The Devil Made Me Do It!

reply to post by windword


Uh oh... I think you found a chink in his armor.

Originally posted by windword
What WAS going on then, in the wilderness, with Jesus and the Devil? If the Devil, as you say, is an internal "devil" didn't Jesus wrestle with his own internal temptation, as we all do?

As I said, I believe that it is allegorical, not the retelling of an actual event.

reply to post by adjensen


Allegory for what? An inner "devil" that was tempting Jesus from within? If he had an inner devil then he was not exempt from original sin.

Originally posted by 3NL1GHT3N3D1
reply to post by adjensen

 

Allegory for what? An inner "devil" that was tempting Jesus from within? If he had an inner devil then he was not exempt from original sin.

Are you incapable of reading what I've written?

I do not believe that it was an actual event -- it never happened and Jesus wasn't tempted by anything in the wilderness. Why is that so difficult to comprehend?

reply to post by adjensen


So where did the story come from then? Was it just added in for the hell of it?

Are you saying it was allegory for nothing? Then it's not an allegory at all.

reply to post by adjensen


Why is this story in the Bible? If it never happened, what is its significance? What are we to learn from it?

reply to post by adjensen


So all of it isn't true then or never happened.

Apparently both of you missed this in a post of mine on the previous page:

As I said, a) the Greek word there can be read as "tested" and b) as I do not believe in a physical entity called "the Devil", I see that passage as being allegorical -- Jesus is shown to not crave physical indulgences and wordly power at the expense of his relationship with God.

The most obvious clue that it is allegorical is the fact that there is no mountain in the world from which every kingdom in the world can be seen.

reply to post by adjensen


But if the scene never happened, why is it in the bible? What's the point of saying Jesus was tempted by the devil if it was allegory for nothing at all?

Originally posted by 3NL1GHT3N3D1
reply to post by adjensen

 

But if the scene never happened, why is it in the bible? What's the point of saying Jesus was tempted by the devil if it was allegory for nothing at all?

It's not an allegory for nothing at all. I just told you what it was an allegory for, in my opinion.

I give up.

reply to post by adjensen


It was an actual event. All whom comes from above goes through this, it is more of awareness for the human side of said person to experience. Brother went through many other events not written of as well, more for self.

reply to post by adjensen


If that never happened then how can you be so sure everything else did? That's a slippery slope you're getting on.

Originally posted by adjensen
Apparently both of you missed this in a post of mine on the previous page:

As I said, a) the Greek word there can be read as "tested" and b) as I do not believe in a physical entity called "the Devil", I see that passage as being allegorical -- Jesus is shown to not crave physical indulgences and wordly power at the expense of his relationship with God.

The most obvious clue that it is allegorical is the fact that there is no mountain in the world from which every kingdom in the world can be seen.

Jesus, whether tested or tempted, by the devil, still, in this story, has to deal with his own dark side, his own demons. This means that even Jesus had inner struggles, or temptations, to take an easier route. He is struggling with this issue in the garden when he prays "Let this cup pass from me."

Just because Jesus consistently is represented as making the right choice, that doesn't mean that he wasn't tempted, or didn't need to be tempered by testing, by his own inner conflicts.

reply to post by jhill76


It is not what goes into a man that corrupts him (pretty woman crossing his path for example)
It is what comes out of him that corrupts him (His lust, his greed, his selfishness, his jealousy, his hatred, his mean and inconsiderate acts).

Can you tell me who said this, "It is not what goes into a man that corrupts him but what comes out of him".

And by the way though it may be hard for you and every other empirical evidence measurer the devil is very real and not at all a nice person, sorry if you do not believe but you are entitled to your faith.

reply to post by LABTECH767


WHy do you assume I do not know whom he is and his task here and elsewhere?

Originally posted by jhill76
reply to post by LABTECH767

 

WHy do you assume I do not know whom he is and his task here and elsewhere?

Sorry it was not at you but the statement, these things are impersonal so I can see you were annoyed, My apology, when you have these thing's somebody always place devils advocate but you know yet many reading will now think on it.

And by that measure are any of us really that good though at least we can try.

reply to post by jhill76


if we really pay attention to what we do and how we interact with people. you can "see the future" because if you anailze yourself and those things then you will see changes. and you will start to learn how to better see other changes that might happen. so if you do this then less bad things will happen to you because you CHOOSE to not let it happen by using life's context clues. just think of it like a book. the author leaves you clues and the subject has to decide if he/she wants to do

Originally posted by adjensen

lol.

I personally do not believe in an external entity called "the Devil", who tempts and tortures. I do, however, believe in an internal "devil", the temptation and wrongdoing that is in all of us.

This comes as a surprise to me. How do you reconcile this idea with scripture? It doesn't agree with you.