Fighting Evil

[kurchatovium]

I am openning up more general issues to try to avoid flame wars and get more into logistics of issues. How does one fight evil? I remember once when I was little after seeing a scary movie I had bad dreams. The movie was about the devil. I asked my grandma "How do you fight the devil?" without hesitation she said "You look him straight in the face and spit in his eye.". "Won't that make him mad?" I asked. My grandma replied "The devil operates on fear. Fear of death, fear of material loss and other things that don't really matter. If you put your faith in God, the devil can't ever harm you.". Well the bad dreams went away a few days after that and I have always thought much since that day about what my grandmother told me. It has perhaps shaped my view of the world, especially in the light of recent events. I thought I would share this personal memory and get your views on how does one combat evil? Or is it always suppose to exsist? Or is there a difference between regular evil and the kind Satan dreams up? Does Satan really exsist? Your thoughts are welcome but please no flames.

 

[TicklingDuo]

hmmmm....interesting topic

I believe that there are two kinds of evil...personal evil and spiritual evil. We as human beings have faults which, left unchecked, can lead us to do things considered to be evil. Addictions, violence, etc. are examples of this. There was a time when it was believed that those who did things that were evil were posessed. While I believe that demonic posession is a reality, I don't believe that it's the reason for most cases of people doing things that are considered to be evil.

I DO believe that satan exists and that he isn't alone in the category of evil spirits. I also believe that there are times when there are true cases of demonic posession. But, those cases are few and far between and rarely exhibit themselves in the ways that many horror movies would suggest.

As for how to fight evil, your grandmother was right on track. Fear is one of the tools used by saten to control us (or try to). The other biggie is lies. I don't mean flat out obvious lies either. He's a devious one. Let's say you have bad, neutral, good, better and best. Most people can recognize the bad as something to not choose. God offers us the best in every instance. Satan will offer anything but the best. So, what he offers may not necessarily be bad. It's just not the best. Every time we choose less than the best, we weaken our ability to tell the difference. Always looking for the greatest good is the best way to fight evil.

Ann

 

[Oddjob0226]

The Greek & Roman philosophers that we base much of our sense of right and wrong, culture, and government on - really old guys here - asked the questions "What is evil?" "What is justice?" And we're still trying to get a definitive answer all can agree on.

 

[kurchatovium]

I suppose the most complicated questions are always the ones that stand the test of time. A thousand years from now we still be discussing good and evil as well as justice.

I agree Ann lies are another biggie that evil uses. Belial one of demons in mythology is also known as the "Lord of Lies". Also I think pride is another tool that is used by evil most frequently. Which it is why it is the biggest sin. It is the trickiest of sins because you could do something nice and then someone can praise you for doing the nice thing and perhaps lead you down the wrong path.