Non-PG13: A Few Questions About Religion

[David]

I don't believe any this because I'm an Atheist. I respect people and their Religion, I just want a few answers about Religion.

According to the bible, Incest is a sin. Adam and Eve performed Incest with their children, considering their weren't any other humans on Earth. I know God allowed Incest at the time because there was know other choice, but after a while he prohibited it. So that means everyone on the Earth is your brother or sister. If you have sex with someone that means you are having sex with a brother or sister which is Incest, which is a sin. Why would God still allow this after he prohibited thousand's of years ago?

Another thing I want to talk about is The Devil. Why is The Devil the personification of Evil and them enemy of God and humankind? The Devil punishes bad people right? That means The Devil doing something good. The Devil is helping God punish bad people. I don't understand how The Devil is an enemy of God.

[Beetbox]

Originally Posted by David

I don't believe any this because I'm an Atheist. I respect people and their Religion, I just want a few answers about Religion.

According to the bible, Incest is a sin. Adam and Eve performed Incest with their children, considering their weren't any other humans on Earth. I know God allowed Incest at the time because there was know other choice, but after a while he prohibited it.

Ok, well there are many ways you can look at this, many believe it is just a story to show morality but it fails to show any real morals and is quite hypocritical.

Others again believe that it was just that Adam and Eve were figure heads for humans at the time. That there were others but to show original sin, these two were chosen.

Others believe that this story is just complete and utter fiction.

Originally Posted by David

So that means everyone on the Earth is your brother or sister. If you have sex with someone that means you are having sex with a brother or sister which is Incest, which is a sin.

I'm going to be quite specific here, adam and eve have children, those children have children, then they are cousins, just like your fathers brothers children are your cousins. So straight away your point is invalid. It would be relations not brothers or sister.

Originally Posted by David

Why would God still allow this after he prohibited thousand's of years ago?

That raises many other questions, why would he care about that, if he allows everything else on the earth to happen, there are far worse things than incest. Many would argue it is because he has given mankind freewill to make their own choices in life.

Originally Posted by David

Another thing I want to talk about is The Devil. Why is The Devil the personification of Evil and them enemy of God and humankind?

For every good thing in this universe many would argue there is bad. They say that there is nothing that is solely good or bad. If only God were to exist many would argue there would be no evil in the world as there would be no devil to tempt us.

Originally Posted by David

The Devil punishes bad people right? That means The Devil doing something good. The Devil is helping God punish bad people. I don't understand how The Devil is an enemy of God.

The devil is an enemy of God many people would say because he inspires God's creations to stray from his path, they do bad things and so do not follow his love. The devil people argue causes many to turn away from God and that is why he is the enemy of God. The devil can cause anyone to stray from their path, be they good or evil. He punishes any who enter his realm or listen to him. While you may see this as helping God you have made a very one sided argument, which I would like to see you expand further.

I am a nihilist, so none of this is from a religious persons point of view.

[LittleMsFOB]

Hello,

Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about your first question. But there have been so many generations since Adam and Eve that the family bond has been incredibly diluted. So it's not like you would be having sex with your brother or sister, it's a lot more distant than that. I mean, you are probably related to a lot of people, just so far removed that it wouldn't be considered incest. *Shrugs* I'm not a geneology expert.

As for your second question, the Devil isn't helping God. Originally, the evil was not supposed to exist. The Devil was actually an angel in heaven called Lucifer that turned bad, and decided he wanted to be more powerful than God and got kicked out of heaven. So he represents evil because he opposes God, who is good. The Devil wants people to go astray and follow him, like he's winning people away from God. It's not that he punishes people who do wrong, he leads people to do wrong, and the punishment they recieve for doing wrong is separation from God and good things in hell. The important thing though, is that Jesus Christ died so that no one is doomed to hell, despite the fact that everyone sins. Jesus triumphed over the devil, sin, and death because God loves us. So we're saved if we believe that and accept that gift of life.
That's one Christian's perspective, hope that made sense.
That's my take on it, so

[Sythan]

While I cannot answer the questions about the Bible, I can about the Devil.

Looking at it from outside the box, the Devil is the good guy. He saw how God was lying to Adam and Eve and enslaving them in his will. Satan wanted Adam and Eve and all of humanity to be free, to think for themselves and do what they wanted, not what God commanded.

He challenged God not because he wanted power or the throne of Heaven, but because he was tired of a tyrant for a ruler, treating humans like sheep.

[Xujhan]

Originally Posted by LittleMsFOB

As for your second question, the Devil isn't helping God. Originally, the evil was not supposed to exist. The Devil was actually an angel in heaven called Lucifer that turned bad, and decided he wanted to be more powerful than God and got kicked out of heaven. So he represents evil because he opposes God, who is good. The Devil wants people to go astray and follow him, like he's winning people away from God. It's not that he punishes people who do wrong, he leads people to do wrong, and the punishment they recieve for doing wrong is separation from God and good things in hell. The important thing though, is that Jesus Christ died so that no one is doomed to hell, despite the fact that everyone sins. Jesus triumphed over the devil, sin, and death because God loves us. So we're saved if we believe that and accept that gift of life.
That's one Christian's perspective, hope that made sense.
That's my take on it, so

So Satan is actually more-or-less powerless, and the people who suffer in hell are suffering because God wants them to, rather than because of Satan?

[John 6:29]

Originally Posted by David

I don't believe any this because I'm an Atheist. I respect people and their Religion, I just want a few answers about Religion.

According to the bible, Incest is a sin. Adam and Eve performed Incest with their children, considering their weren't any other humans on Earth. I know God allowed Incest at the time because there was know other choice, but after a while he prohibited it. So that means everyone on the Earth is your brother or sister. If you have sex with someone that means you are having sex with a brother or sister which is Incest, which is a sin. Why would God still allow this after he prohibited thousand's of years ago?

No, it wasn't a sin. It wasn't a law yet. Romans covers this. The law wasn't given till Moses, which is several hundred years after Adam and Eve. Also, the question itself is a mistake. Adam and Eve weren't the only people created. They were just the first, and the only ones that the Bible gives direct descriptions of. How do we know there were more? When Cain killed Abel... "Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment [is] greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, [that] every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." However, in the Bible we are only given the geneology of Adam and Eve, and the only people existing in this chapter, by your logic, is Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel (that Abel is now dead). So, if Adam and Eve were in the garden, Abel was driven out, who was left to kill Abel? No one by your standard, thus more were living.

You have to think the Bible as a movie, or a book. You can't simply assume every even ever recorded is in the Bible. It'd be WAY to long! So, it focuses on individuals, not all. That is, were only given a glimpse of what happen, because if all events were recorded, there wouldn't be a book big enough to contain it. When you watch a movie, there is essentially more to the story than you are seeing. There are all those other people around the main characters, but you never see their story. Just the main plot. You have to think the Bible the same way. The Bible only includes that which is needed to testify about God's Son and to save His elect.

Originally Posted by David

Another thing I want to talk about is The Devil. Why is The Devil the personification of Evil and them enemy of God and humankind? The Devil punishes bad people right? That means The Devil doing something good. The Devil is helping God punish bad people. I don't understand how The Devil is an enemy of God.

The Devil doesn't punish bad people. Lucifer was the mightiest angel in Heaven, and more beautiful than all the angels. He was jealous, wanted to be come greater than God and overthrow Him. Therefore, God threw Him out of Heaven, and is placing Him in Hell, in torment, as He will do with all the wicked. The Devil, really, is the most powerful evil, but he is simply here to deceive people. He is a liar. But the Devil will have the same end as those who he deceives: destruction. It's not some yin yang kind of good and evil. Hell isn't the Devil tormenting people. Hell is God's wrath.

[David]

Thanks for the comments everyone. My questions have been answered, no need for bumping a useless thread now.

[Gymnophoria]

OP's questions have been answered so I'm going to close this thread now. PM me if you have any objections.