Age wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2019 5:54 am
To understand the answer you would first have to KNOW what all the words in the answer actually mean and how they are defined, and from the examples, meanings, and/or definitions that you have provided so far, then you will probably not yet be able to understand the answer fully. But I will provide my view anyway:
To me, 'satan', is just the wrong thinking, within each human being. If as you say, 'satan' is the "master of the devils", then 'satan' would be BELIEFS, themselves. While 'devils' would just be the wrong thinking. Beliefs, after all, do have control over the thinking, which is usually wrong anyway.
So, the purpose of God, in the spiritual sense, (which is just the KNOWING of right and wrong, in this context) in allowing satan to exist is so eventually human beings will learn from their own mistakes.
ALL human beings learn BEST from, and through, their own personal experiences, and NOT from being told. God is telling ALL 'you', human beings, what is right and wrong ALL the time anyway, from within. But, seriously, how many people really listen to their OWN inner KNOWING of what is ACTUALLY right and wrong and do that, instead of listening to their OWN individual instantly gratifying thinking? This is part of the story of adam and eve. The snake is just a forked tongue, slithering, low-(to the ground)life animal. A slithering (sneaky), forked tongue (split the truth) internal speaking one, telling 'you', human beings (eve first) to do what is KNOWN to be WRONG.
How God, in the physical sense, (the Universe Itself) actually allowed satan to exist is just how creation through evolution produces or Creates ALL things. Eventually an intelligent enough species would come to exist. That species was eventually named human beings who have, within them, a thinking, which is made up of good AND bad thoughts, and a KNOWING, which is ONLY of Good, True, Right, and Correct knowledge.
The bad, wrong, or 'evil' thinking, which has come to exist within ALL adult human beings is what could be called the devils. With many devils, or the many wrong thinking/thoughts within one adult human being or many devils being ALL adult human beings ALL with their own wrong thinking/thoughts.
These devils/wrong thinking are controlled by the master 'satan', which is just the BELIEFS within the BELIEF-system. (and like most "systems", they seem to have control over human beings instead of the other way around. Have you ever phoned a government department to complain about some thing to only be told that that is how the "system" works? I think this human being forget that it is 'you', human beings, who CREATED the "system", and NOT the other way around). But I digress. Now, eve ate what she did because within her was a BELIEF that it was okay to do so, and in doing so she would gain the knowledge of good and evil/wrong. She ALREADY KNEW it was wrong. The inner KNOWING of right and wrong is God, in the spiritual sense, but she listened to the wrong thinking/thoughts instead. And as can be witnessed and evidenced since "then", human beings have not really changed that much at all. adam, being a typical, tried to' blame some thing else, for what was inertly KNOWN to be wrong all along. Just like people blame the "system" for some thing "else", which obviously human beings, themselves, do, adam blamed eve and eve blamed some thing other than herself. She blamed the BELIEF-"system" within.
Now, back to the question that was asked;
What was God's purpose in allowing Satan to exist?
Which instead of you just saying, "I do not know", you answered:
Christian doesn't have a rational answer for this.
To which I replied:
Maybe not, but there IS a very rational answer.
God's purpose in allowing satan to exist IS because when 'you', human beings' accept AND take FULL responsibility for your OWN wrong doings, THEN you will understand FULLY that the purpose 'you' are absolutely FREE to choose to do whatever you want is so that you could and would LEARN what is Truly Right and Wrong from your OWN wrong doings, so THEN the Good in 'you' ALL will wipe out the wrong/evil thinking with you ALL once and for ALL forever more, so that then the following generations of human beings can and will living in peace and harmony forever more.
When 'you', human beings, when this is written, STOP thinking that LIfe revolves around 'you', and START thinking about YOUR children, who are REALLY
what IS Truly IMPORTANT, then you can START Creating the Life that you Truly WANT for yourselves, you and YOUR children.