Community Chat

[JuJu Squeezie]

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." ~ Charles Baudelaire

Considering the Devil's reported over inflated and self centered ego, Charles Baudelaire may have a good reason to be enjoying his quote.

[TaxyLady]

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." ~ Charles Baudelaire

I agree, satan is very clever.

God stated that, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) This is so true!

If we don't have knowledge of who is causing the problem how do we defeat it?

[JuJu Squeezie]

We all have evil in us, some act on it, get off on it and some of us have a conscience and even if we know we could get away with murder, we abide by what is right and good and know right from wrong.

[scotttie]

On 3/31/2015 KittyLouSoutenu said:

On 3/31/2015 beammeupscottie said:

On 3/31/2015 KittyLouSoutenu said:

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

I believe people can behave in an "evil" way. I don't know if I believe that "Evil" is an entity all to itself.

More like a verb than a noun for me.

I agree.

I don't think that Evil is a force unto itself just waiting to take over people's actions.

That is sort of the Hollywood version. Hey, Kitty, did you ever see "Fallen"? SHIVER!!! LOL. That was one scary movie!

(This isn't a slam...hard to tell I know on the boards!)

Anyway, I'm always interested in your take on things.

Some (lots!) of people subscribe to the Hollywood version. Or so it seems to me.

No, I've never seen "Fallen". I'll have to look for it!

It's a movie about "evil" as a force that jumps from person to person. It can go via a "touch" or just jumping. Denzel Washington and John Goodman are fantastic in it. A real "neck tickler"!

[SuiGeneris]

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." ~ Charles Baudelaire

Considering the Devil's reported over inflated and self centered ego, Charles Baudelaire may have a good reason to be enjoying his quote.

You are describing an egotist.

Egotism -- is the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself, and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance. The egotist has an overwhelming sense of the centrality of the 'Me', that is to say of their personal qualities. Egotists have a strong tendency to talk about themselves in a self-promoting fashion, and they may well be arrogant and boastful with a grandiose sense of their own importance. [Wikipedia]

I feel that an egotist is the opposite what the quote describes. If we have convinced ourselves that Satan is the figment of someone's overactive imagination [a guy in a red suit with horns, a tail and a little pitchfork] we have taken all his power away and left him impotent to wreak havoc in the world. He is then no longer evil; he's merely a fanciful story in a very old book.

For a powerful spiritual being to allow himself to be denigrated by human beings to the point of becoming farcical, indicates to me that he knows that he wields more power by being able to sneak around, inculcating himself into the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting people of this world. He gains power and dominance by [supposed] invisibility and guile.

That's not a egotist, someone who is saying, "Me, me, me!" and "Look at me!" and "Look what I did! Am I not special? Am I not wonderful?"

Instead, he's sitting in a dark place, all alone, rubbing his hands together with glee, laughing at the gullibility of the human race.

That's what I think the quote means.

[SuiGeneris]

On 3/31/2015 beammeupscottie said:

On 3/31/2015 KittyLouSoutenu said:

On 3/31/2015 beammeupscottie said:

On 3/31/2015 KittyLouSoutenu said:

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

I believe people can behave in an "evil" way. I don't know if I believe that "Evil" is an entity all to itself.

More like a verb than a noun for me.

I agree.

I don't think that Evil is a force unto itself just waiting to take over people's actions.

That is sort of the Hollywood version. Hey, Kitty, did you ever see "Fallen"? SHIVER!!! LOL. That was one scary movie!

(This isn't a slam...hard to tell I know on the boards!)

Anyway, I'm always interested in your take on things.

Some (lots!) of people subscribe to the Hollywood version. Or so it seems to me.

No, I've never seen "Fallen". I'll have to look for it!

It's a movie about "evil" as a force that jumps from person to person. It can go via a "touch" or just jumping. Denzel Washington and John Goodman are fantastic in it. A real "neck tickler"!

Azazel!

I've watched this movie [Fallen] at least three or four times. It never gets old.

[scotttie]

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

On 3/31/2015 beammeupscottie said:

On 3/31/2015 KittyLouSoutenu said:

On 3/31/2015 beammeupscottie said:

On 3/31/2015 KittyLouSoutenu said:

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

I believe people can behave in an "evil" way. I don't know if I believe that "Evil" is an entity all to itself.

More like a verb than a noun for me.

I agree.

I don't think that Evil is a force unto itself just waiting to take over people's actions.

That is sort of the Hollywood version. Hey, Kitty, did you ever see "Fallen"? SHIVER!!! LOL. That was one scary movie!

(This isn't a slam...hard to tell I know on the boards!)

Anyway, I'm always interested in your take on things.

Some (lots!) of people subscribe to the Hollywood version. Or so it seems to me.

No, I've never seen "Fallen". I'll have to look for it!

It's a movie about "evil" as a force that jumps from person to person. It can go via a "touch" or just jumping. Denzel Washington and John Goodman are fantastic in it. A real "neck tickler"!

Azazel!

I've watched this movie [Fallen] at least three or four times. It never gets old.

I know! I'm getting in the mood to watch it again since we are talking about it LOL!

[scotttie]

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." ~ Charles Baudelaire

Considering the Devil's reported over inflated and self centered ego, Charles Baudelaire may have a good reason to be enjoying his quote.

You are describing an egotist.

Egotism -- is the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself, and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance. The egotist has an overwhelming sense of the centrality of the 'Me', that is to say of their personal qualities. Egotists have a strong tendency to talk about themselves in a self-promoting fashion, and they may well be arrogant and boastful with a grandiose sense of their own importance. [Wikipedia]

I feel that an egotist is the opposite what the quote describes. If we have convinced ourselves that Satan is the figment of someone's overactive imagination [a guy in a red suit with horns, a tail and a little pitchfork] we have taken all his power away and left him impotent to wreak havoc in the world. He is then no longer evil; he's merely a fanciful story in a very old book.

For a powerful spiritual being to allow himself to be denigrated by human beings to the point of becoming farcical, indicates to me that he knows that he wields more power by being able to sneak around, inculcating himself into the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting people of this world. He gains power and dominance by [supposed] invisibility and guile.

That's not a egotist, someone who is saying, "Me, me, me!" and "Look at me!" and "Look what I did! Am I not special? Am I not wonderful?"

Instead, he's sitting in a dark place, all alone, rubbing his hands together with glee, laughing at the gullibility of the human race.

That's what I think the quote means.

I want to highlight this portion of your post suiGeneris:

If we have convinced ourselves that Satan is the figment of someone's overactive imagination [a guy in a red suit with horns, a tail and a little pitchfork] we have taken all his power away and left him impotent to wreak havoc in the world. He is then no longer evil; he's merely a fanciful story in a very old book.

I believe that this is the point made also by C.S. Lewis. Have you read Screwtape Letters?

[JuJu Squeezie]

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." ~ Charles Baudelaire

Considering the Devil's reported over inflated and self centered ego, Charles Baudelaire may have a good reason to be enjoying his quote.

You are describing an egotist.

Egotism -- is the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself, and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance. The egotist has an overwhelming sense of the centrality of the 'Me', that is to say of their personal qualities. Egotists have a strong tendency to talk about themselves in a self-promoting fashion, and they may well be arrogant and boastful with a grandiose sense of their own importance. [Wikipedia]

I feel that an egotist is the opposite what the quote describes. If we have convinced ourselves that Satan is the figment of someone's overactive imagination [a guy in a red suit with horns, a tail and a little pitchfork] we have taken all his power away and left him impotent to wreak havoc in the world. He is then no longer evil; he's merely a fanciful story in a very old book.

For a powerful spiritual being to allow himself to be denigrated by human beings to the point of becoming farcical, indicates to me that he knows that he wields more power by being able to sneak around, inculcating himself into the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting people of this world. He gains power and dominance by [supposed] invisibility and guile.

That's not a egotist, someone who is saying, "Me, me, me!" and "Look at me!" and "Look what I did! Am I not special? Am I not wonderful?"

Instead, he's sitting in a dark place, all alone, rubbing his hands together with glee, laughing at the gullibility of the human race.

That's what I think the quote means.

I was saying that Charles has a strange, familiar inside line to know what he wrote, sort of like the devil would want to say isn't it?

[SuiGeneris]

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

On 3/31/2015 JuJu Squeezie said:

On 3/31/2015 SuiGeneris said:

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist." ~ Charles Baudelaire

Considering the Devil's reported over inflated and self centered ego, Charles Baudelaire may have a good reason to be enjoying his quote.

You are describing an egotist.

Egotism -- is the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself, and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance. The egotist has an overwhelming sense of the centrality of the 'Me', that is to say of their personal qualities. Egotists have a strong tendency to talk about themselves in a self-promoting fashion, and they may well be arrogant and boastful with a grandiose sense of their own importance. [Wikipedia]

I feel that an egotist is the opposite what the quote describes. If we have convinced ourselves that Satan is the figment of someone's overactive imagination [a guy in a red suit with horns, a tail and a little pitchfork] we have taken all his power away and left him impotent to wreak havoc in the world. He is then no longer evil; he's merely a fanciful story in a very old book.

For a powerful spiritual being to allow himself to be denigrated by human beings to the point of becoming farcical, indicates to me that he knows that he wields more power by being able to sneak around, inculcating himself into the hearts and minds of the unsuspecting people of this world. He gains power and dominance by [supposed] invisibility and guile.

That's not a egotist, someone who is saying, "Me, me, me!" and "Look at me!" and "Look what I did! Am I not special? Am I not wonderful?"

Instead, he's sitting in a dark place, all alone, rubbing his hands together with glee, laughing at the gullibility of the human race.

That's what I think the quote means.

I was saying that Charles has a strange, familiar inside line to know what he wrote, sort of like the devil would want to say isn't it?

That's an interesting take on the quote.

I am also curious as to other possible reactions to the quote.

Did the quote take someone by surprise and cause them to think to themselves, "I need to pray more, go to church more, and read my Bible more faithfully. I really don't want Satan to win the battle of the spiritual warfare going on in the world!"

Did someone read it and feel a twinge of fear, knowing that their naivete and blase attitude toward God and all things religious, has allowed Satan to gain a strong foothold in this world.

Or, did someone read the quote with an inward chuckle and say to themselves, "That's utter nonsense! How can the devil trick us when he truly doesn't exist? He's just a fairy tale character!"

I think all three reactions are possible, with many variations on the theme.

I've heard the quote before, but it always takes me by surprise when I read it. It makes me fearful for those who think Satan and his evil minions are a big joke. It also makes me think of these Bible verses from Ephesians 6:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.