Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: iwilliam@us.oracle.com (Ian Williams) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Question? Message-ID: Date: 9 Jun 91 19:02:23 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Oracle Systems Lines: 35 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu hi. a question. if god is the first cause, and if our conception with regard to his character is correct (i.e. that he is omnipotent, omniscient, and good) and if we believe that god is love, then since satan (the devil, whatever you like) was brought into existence by god he must have been good. totally good since god could not create evil. if so then how could he be corrupted? indeed how could evil exist if god did not create it? thanks for your time, ollie g ---- Good question ollie.. The answer is that God created the Angels (satan was one of them, in fact many theologists think he was the second in command after the God Head) with a free will, just as he created man with a free will... God desires beings that will worship him out of their love respect admiration etc, but also out of their free will.... If we did not have this will then God would not get any glory out of robots praising him... satan abused this free will and his PRIDE took the better of him.. He was the second in command but he wanted it all.. he wanted to be exalted higher than God and this caused his fall.. God did not cause him to Sin, in fact i'm sure this was the saddest day in heaven, satan gave in to his own desires and pride and hence sin came into existance.. so God did not create evil, evil came into being when satan went against God and tried to go higher... -- ----------------------+----------------------------------+------------------- Ian Williams <>< | Internet: iwilliam@au.oracle.com |I don't speak for Oracle Systems | Phone : +61 8 239 3900 |them, and they don't Adelaide, Australia | |speak for me..