allow the evil while still having a way to have it exist as a state of being that can be experienced (or visited for a period of time), but when understood, can still be resolved so that state of being does not have to be an eternally persistent experience, only an understood one.

Second, the ability to forget must be accommodated. This means, in order for forgiveness to have possibility of existence, the committed evil must be able to be forgotten (by all individuals involved and yes, ultimately by “God” too).

I recently made this comment in another post: “Maybe a plan was figured out on how to always keep part of itself "in the know", while simultaneous allowing other of itself to "forget" for awhile and to constantly take joy in rediscovering itself in an uncountable number of ways.

I think reincarnation and Karma help resolve the problem of good/evil and sin/forgiveness. It also allows for the One to become Many and then organize itself so that it may be all and experience all forever and a day.

Those who come to an understanding of repentance and forgiveness, can obtain forgiveness for sin from one having authority to grant such forgiveness, namely one who has experienced the greatest of the evil and overcome it by a faith of such knowing.

Those who develop to the point of understanding and accepting the forgiveness, learn how to forgive themselves and others and move on to even greater vistas.

Those who cannot find and accept the forgiveness in a given lifetime, will continue to endure their prison (other lifetimes) “until the uttermost farthing” is paid.

Eventually spiritual growth and development can bring individuals to understanding so they can learn to exist and be settled in light and life.

Just some of my musings,

Sojo

[Alchopwn]

13 hours ago, Crazy Horse said:

Because GOD is Love, and therefore respects our free will.

Even if your free will is leading you straight to hell.

Its your choice.

 

But God's love is jealous, petty, violent, sadomasochistic and abusive by their own scriptural admission within the Bible.  As to sending people to Hell, how can an infinite punishment ever be just in the face of even the gravest finite crimes.  That is unjust, not omnibenevolent. It is bad to worship evil gods, even if they tell you they are good.   Worse still, why give humans free will if the exercise of it always places them in jeopardy of eternal damnation?  It's simply cruel.  Face facts.  Your deity built humanity to fail so he could torment us. You worship a monster. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Alchopwn

[cormac mac airt]

23 minutes ago, Alchopwn said:

But God's love is jealous, petty, violent, sadomasochistic and abusive by their own scriptural admission within the Bible.  As to sending people to Hell, how can an infinite punishment ever be just in the face of even the gravest finite crimes.  That is unjust, not omnibenevolent. It is bad to worship evil gods, even if they tell you they are good.   Worse still, why give humans free will if the exercise of it always places them in jeopardy of eternal damnation?  It's simply cruel.  Face facts.  Your deity built humanity to fail so he could torment us. You worship a monster. 

Actually it’s worse if the Bible is to be believed as mankind was never supposed to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, having done so therefore is what gave mankind free will NOT God. God even allegedly laments the repercussions of humanity having done so. There is no benevolence in that anywhere. 
 

cormac

[Alchopwn]

Just now, cormac mac airt said:

Actually it’s worse if the Bible is to be believed as mankind was never supposed to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, having done so therefore is what gave mankind free will NOT God. God even allegedly laments the repercussions of humanity having done so. There is no benevolence in that anywhere. 
 

cormac

And yet it is God's fault for not programming Adam and Eve to not listen to talking snakes.  I mean A&E were literal imbeciles. I mean even animals can tell the difference between good and evil.  Dogs bark and cats hiss at people who threaten their pack.  Adam and Eve couldn't even do that.

Then God sends Jesus to die to redeem humanity for eating the fruit.  How does that work?  Two wrongs don't make a right.

[cormac mac airt]

1 minute ago, Alchopwn said:

And yet it is God's fault for not programming Adam and Eve to not listen to talking snakes.  I mean A&E were literal imbeciles. I mean even animals can tell the difference between good and evil.  Dogs bark and cats hiss at people who threaten their pack.  Adam and Eve couldn't even do that.

Then God sends Jesus to die to redeem humanity for eating the fruit.  How does that work?  Two wrongs don't make a right.

Apparently it does if one of those doing it is God! 
 

cormac

[Alchopwn]

1 hour ago, cormac mac airt said:

Apparently it does if one of those doing it is God! 

But hang on there... Jesus seems like a nice enough guy if we don't probe too much into his back story.  How does torturing God in human form change a damn thing?  God is literally allowing certain romans to whip him and crucify Him.  And for what?  Masochistic kicks?  So he can activate his cheat codes and respawn three days later?

We are told that Jesus then goes to Hell and leads the "virtuous pagans" out, likely creating Purgatory in the process.

We re also told both that Jesus' sacrifice redeemed humanity from Original Sin, when Jesus specifically said that following him redeems us from all sin, not just Original Sin. 

This whole "bit" is just straight-up goofy, and should sorely test the faith of any self-identifying Christian because the more you think about it, the sicker and more perverted the ideas and theology involved become as you try to rationalize it.  Jesus...He's not a scapegoat, he's a scape-lamb.  There's a difference, see?

Edited March 6, 2023 by Alchopwn

[Alchopwn]

13 hours ago, Sojo said:

First, for freewill to exist, the choice of committing any action that would be considered “sinful” or “evil” must be allowed. (This is also represented in the bible when God says “of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat”). It’s pointed out that free will is given. But then it is pointed out that there will be consequences for a “wrong” choice. This allows the opportunity for the creation of sin or evil.

If all Free Will really allows is for humans to do evil, so they can fail and go to Hell, then why call it free will and not Evil?  In any case, we can never have free will if God is omnipotent, we can only ever have the illusion of free will, as ultimately God can take free will away from us and we will never even know.  Omnipotence means All-Powerful. and that means control over time and space, all outcomes, and control of all human minds and memories.  How can we even pretend to have free will with such an entity in the picture?  It is straight up impossible.  John Calvin's "predestination" theology is vastly superior to Catholic "free will" theology in this regard. 

Also, the question must be asked, what sort of entity grants you free will then damns you to an eternal punishment for exercising it, demanding instead a total submission of one's will to them?  The only logical answer is that it must be an Evil entity.

[Ajay0]

I would say the concept of Satan is very similar to that of Maya in Hinduism and Mara in Buddhism.

However Maya is equated with the undisciplined mind tending to vices due to  strong desires in the form of cravings and aversions, as per Hinduism and Buddhism. There is no diabolical figure with horns and tail to be taken literally.

Such a metaphor may perhaps be useful in some religions, but it can also incite inordinate fear and mental weakness within, which can be counterproductive to its intended purpose.

 

Quote

 

'The (untamed) mind is maya. Reality lies beyond the mind. So long as the mind functions there is duality, maya, etc. Once it is transcended the Reality shines forth.' ~ Ramana Maharshi

"Monks, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great loss as the untamed mind. The untamed mind indeed conduces to great loss.

"Monks, I know not of any other single thing so conducive to great profit as the tamed mind. The tamed mind indeed conduces to great profit. ~ Buddha, (Anguttara Nikaya)

For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy. ~ Bhagavad Gita 6.6

 

 

 

[Rlyeh]

16 hours ago, Crazy Horse said:

Because GOD is Love, and therefore respects our free will.

Even if your free will is leading you straight to hell.

Its your choice.

 

Unless you collect sticks on the wrong day.

[Rlyeh]

Why doesn't God kill Satan?  Because that would be suicide.

[Crazy Horse]

2 hours ago, Rlyeh said:

Unless you collect sticks on the wrong day.

The Law of Karma is infallible, nothing to do with sticks, mate.

[Crazy Horse]

2 hours ago, Rlyeh said:

Why doesn't God kill Satan?  Because that would be suicide.

Because GOD is love..

And besides, that is what Mars, is made for.