Is the Devil on your trail?

Thank you, John! I am surprised it took so many posts to get your answer. Well said.

 

John,

As you can see from the posts on this board, there are about as many different viewpoints among Baptists on any subject, as there are among other religions. Therer is no consensus on anything, it seems to me.

 

Do any of you have evidence that Satan is at work today, in your own personal lives? If so, please present it. What can be considered evidence? Well, suppose you had to convince a jury of it, a jury chosen at random from off the street. What sort of evidence would be convincing? Back in history, there were many claims of the devils work, such as in witchcraft. I am willing to listen to any solid evidence you may have. And if what some of you claim is true, there should be some solid evidence.

 

I hate to point this out--but Wester was asked by at least two different people about his religious beliefs, and he avoided the question.

Wester, the demand you posited is a poor attempt to lead someone into a Catch-22 situation. If someone accidentally did agree with you and say there's no evidence of/for Satan, you'd be within your rights to turn around and say "just as there's no evidence of/for God or Christ."

But if you say that you do believe in God, while having already admitted that you don't believe in Satan, you put forth an untenable situation: How can one say there is a God without proof or evidence, but use the same logic to dictate that there is no Satan?

So, friend, what I suggest is that you stop the deception, come clean, and get everything out in the open.

Because frankly, lying is unbecoming, no matter who the person doing the lying is--but it's exceptionally bad form in those that "use lies to present the truth."

As I told a man named Jefferson once, how can we trust anything you say? We already know you've lied about what church you go to; from that point on, everything you said was suspect.

 

No Don, I don't think that you can automatically say that the evidence for God and the evidence for Satan is the same. Why do you say that? But if you have evidence for Satan, please post it. If you cannot, then are you willing to admit that there is not much evidence? It seems to me that there is substantially more evidence for God, than for Satan. As for Christ, there is a historical, recorded account, that must have some validity. What is there for Satan? None, that I can see.

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: Wester ]

 

Wester, here's the problem: You're not entitled to any evidence I have until you come clean.

 

Wester, You say that there is some credible evidence for Christ. What source provides the reliable evidence and what source is unreliable?

If you dispute that the Bible is true then when did it become corrupted? All of the evidence demonstrates that the Bible has been remarkably preserved from its origin til now. In your opinion, was it a collection of lies and myths from the start? If so, what evidence do you really have concerning God and Christ?

Satan is frequently mentioned in the Bible. Are all of these particular scriptures fabrications?

I believe in a real Satan because Jesus spoke about him and many other passages of scripture refer to him. The world has an evil system, not just evil individuals. The Bible declares it and observation confirms it. No human being has ever lived that could accomplish such a feat. Evil goes beyond the individual and collective acts of mankind.

I believe in Satan because Christians are opposed and persecuted for trying to promote the kingdom of God. I see evidence in the fact that the same failed philosophies and ideas are repackaged over and over throughout history. All of them pervert or obscure the truths of God. Satan blinds man to his own history. Your perspective is by no means new. Satan has denied who he is from the very start.

The bottom line is- What do you believe and why? Only what you can see and measure? You cannot prove by sight and measure anything related to the origin of the world... You can only see and measure the result then make suppositions on how you think everything exists. Does the world exist? Without using your own experiences or those of others, prove it.

 

Where in scripture can you find that a disobedient, rebellious, dabbling-in-the-occult, backsliding Christian cannot be possessed or demonized by the devil?
Hey, I am starting a very controversial thread!


JOHN WELLS SAID:
There is a spiritual world of beings all around us that we cannot see. Hundreds of angels and demons are within inches of us daily. Keep in mind this comforting thought: if you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, you cannot be indwelt by a demon spirit as well! The Holy Spirit, being part of God Himself, is much too powerful for a demon or even Satan himself.

To comment on this, go to: http://www.baptistboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=000567

[ February 05, 2002: Message edited by: John Wells ]

 

My sister is a nurse in an emergency room and she believes that demons exist. But she could not explain to me why they do not have an emergency room procedure for the treatment of demon possession. I know of a pediatrician who is a fundamentalist and who suggested to the parents of one of his patients, that perhaps their son might be demon possessed. The parents did not take kindly to that medical advice and the doctor came close to being disciplined by the local medical association. What I am suggesting is that if Satan is active in the world today, hardly anyone, including you fundamentalists, behave as if that is a real possibility. It seems that Satan is of academic interest only, to all christians. Maybe Satan is really not active at all, since no one here can provide real world proof of his activity?

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Maybe Satan is really not active at all, since no one here can provide real world proof of his activity? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Based on what I've read of your posts, this probably will not meet your requirements, but hey---!
1. Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden -------ad infinitum!

2. The Word is very explicit in MANY places about satan!

If you choose not to believe what God has said re: the devil, there's no reason for you to believe what He said about anything else is there, so your query becomes a rather moot point, does it not?

 

As to whether there is a personal devil/demon/evil angel, I really have no idea, & I don't recall ever crossing that topic in the Word. Now understand, that's not to say it's not there! I still am amazed at the "new" stuff I find even after decades of reading His Word.
I do believe that a Christian can come under the attack/influence of satan if we give him an opening such as dabbling in the occult.
Neil Anderson has several books relating to this topic that I find extremely enlightening, so you may want to read one or two.