That's one way of looking at it.

Bolt

Okay now!  Get serious!  The devil isn't real?  Get outta here!

Not too far off my own thoughts on the matter. I would have said "personification" instead of "embodiment" since the Devil, for me, is a mythological image, but otherwise pretty on the mark, IMHO.

Mendalla

I think the devil is a cute cartoon character.  Other than that he is a personification told so people could understand about evil.  People understood things best in story form and still do.  Or maybe he is a scapegoat?  As in "the devil made me do it"

The devil is the embodiment of evil.

Evil is certainly real. I feel it comes in two basic classes.

1) random evil - actually I believe this is necessary for humanity to grow and develop through overcoming evil.

2) human evil - That force in humanity that works against growth and development both physically and spiritually. Again, this is something we must overcome before we can become what God wants us to be.

boltupright

there is this way and another thousand ways - none right and none wrong

take care and thanks for reading

hi  SLJUDDS   i wonder if for a thousand generations of being Chinese if you would still think the same as  you do with the mind forming of this culture

what makes one comfortabe on this short trip is all one can hope for

hoping your mind finds comfort forever

hi She Devil

good sense of humor and an open mind not controlled by too many stronger others influences-not that is good or bad just a little easier to filter though the constant bombarding of thoughts

be well and smile it looks good on people

Mendalla

thanks for reading and as in any thought there will always be a few that can find some of society mind forming a little silly to believe

right is what the majority think and the rest just tag along

be on top because there is less weight pushing down on you

hello qwery

nice wit

good or bad -bad or good,  for each action there are equal and opposite reactions

I don't know - If there is God, Then there is devil or demons If there is good, then there is evil. The people of Rwanda or people who have been caught up in genocide. People who have been tortured or abused. They will testify to the evils and demons that make people forget their humanity and kill and maim their fellowman. We in North America who live on top of the heap, are removed from the violence in the world. Therefore devil or demons do not exist, the same is for God, because of our wealth we do not need Him so we can dismiss Him

Hell and the Devil are in my opinion the two greatest mistakes in the Christian religion.

I have concluded that evil does not exist.  Ignorance abounds and it is ignorance that results in the error we perceive as bad and pronounce 'evil'

Evil people we want to punish or kill, ignorant people ...not so much.

The only freedom comes from knowing the truth.

Knowledge is the only good,

(The above is only stated provisionally  )

=======

Hummm. I wonder if societies/civilizations have truth depressions.--there were ages of enlightenment...and dark....

Happy Genius:  and yet knowledge doesn't, on its own, encourage goodness...  there are pretty happy ignorant people, and pretty miserable brainers. 

I would agree that a focus on an afterlife heaven/hell has allowed many to ignore the injustices around them that they could have solved.   Blaming something on the devil has let people off the hook.  What a waste of Christian potential these 2 things have led to.\  If the only reason someone behaves is to go to heaven, they missed the whole point.

Evil as ignorance does not satisfy me.  Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and many others were far from ignorant.  They may have been mentally ill.  But whatever the cause of their actions those actions were out and out evil.  And worse, we stood by and let them have a go at it.

Shalom

Mate

Jenny

By the way welcome.  I do hope you will enjoy your stay.

Shalom

Mate