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Do you agree with the title of this thread? Apparently 70% of Americans qualify as "unhealthy":


It's an interesting article about a debate on Nightline.

So, what do you think?

Question: Was Satan blamed for the wickedness of men before the flood? Or did man's wickedness cause God to exterminate all men but eight souls? I'll have to read again about the situation before the flood. It seems that Satan was in the garden but disappeared until he bargained with God for the life of Job.

Sure, I've done some bad things, but it's not my fault.

The Devil made me do it.

D-evil = Dagon - who was an idol not worshiped by Israelites, therefore signified as the liar, the serpent, evil and devil.

Men are such deceivers of themselves, ya know.

There's stuff that exists and stuff that don't exist. What does, does and what don't don't.

Though I do believe that there are spirits who do mischief and are bound in despair and hatred, none are evil and there is no Satan.

I prefer the way that Native American cultures address this issue.

They have a lovable character called Coyote, the Trickster. He often causes trouble but rarely, if ever, can be considered evil.

In some stories he is actually portrayed as the Creator......thus God is seen as fallible and irresponsible at times, just like humans.

He's a fun God......not so different from all of us except that he has more fun than we do.

We should ponder that.

Pax!

As the pen of god was in the scribal hand, the scribe often repented and most often cursed his people with atrocities, destruction, sickness and death, all sorts of diseases and defeatisms. That was the demon side of the scribe. But when the scribe saw things going his way, much like evangelicals, then the pen became a friendlier device and stroked the egos of his people. Filled with love and compassion the penmanship wrote amazingly in kindness, mercy and love. But get on his bad side and it was hell to pay.

Call me Rickster the Trickster

You do seem to have fun!

Such folly is that of jestors whom the kings delightfully employ. KJ had his imprint on a book written about it and called it "holy". Tis the work of such folly that made jestors in his court of men.

That Nightline debate was pretty awesome-when Chopra made the statement, "healthy people don't need Satan," I was like...WOW!!
And the things that Carlton Pearson talked about pertaining to his earlier exorcisms and such, it was pretty amazing.

I enjoyed it!

How is everyone?

-Dan

I think Pearson is close to becoming an atheist. He's left behind much that he once believed.

How's everyone? Well Dan, I'm just peachy but the rest of the cast is acting out.

I don't need Satan.

Ros, why do think Pearson is close to becoming an atheist? Do you think Universalism and Atheism are closely related?

I listened to a long podcast about him with an interview with him recently. He sounds like he's anything but an atheist to me.

Pearson once took the bible literally, when he was in with the in crowd of Oral Roberts and other televangelists. But when he actually began reading the bible and discovered many things in it didn't add up, and his preaching began to wander away from the little gods who had taught him, those little gods cut-off Pearson with a sharp knife, so to speak.

Pearson lost his ministry and his following of Right Wingers and their money. They spead the word that Pearson was on the outs. They washed their hands of him. Why? Because Pearson came to believe that all men were equal under his god. A universalism that includes homosexuals.

Leaving behind what one once believed brings one closer to atheism. Pearson may be in denial of what he already knows - gods are the creation of men. But he sees the need to help people in the only way he knows how, by offering a unifying love in fellow man.