Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 23:07:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug Barton <DougB@FreeBSD.org> To: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> Cc: Bill Moran <wmoran@potentialtech.com> Subject: Re: FreeBSD logo... Message-ID: <20030416225100.A12786@znfgre.tberna.bet> In-Reply-To: <3E9E1DBD.A5443B39@mindspring.com> References: <20030416104202.7271aed3.flynn@energyhq.homeip.net> <3E9E1DBD.A5443B39@mindspring.com>
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On Wed, 16 Apr 2003, Terry Lambert wrote:
> Doug Barton wrote:
> > Your understanding of christian theology is very, very wrong. God and
> > Satan are not equals in the Bible, Satan is a created being who turned
> > away from obedience to God and therefore is damned for all eternity.
>
> Actually in Job, Satan's more like God's "Attorney General".
That's an interesting way to phrase that. I picked the word "Satan"
particularly as opposed to "Devil" to try and move away from the demon
issue. The origin of the word we usually pronounce SAY-tin in english is
the hebrew word usually pronounced sah-TAHN, which is generally defined as
"accuser." Jews don't believe in a "devil" the same way most christians
do, but they also don't believe in Satan as an equal to God. In fact, the
early christians pretty much adopted the jewish idea of sah-tahn as a
created, and fallen being; and embellished it a bit.
Getting back to Job, sah-tahn isn't so much in god's employ as he is
bringing suit in his own defense. His argument more or less boils down to,
"See God? I'm not the only one of your creations that's likely to crack.
Take that fellow Job. He CLAIMS that he loves you, but that's just because
he has had such an easy life. Make things tough on him, and he'll curse
your name just like I did." It's actually one of the more interesting
stories in the old testament, mostly because it was written specifically
to be an interesting story (or fable, which is a story with a moral, to
borrow a greek term from a later era).
Doug
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