Food for Thought

 For the purposes of this argument, we shall assume that God does in fact exist and we shall assume that the Devil exists. Because God is the source of good then the Devil is the source of Evil. To compare a principality against a being is unfair, so we shall therefore compare both the two beings and also the principalities that they manifest. I shall analyze from a Christian religion stand point because it is the one with which I am well versed and also because it is the one that is most problematic and arguable. What is the origin of Evil? It is widely believed that the Devil is the origin of evil because it is through the serpent that he seduced Eve and then Adam to eat the fruit. It is the Devil who was thrown out of heaven for his own pride and evil and his attempt to overthrow God. Let us assume this is all true, and that Evil did have a source. And now the source is from within each of us as it was from within Lucifer. Therefore we establish that each human being has the equal potential for both good and evil. 

 Let us now briefly compare the two beings, God and the Devil. They are opposites, but the problem in the existence of both is one created the other. By God creating Lucifer, he had to be aware of the potential for Lucifer's evil. And therefore he created Lucifer knowing what he would do and become. I believe that he proceeded with the creation of Lucifer because each being is given an equal chance at the righteous path. I fully believe that the only reason evil exists at all is because of the compassion and love God has for everyone, demon and angel alike. Because each of us is allowed not just a second chance, but an uncountable amount of chances until the final day of judgement. Rather than cruelly condemn a being for an evil act that in the comparison of our life span is a drop in the ocean, he has compassion and allows the "evil being" to continue in its existence in the hope that it will find it's way to God.

 This then brings up another question. Because we have all entertained the thought thus far by assuming certain things as true let us then expand our minds and assume another harder idea. If each human being is given the same amount of unlimited chances as the devil, the devil holds the advantage because his life span is much greater than our own. Let us then assume that reincarnation is a fact, and that each seperate human life we endure as a soul is tallied up on the scoreboard of our existences. This then evens the playing field a bit. But Nick, you might ask, why should we assume that reincarnation is a fact from a christian stand point? Just because you say so? I shall respond that no, there is precedence. Peter asked Jesus about a blind man, "Master, is it by his sin or by his parents that he was born blind?" And Jesus answered, "Neither, it is for the glory of god that he was born blind." How in the world could it be his own sins that would have caused him to be born blind? The answer is that the sins of our past lives follow us and we are made to atone for them. This in turn would explain why so many tragedies occur every day to infants and children all over the world who are seemingly completely innocent. If an infant dies at childbirth then it is a blessing. A blessing compared to a child that has to indure autism or another mental handicap. All of this is rather lengthy and arguable but at least you can see why I would ask to assume that reincarnation is a fact. Let us charge forward!

 Now to compare the two principalities. We see that evil by it's nature is a judgement. What some may consider good and what is evil differ from person to person. What is fact is that God as the ultimate deity has the harshest standards because he uses his own perfection as a measuring stick. However Christ made clear that God also judges with compassion taking everyone's own unique situations and weighing them with the circumstances. Why do people constantly seek forgiveness from God or shun it? If you ask why does God allow evil to exist? Then you should fairly ask why does God allow you or me to exist? Everyone seems to want the double standards when it comes to themselves. "He who is without sin may throw the first stone" How can a person easily condemn "evil" people when they themselves are not perfect. Also my final point and the one I consider to be the hay-maker, the coup de gras so to speak. Whose to say that God isn't eradicating evil? Who is to say that he is not destroying demons who have gone too far as you read this? Because God is all knowing he would know exactly when a fire would rage through a small village killing half of the populace and destroying the lives of all, he would most certainly arrange for it that everyone affected would by some sin in this life or another need to pay for said sin. Just because God has the power to create terrible events of "The Flood" levels doesn't mean he alone is responsible for every natural disaster, because God made nature the way it is he would have made it self sustaining and maybe even sentient. And finally who is to say that God doesn't stop a tsunami that would kill hundreds of thousands?? Because it is stopped you never knew it was coming. Its like on the news how they always report violence and crime, so you don't know about the heroes of the world because it isn't reported. Food for thought. 

Nick Bradley