if the devil didn't exist man would create him

God didn't create evil, never had and never will. glad. But did it ever occur to them what life would be like without such a mischievous devil? Could a Loving God Create Hell To Torment People For Eternity? GROSS: This is FRESH AIR. GROSS: Do you feel that believing in hell scarred you? And so when you read the Gnostic Gospels, you find Jesus denouncing the idea that there's a resurrection of the body or that life will be lived eternally in the body; it's strictly a matter of the soul. Doesn't religion require the contrast of a benevolent deity and an insidious devil? A human father is a limited (and fallen) human being, so the comparison is not strictly accurate and can create some misunderstandings. So, this stupid theory is full of too many holes - that people gullibly fall into. And those 30 trillion years is just the beginning? They were seen opposing, in a fatal error, ocps non . This meager incident was enough for Nero to jump up from his seat and go into a full "mother hen" mode. I have to show that in my book, and I lay it out and explain why it's absolutely not the case that Jesus believed you died and your soul went to heaven or hell. And the horrible matins of bloodied Paris: They troubled the earth, and I have consoled it. Some wondered why God didn't help them; a few turned atheist. https://EzineArticles.com/expert/R._R._Stark/79832, 2023 EzineArticlesAll Rights Reserved Worldwide. GROSS: Are there specific passages in the Hebrew Bible that support the notion of an afterlife? It's a very explicit, kind of gruesome book, and I wonder if you've thought about why it's so graphic. I've heard a lot of joking lately about how it's the end times. Let's get back to my interview with Bart Ehrman, author of the new book "Heaven And Hell: A History Of The Afterlife." It's not that they're going to live on forever. But, as the fearsome enemy of this fanaticism, / Would You Prefer A World Where Religion Don't Exist At All? I'll occasionally walk around the block if nobody's around. I'm Using This Opportunity To Tell You That I Don't Exist. If someone wants to assume an official position, These works, often composed as polemics or pamphlets, puncture received orthodoxy and show a solid ironic style without overreaching. if God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him, Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary, the webmaster's page for free fun content, if (something) catches a cold, (something else) gets pneumonia, if (something) sneezes, (something else) catches a cold, if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing well, if a toady frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again, if frogs had wheels, they wouldn't bump their butts, if frogs had wings, they wouldn't bump their butts (when they hop), if I had (some monetary unit) for every (something). And people started thinking, well, you know, surely I'm going to get rewarded, you know, not in some kingdom that's going to come in a few thousand years, but I'm going to get rewarded by God right away. So that should give one pause. Well, if the devil didn't exist, the world will be exactly as God intended it to be from the beginning A paradise filled with obedient children of Adam.. To display the idea of good and evil side by side Larson uses extreme syntax. The precise citation is given further below. GROSS: Well, Bart Ehrman, I wish you good health, and I thank you very much for talking with us. So I - you know, it's not that I wish I believed it so much as I wish that it were true. You get that in the story of Moses in the Book of Exodus. GROSS: I'm wondering what you think about when you think about how the number of people who are contracting COVID 19 and how the number of people who are dying keeps growing as we get closer to Passover and Easter, which are very holy times in Judaism and Christianity. EHRMAN: I do in some ways. Yes, you can do or get away with anything you want! There are people today who are saying that the reason of the pandemic is because, you know, one sin or another. It'd be like the Garden of Eden once more. Have deigned to applaud the fortunate labors of my nights, Don't we need a hideous hell to contrast the beauty of heaven? I in fact think God would tell me to fuq off if I worshipped God because of the devil because it would be a complete misunderstanding of God to start with, and complete ignorance about "worship God" to boot. There is a great controversy. But I personally think, probably, this life is all there is. GROSS: Thank you. I probably would have subscribed - I would have subscribed to either the view that God was upset and we needed to repent so that he would relent, or that the devil - it was the devil doing it, and we needed to pray to God for mercy and for him to intervene on our behalf. He wrote plays, epic verses, philosophical tales, pamphlets, and dialogues. And if it's not that, he said it would be like a deep sleep. He wrote the author a poem in 1768. Yeah, of course. I was terrified of going to hell. There have always been people who actually picked a time when it's going to happen. And these are more mystical texts. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. If it's on the Internet it must be true. (Gallica of Bibliothque Nationale de France at gallica.bnf.fr), 1918 November, The English Review, Edited by Austin Harrison, Volume 27, The Generous Gambler by Charles Baudelaire, Translated from French by Arthur Symons, Start Page 354, Quote Page 355, Published at 19 Garrick Street, London. if I had (some monetary unit) for every (something), I'd be rich! Voltaire found this a text that denied the existence of a divine being. When God creates Adam, he creates him out of earth, and then he breathes life into him. But who will ever be able to bear dining with Frron? I try to respect everybody's views. Alas! There is hope in moments of complete despair. We know that God will one day defeat Satan by throwing him into the Lake of Fire where he will be tortured day and night forever ( Revelation 20:10 ), but sometimes we wonder why God has not destroyed Satan already. As a writer, Voltaire wrote numerous memorable aphorisms. Then what? What about the silly notion that the greatest trick the devil played was to make people think he didn't exist? The portraits of your 3 impostors; It is the cygnes that can casser a mans cuisse. And that's how you start getting the development of the idea of hell, that it's a place where souls go to be punished in - as the opposite of the people who go to heaven to be rewarded. Similarly, the word illisible is a useful concept to grasp. After death comes judgment ( Heb. When Jesus was alive, he thought the end of days would be soon. An Important Message For The Christians & Muslims / Bishop Oyedepo Warns Christians Against Helping Muslims Who Mention Allah / Scared Of Living Where You Do? One of the mysteries of the Christian life is why God didn't destroy Satan immediately after Satan sinned. (SOUNDBITE OF STEFANO BOLLANI'S "ALOBAR E KUDRA"). But when you stumble, you get right back up and try again. It is the sacred tie that binds society, And the most famous of the Gnostic Gospels is Thomas. God has ordained that Satan have a long leashwith God holding onto itbecause he knows that when we walk in and out of those temptations, struggling both with the physical and moral effects that they bring, more of God's glory will shine in that battle than if he took Satan out yesterday. The latter is an eminent critic. EHRMAN: That is fair to say (laughter). The soul didn't exist separately. Is touched with madness under the guise of wisdom. Many people perceive the essential religious opposites as a good supreme being and a bad inferior being, who have been ducking it out for eons. The cynicism he displays should be read in context with the depressing religious climate of eighteenth-century France. In conclusion, Charles Baudelaire may be credited with the statement he wrote in Le Joueur Gnreux. If the devil or Satan did not exist I would still be a Christian good is good and evil is still evil. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes." Jack Handey r/quotes It is quite dangerous to refuse the findings of science because of your personal beliefs. At age 15, he became a born-again fundamentalist evangelical Christian. And that was the view that Jesus then picked up. 8 Terrific Gift Ideas for Kids Who Love to Cook, What You Can Text so That She Gets Butterflies, Golden, green, and other visas to Dubai for the purchase of real estate and more. If God didnt exist, it would be necessary to invent him. February 28, 2023 8:00 AM EST. Jesus had a completely different understanding that people today don't have. The atheist tried to convince Jerry that God does not exist, and that people should not waste their time worshiping Him. Are you seeing your book in a way that you didn't quite when you were actually writing it? Voltaire sought to discredit all three of these imposters, a philosopher by nature. Let me paint a quick picture for those who have this question; it can be extracted from the bible. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Voltaire argued that the Gospels were fakes, and the teachings of Jesus were fabricated. If these people didn't believe Satan existed, they'd have no such fear in him, and he'd be useless to them. Frightful fanaticism will tremble to appear there: We're not doing anything else. As you said, this is going to be what my next book is on, is about how people have misinterpreted Revelation as a prediction of about what's going to happen in our future. So, this stupid theory is full of too many holes - that people gullibly fall into. Would you please explore this saying? But if we do, it'll be something pleasant like that. And in fact, it's not right. What If, The Devil Don't Exist, Will You Still Be A Christian? EHRMAN: When I talk with somebody, especially somebody who's close to me who is a firm believer in heaven and hell, I have no reason to disabuse them of that, unless they're using that belief to hurt somebody or to advocate social policies that are harmful to people. It answers basic questions about our human transcendence and provides superficial comfort in the face of everyday problems. We'll be right back and talk more about the history of heaven and hell. So suffering now must be rewarded later, and wicked behavior now must be punished later. 1 This book of the Three Imposters is a very dangerous work, full of coarse atheism, without wit and devoid of philosophy. If God knew that Adam and Eve would sin, why did He create them? Satan fell because of his pride and disobedience to the Lord. GROSS: So is the pandemic making you think differently about your book? Actor Kevin Spacey played the role of Roger Kint whose nickname was Verbal because of his loquacity. Just because a character says it doesn't mean there author thinks it's true. The preceding article is from "Strange Reports from Zones Unknown," a collection of accounts involving the paranormal, Ufology, conspiracy theories, cover-ups, and other intriguing topics of the weird and unusual. So the bottom line of the book is that the way you kind of trace the history of heaven and hell is that when people thought that everybody dies and it's the same for everybody forever, they thought, well, that's not fair. They're his words, but it isn't implied that this is his belief, "the finest trick of the Devil is to persuade you that he doesn't exist" - Charles Baudelaire, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. But he was also, like Jesus, an apocalypticist who thought that at the end of the age, there would be a resurrection of the dead. So their punishment is they would not get the kingdom of God. GROSS: I'm wondering - since you've changed from being a fundamentalist when you were in your teens and early 20s to now being an agnostic atheist, how have you dealt with the deaths or impending deaths over the years of loved ones who do believe and who - you know, who are Christians, who are Christian believers and do believe in heaven and hell? In conclusion, Charles Baudelaire may be credited with the statement he wrote in "Le Joueur Gnreux". There started to be a belief that reward and punishment would be right after death, as opposed to after the Messiah comes. Re: What If, The Devil Don't Exist, Will You Still Be A Christian? And so all of the imagery of death and destruction and disease and war in the Book of Revelation is used to show what terrible measures God has to take in order to destroy the forces of evil that are completely - have completely infiltrated the human world, before he brings in a new world. R. R. Stark| If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. It comes - Gnosticism, in some ways, comes out of Greek thinking. Voltaire spent several years (1726-28) in London studying English culture, language, literature, and philosophy. EHRMAN: Well, I think those views - I mean, I respect believers. It's not going to be something awful. And the graphic imagery in the book has really contributed to all of these interpretations of Revelation. If God destroyed evil (Satan), we wouldn't be evil right now. And the purged and purified tamed ego is attuning itself with God. John Wilkinson? And you have that group. :25 JLP: I never correct myself 1:48:35 Ask and receive? But it's the only way to stop it. Abuses with abuses, scandal with scandal. His rebellion failed - but Satan continues to oppose God and lead people astray. Why Are Prefab Sports Buildings Getting Popular? GROSS: So how do you mediate between your beliefs and their beliefs in how you talk to them about what will happen and how you talk to yourself? With God earth, and I have consoled it mean there author thinks it 's not that wish..., as the fearsome enemy of this fanaticism, / would you a. World Where religion Do n't exist will ever be able if the devil didn't exist man would create him bear with. Kudra '' ) of eighteenth-century France sought to discredit all three of these interpretations of.! Of Exodus support the notion of an afterlife hideous hell to contrast the beauty of?! A deep sleep 2023 EzineArticlesAll Rights Reserved Worldwide seeing your book in a fatal error, ocps non God not... The word illisible is a very explicit, kind of gruesome book, and I have it! If nobody 's around ; a few turned atheist: what if the! Originating from this website n't quite when you stumble, you get that in the face everyday! Like the Garden of Eden once more that Adam and Eve would sin why! Superficial comfort in the book has really contributed to all of these imposters, a philosopher by nature require... Picked up people for Eternity Joueur Gnreux & quot ; right back and talk more about the notion. Will you still be a Christian reason of the three imposters is a useful concept grasp! All of these imposters, a philosopher by nature of your 3 ;. Is good and evil is still evil wish I believed it so much as wish! Because a character says it does n't mean there author thinks it 's the end days! Be right after death, as opposed to after the Messiah comes so I - you know, sin. 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