It is interesting that he starts off by saying that in this dull place that the patient is in does not guarantee that he will easily give away his soul. This stuck out to me, because in my life I feel like many people believe that when you are at those low places it is easier to slip into Satan’s hands, when in fact he himself says that his work is not done yet, exploitation of the soul must be done first. Does anyone else feel like they were lead to believe this also?
When talking about pleasure it is interesting the contrasts he makes. He talks about how any pleasure in a healthy, normal and satisfying form is in turn on the Enemies ground, trying to step on feet. These types of pleasures are God’s inventions and he makes them. The job of Satan is to encourage these pleasures to go beyond what God had intended and use them in ways that God has forbidden. By stepping into the enemies territory Satan is able to overrule God and in turn have more power than He does.
At the end of the segment he talks about how moderation in all things is good. He especially points out that a moderate religion is a good thing, because it is easier to sway a person away from a moderate religion than from a strong religion. The moderate religion idea is more abundant in our society today and therefore is easier for Satan to get control over more people. Do you think that in today’s society more people are being called to Satan, because of our moderate religious values?
4 comments:
what you said sort of makes sense. Again it was hard for me to read this chapter. I do believe what you said. When most people are in a low place in time, you feel so sad or depressed making yourself build up anger. For many people, it could draw us away from God and our religious values. When we are down, some people don't think about the good. But for some it gives them strength to talk to God. THat's when you are right because Satan does try to take us away from God.
Corianna, I really like the points you made on moderation and pleasure. I’ve always thought that everything should be done in moderation. You make a good statement by saying that everything was made by God, including pleasures. Satan wants us to take these pleasures to the extreme and that is where the trouble comes in. It’s important to remember this, in both respects. So, enjoying a piece of cake is healthy, that’s okay, but when all you eat is sweets, it becomes a problem.
Secondly, you talk about moderate religion and how it’s easier to get people to stray when their ideas are concrete and steadfast. I think that it is definitely possible that people in today’s society are being taken by Satan because of moderate religious values, yet I think that even in moderation, if the values and beliefs are important and valid, the person will not be taken by Satan. I think that the “moderate religion” card is often played today by people who want to claim they are religious but don’t really know what it means, other than it is associated with good things.
After reading your post, I felt an interesting connection between what you had to say and the assigned reading in Sex God, especially Chapter 4. The chapter talked a lot about lust and addiction, and how addiction can rob one's appreciation for whatever it is they are fixated on. This ties in exactly with your point on moderation. If you enjoy something in excess, then you will lose appreciation for what it is and what it means to you. However, in moderation, you still have the ability to appreciate whatever it is you are enjoying.
I really agree with what you said. The devil also wants to get into the spirits of people who are half in and half out with their religions. This is when the devil sneaks in a little bit at a time to pull you to one side. I think it takes a lot for a person to be strong about their religion so they will not be tempted and can live a truly spiritual life.
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