The devil

[justoleme]

Is there a devil? I am refering to those who lie, cheat, steal, kill, and do all that is what some call evil. and those preahers say it is the evil spirit of the same devil inthe bible of the christians,,And i dont know which others refer to this..BUT i believe there is..The more i live the more i think the is the spirit of a devil.and the father of the lie just as Jesus spoke of..decieveing those from Eve and Adam up to this day. Yes I do belive that is true.

[ANDY-J2]

No there isn't a devil.Every human being has free choice and their actions are in general the result of the choices which they make.However a person who chooses to commit evil will tend to commit yet more evil,for as it states in the bible'he who has shall be given more'.This is how karma operates.As regards evil spirits inducing people to commit sinful acts,it's true that certain spirits which exist in the lower realms of the spirit world can interact with human beings and influence them but the person must have a predisposition to commit evil.No spirit can influence a human being to do anything which in their hearts they do not wish to do.

[justoleme]

i found that you said very informative and enjoyed reading that.this thing you mentioned about "karma" can you explain more on that subject..that is to do with some of those folks that hang around airports and dress like they are from India?and ask for money i think.

[ANDY-J2]

Justoleme,
I am not a Bhuddist and although I am nominally protestant I don't adhere to any religious faith.I believe that the purpose of life is spiritual growth and development and that karma is a law created by God in order that people may attain enlightenment.I believe that many of Christ's teachings deal with karma.Every action has a consequence and each human being is responsible for the consequence of every action which they commit.I believe that karma ensures that each individual will reap what they sow,not as a punishment but solely in order that they can learn to love and respect their fellow human beings.If a human being inflicts pain on another then I believe that they in turn must endure the pain which they have inflicted.Karma also creates the conditions which will allow each individual to attain enlightenment.Thus some people may endure intense suffering in order that they may learn to overcome hardship and thereby develop spiritually.I do not believe that any individual will suffer eternal damnation but I do believe that certain misguided individuals are condemned to almost perpetual reincarnation.I tend not to class people as good or bad.It's just that some people are further along the path to true enlightenment than others but at some point every soul will attain spiritual enlightenment.

[justoleme]

I will think about this awhile.You seem to be an intelligent person.do you think that if you were a Christian that if you told this to highly educated people that they would consider you less intelligent than they think they are? and that if you believe in some sort of exterior power you could be more accepted if you chose one that came from SE Asia?

[ANDY-J2]

Justoleme,
I wouldn't be greatly concerned about what highly intelligent people thought about my beliefs.My attitudes to religion stem from a lifetime of studying all forms of religious texts from sources as diverse as Bhuddism and native American religion.Reincarnation is a common belief in many cultures and was one of the doctrines of the early christian church.I find similarities between all of the world's major religions and I believe that they are conveying the same basic message.Christ states'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'.This has a parallel in the Koran where it states'no man is a believer unless he loves for his neighbour what he loves for himself'.In Bhuddism it is believed that an individual who incarnates as a rich man in one life will be obliged to reincarnate as a poor man in a future life and vice-versa;or as Christ states'many who are first shall be last and the last first'.At the end of the day I believe that every one regardless of their religious beliefs,or lack of them,is involved in the same spiritual journey back to God.No amount of theological knowledge or religious piety will make any man greater in the eyes of God-only what men have in their hearts is of any concern to him.

[justoleme]

Andy,,you seem like a good man..I am not being critical of you here..I just wonder if you found the good things from the text and combined them to form your own religion?No matter what though..I dont think you will do any wrong to your fellow man..I like that.