Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site pucc-h
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:aeq
From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: two of Kulawiec's
Message-ID: <973@pucc-h>
Date: Thu, 23-Aug-84 19:04:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.973
Posted: Thu Aug 23 19:04:00 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Aug-84 06:18:32 EDT
References: <45700017@convex.UUCP>, <937@pucc-h>, <936@pucc-h>, <940@pucc-h>
Organization: Tucumcari Divinity School
Lines: 31

From Mark McWiggins (uw-beaver!teltone!tikal!mark):

> A point I've often wondered about: wouldn't a Serious God make it a
> little clearer about what was the One True Way?

Clarity is in the eye of the beholder.  Jesus is recorded to have said, "I am
the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father except by Me."
Also, Christianity is unique among major world religions in that its Founder
claimed not to be just a prophet or an enlightened one, but made statements
implying His equality with God -- not to mention the little detail that He 
was raised from the dead, something I don't think one can say about Mohammed,
Buddha, et al.

> Why does God allow "Satan and the other demons" to muck things up so?
> Certainly our free will is capable enough of getting us into trouble on
> our own, if that is the idea?

Apparently God intended all His creations, including angels, to have free will.
Angels, judging by the Bible at least, were intended to be ministering spirits;
but some of them chose to use their power for their own purposes, and thus
became demons.  While this undoubtedly makes things more difficult for us, God
is aware of our temptations (Jesus was tempted in all respects just as we are,
yet without sin), and He will provide a way out, no matter how virulent the
activities of the Enemy -- provided we choose to take that way out; we are
indeed perfectly capable of getting into/staying in trouble on our own steam.
But we don't have to.

-- 
-- Jeff Sargent
{decvax|harpo|ihnp4|inuxc|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
[the man with the cornrowed chest hair :-)]