i just heard that Jews do not claim satan to be evil. is this true?
544918
This is true for the most part.  Jews get this from the Bible itself, which portrays the Satan (the Adversary in Hebrew) as merely an obedient angel.  The book of Job describes his function very well.  \n\nAnother good piece of evidence for the Jewish view of Satan is the fact that in the book of Kings, it is said that David was urged by God to do a census.  But in Chronicles, it is instead said that it was Satan who urged him.  The Jewish understanding of this is simply that Satan was the agent who carried it out as one of God's angels.  But God is ultimately in control of all.\n\nIsaiah 45 I believe says that the LORD creates evil and good, the LORD does all these things.  The word for "evil" is sometimes translated as "destruction" but the word in the original Hebrew is literally evil.  It's the word Ra = bad, evil.\n\nThe idea of Satan as the opposite of God is too dualistic for Judaism, which is a purer monotheism than Christianity.  Christianity is closer to the dualistic Zoroastrianism than to Judaism on this matter.
756488
Jews are not supposed to have any particular beliefs, positive or negative, about Jesus.  He's simply not part of the religion.  Same would be with Buddha, for example.\n\nIf you intend to invoke the question of "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord," The Jewish answer would be "None of the Above," because the 'L3' argument is based on acceptance of the New Testament as historical record. Only Christians would view the New Testament as a valid historical record, not Jews.
694757
I suggest you guys try and ignore this mouthbreather.  He asks the same questions on Judaism over and over again, with slightly different (though consistently biased and misleading) wording. If you don't believe me, all I can say is that you can verify this for yourselves.  I sincerely doubt that he is here to learn anything, at least in this area (though I feel obliged to at least commend him on his appropriate choice of screenname).\n\nThis guy's online hobby is something called Jew-baiting.  So don't take the bait, as it were, by responding on his terms and lending legitimacy to his line of questioning (which is shallow and insensitive at best, or, more likely from what I've seen, deliberate bigotry).  He has a real problem with Jews.  I don't know if it stems from a negative personal experience with Jews, or if he was raised by klansmen, or what.  But he keeps asking these same questions, and when confronted with information that contradicts his assumptions, he becomes belligerent and disregards the new information anyway.\n\nI once explained to him that he was mistaken in his assertion that a Jew had to have "Jewish blood" because conversion has a history going back through biblical history, all the way to the first Hebrew himself.  This did not sway him in his irrational belief.  And if someone here were to point out that calling Judaism a "cult of ancestor worship" is inaccurate because\n\na) it's not considered a cult\n\nand\n\nb) worshipping anything other than G-d, one's ancestors included, is the most severe form of blasphemy according to Judaism\n\nI highly doubt this gentleman would be swayed on either point.  My advice is not to waste your time.  There are plenty of people on here asking questions about Judaism because they actually want to learn.  If you are qualified to answer, answer those people.  They'll actually benefit from it.
687894
I don't think any sane person worships Satan.  Socrates was right when he suggested that no one can do something evil on purpose, and the devil is the epitome of evil.  Therefore, no one would knowingly worship Satan.  So-called Satanists are just Dungeons & Dragons geeks who want to seem bad-ass.  There are bigger things to worry about than this irrational fear of Satanists.
121544
:}\nThe Jews were God's chosen people. That makes Satan unhappy. He has used Christians, Muslims and pagans to bring hardship on them but God will insure their survival\nTheir existence in spite of their rebellion to him is a testimony to the existence of an all powerful loving God
639166
I assume you are speaking from a Christian perspective, I do not think modern Satanists read the bible as such.  Modern Satanism is very much akin to humanism, where the self is supreme, a form of self-worship.  Satanists do not necessarily directly worship a god called Satan but revere themselves as gods.  Some of a christian background may choose this 'religion' as it seems rebellious or 'scary'\n\nAs for a genuine worship of Satan ... well at least Lucifer, there is a group of people in the middle-east called the Yezedis who revere Lucifer, they have a similar creation story to genesis but believe the 'peacock angel/feathered serpent' was a wise mentor to mankind, and that God is impersonal and distant from mankind.  The Yezedis are very secretive about their religion and never refer to Lucifer as Satan, but call him the peacock angel or the feathered serpent.  They don't drink blood or sacrifice children, but they worship Lucifer and think he is good rather than evil.\n\nIn the past there were several pagan religions in the middle east that endorsed child-sacrifice, but these religions involved worship of various fertility gods rather than acknowledging a Judeo-Christian Satan.  In the bible it is written that various kings endorsed such religions and this lead to the downfall of Israel and Judah\n\nAs answer to your question why would someone willingly worship Satan while knowing about Jesus, a need to be different, rebelliousness and perhaps a severe religious upbringing\n\nPS I am not a satanist but fascinated by unusual things
63869
In my opinion, "evil" is "self-contradiction."\n\nAlthough bible matter doesn't say this explicitly, I do believe it's the gist of thought all through its contents.
279629
In a word: No.\n\nThe devil does not exist, except in some belief systems. The non-existence of a "devil" is where Judaism and Christianity really differ and separate.\n\nStop and think about this for a moment: Judaism does not have a devil. Jesus was a Jew. He was born a Jew. He HAD to be a Jew if he was to fulfil Messianic prophecy. \n\nIf Jesus was a Jew, and Judaism does not have a devil, what's going on here? It's simple: Christianity's ideas have been taken from other Pagan religions that existed before Christianity did. Many other Pagan religions have stories of two opposing deities who fight it out and good triumphs. This storyline is nothing new. Christianity has God and the devil god fighting it out, with good triumphing. (The Christian Bible refers to their devil as "the god of this world" - 2 Corinthians 4:4.)\n\nFurthermore, if the Jewish Bible teaches nothing of a devil and an eternal firey hell, then there's no need for Christian "salvation". This is why Christianity needs a devil - otherwise it becomes pointless. \n\nSome people mistakenly believe that the Jews have a devil because the Jewish Bible (the so-called "Old" Testament) mentions the satan in the book of Job. The satan is NOT the devil. In fact, the satan, the devil, and Lucifer are three completely different entities.\n\nThe story of an angel called Lucifer falling from heaven is completely unbiblical. There is no foundation for it whatsoever. The ONLY reference to "Lucifer" is in Isaiah - there is not one other reference in the entire Bible. The Lucifer in Isaiah was not the devil, and not even an angel. This was an ancient Babylonian king. If you read the entire chapter, you can see that the words are addressed to this king, telling him that he is going to fall from grace.\n\nAn interesting point to note here is that the Bible refers to both Lucifer and Jesus as the "morning star":\n\nRevelation 22:16\n"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star."\n\nIsaiah 14:12\n"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn!"\n\nNext, the satan. The satan is an angel who works FOR God. He tests people's faith through temptation and trials. He can only do what God allows or orders. He is not God's rival. He did not create evil. The Bible itself said that God created evil:\n\nIsaiah 45:7\n"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things."\n\nThe verse used in the original text here for "evil" is "ra" - the same word used in verses such as "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:9). It does not mean "disaster" or "calamity". It means what it says: evil.\n\nThe satan is much like the character of Slugworth from the original movie Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Slugworth tempts the children and is seen as sinister, but at the end we find out that he was working for Wonka all along, and only following orders. He was doing so to test the children, at Wonka's request. The idea is the same. The satan tests people because that's what God created him to do. The book of Job supports this viewpoint since it shows that the satan can ONLY do what God permits - the satan can't do a thing to Job without God's say-so.\n\nThis leaves us with the idea of "the devil" which is nothing to do with Judaism at all, but an idea common among other Pagan religions at the time.\n\nSo unless you're into Pagan mythology, the answer is no - there is no devil, and no Biblical reason to believe there is.
447479
welcome to Judaism my friend. We mearly see the "devil" as the angle of death and a servant of Gd. Personally I do not know where that whole fallen angel garbage came from.
932567
Methodists believe that Satan is Gods rival.\n\nIn ancient Jewish tradition Satan is simply an angel doing the work that God assigned to Satan to do. \n\nThe word Satan means challenger. With the idea of Satan challenging us, or tempting if you will. This description sees Satan as the angel who is the embodiment of man's challenges. This idea of Satan works closely with God as an integral part of Gods plan for us. His job is to make choosing good over evil enough of a challenge so that it becomes clear to us that there can be only one meaningful or logical choice.\n\n Contrast this to Christianity, which sees Satan as God's opponent. In Jewish thought, the idea that there exists anything capable of setting itself up as God's opponent would be considered polytheistic or setting up the devil to be an equally powerful polarity to god or a demigod.\n\nOddly, proof for The Christian satan/devil mythology is supposedly found in the ancient Jewish texts that were borrowed to create the bible. One can’t help but wonder how Christians came up with such a fantastically different interpretation of Gods assistant Satan in their theology.\n\nOther hints about Satan’s role in human relations can be seen if you look at the name Lucifer. It’s meaning in the original tongue translates as Light bearer or light bringer. Essentially the bringer of enlightenment. The temptations of the Satan idea bring all of us eventually into Gods light. Hardly the Evil entity of Christian mythology.\n\nLove and blessings\ndon
1105401
Before answering that question -- you do realize that Satan was and is, to Judaism -- the progenitor faith of Christianity "the Advesary"  NOT the advesary of humans, no, the advesary of G-d -- and his position is actually within the heavenly court.  He's SUPPOSED to challenge G-d.\n\nThe title Devil came later, and actually means "little god" or something like that -- its been almost 20 years since I took that course.\n\nNow that said.  Your question is really primarily theological.  What you are really asking is how can God allow anyone to be born gay.  You make a presumption that very few Christians would -- that the Devil can effect a preborn infant.  You are welcome to your diverse theological construct however.  I'm going to answer the question you actually asked, rather than the one you meant to ask, I think, then I'll speak briefly to your theology.\n\nHow can someone be born gay?\n\nIn a word, genetics.  there is a great deal of scientific evidence that it is inborn.  Beyond scientific evidence there is anectodal evidence.\n\nThe fruit fly study is actually fairly conclusive.  But the pheremonal and eye blink studies are also compelling.  I've included links below for those that are interested.  Beyond that, research increasingly suggests that at least for males, X28 is the crucial gene.  I am saddened by this, because I believe that once it is proven, gay people will be wiped out -- and I think that is sad, because given the number of species in which homosexuality exists (see Dr. Bruce Bagemihl's book "Biological Exuberance" from St. Martin's Press) I think it serves a purpose.\n\nNow as to the theology behind your question:  The Bible speaks out directly about a lot of things.  It says that the world has corners (Isaiah 11:12) and that it sets on pillars (I Samuel 2:8).  It says that God accepted a human sacrifice -- he may have prevented Isaacs, but he allowed a general to sacrifice his own daughter without even a murmer, the text  giving tacit support to the idea that having given his word, the man had to kill his child. (Judges 11:30-39).  The Bible  clearly maintains that genocide is often commanded by God (Joshua 10:40-42 and I Samuel 15: 2, 3 and 8) and that, after killing all the adults in a race, taking the female children as sex slaves is permissable (Numbers 31: 17-18).\n\nThe God revealed by the Bible is not only both a liar who doesn't know the natural laws of his own world, and a monster, as shown above -- but he has no real regard, even for his own people, whom he forces into cannibalism (Leviticus 26: 27-29) when he is mad at them; or his priests, whose faces he wipes with dung (Malachi 2:1-3).\n\nIt is not only gays and lesbians that are hated by biblegod.  This monstrocity also suggests killing kids who eat or drink too much (Deutoronomy 21: 18-21), and says that  if he is angry with parents he will kill their children (Leviticus 26:22) and he blames things upon children whose great-great-great grandfather committed the things being blamed on the kids (Exodus 20: 5)\n\nPutting it in a word, biblegod is a monstrocity, a horrific demiurge of evil.  Something that even he admits ( Isaiah 45:7 ) [Furthermore, the word used in Hebrew for evil, the word ra' is widely conceded to mean a number of different things:  It can mean "wickedness," "mischief," "bad," "trouble," "hurt," "sore," "affliction," "ill," "adversity," "harm," "grievous," and "sad."  So no matter what particular interpretation is given of this word -- it has profoundly negative implications.  The idea that god is sovereign over the affairs of man makes this even worse, because no matter what interpretation it has, it indicates that biblegod deliberately does harm.]; evil about which he sometimes changes his mind (Exodus 32:14).  What a font of unchanging moral
365611
This concept have bothered me as well, but the truth is there is no eternal condemnation.\n\n(edit)\nI have done some research on this subject and have come to the conclusion that well...Judaism(ask any Jew) do not believe in hell, and they do not believe that a none Jew will not be saved. Why would Jesus be called a saviour if he brought more suffering to the world(hell)?  Jesus died for all to be saved! Not one soul will perish. Jesus died so that all will live an eternal life with "love", with "God".\n\nThis is my belief and some other Gnostics too, but it comes from above. Many followers of "Satan" will scare you with hell and try steal "love" from you, but remember always: God is love and who ever dwells in love dwells in God and God in them.\n\nSo many of the "christians" believe in mythology rather than in God. Did any great prophet know literature? No, they knew God. Where is God?\n\nLuke 17:20-21\nJesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."\n\n\n\n\nThe crucifixion was but a physical representation of what was happening spirituality.
716190
Not only is it in the Bible, But if you know how to correspond certain letter to numbers. 666 will spell out Satan.,as well as evil............ The sad thing about this world is that people just don't believe that pure evil exist in this world.... And believe's that people have the choice's to preform either. And in many, many cases that belief is very far from the truth. Satan is a very real enity and so is his fallen angel's. And one day in the near future this world population will wake up to that fact, But then for billions of people it will be to late for them to do anything about it..................
1111155
In the Jewish "faith" there is no hell.  Everyone has a share in the world to come.\nHeaven/hell doesn't come from Judaism.  Jesus introduced that concept.
539167
Considering 'satan' is the xtians view of one of the pagan gods, sure, why not? It's a phony religion like all the others, just an excuse to be 'evil' and a need to worship something better than themselves due to the servile nature of humans.\n\nso there! :)
987644
Satan is capitalized only in the English language...lol.  Many languages do not have the concept of using Capitals as in English for one..  besides Satan is a proper noun and all names have their first letter in Caps.  Why do we use Hitler, why not hitler?  why do we call Saddam Husain and not sadam husain?\n\nBesides, Satan is a low life alright, but he has no power over you or me to force us to do evil.  He can offer us to do evil, but we LISTEN to him if we reverberate with his ideas within our own souls.  Thus Satan can influence only those people who think like him or may find his offers attractive.  Thus Satan is a sieve of God that separates the good from the bad.\n\nSatan in fact helps good people by giving them blessings.  If he makes a bad offer, and a good man refuses him, that good man has received a blessing from God.\n\nSo, the low life Satan helps the good by giving them blessings and brings the bad closer to him.  Satan is a catalyst.  He just helps the bad people to become what they are and the good people to become more good.  \n\nI hope this makes sense.
739799
In ancient Jewish tradition Satan is simply an angel doing the work that God assigned to Satan to do. \n\nThe word Satan means challenger. With the idea of Satan challenging us, or tempting if you will. This description sees Satan as the angel who is the embodiment of man's challenges. This idea of Satan works closely with God as an integral part of Gods plan for us. His job is to make choosing good over evil enough of a challenge so that it becomes clear to us that there can be only one meaningful or logical choice.\n\n Contrast this to Christianity, which sees Satan as God's opponent. In Jewish thought, the idea that there exists anything capable of setting itself up as God's opponent would be considered polytheistic or setting up the devil to be an equally powerful polarity to god or a demigod.\n\nOddly, proof for The Christian satan/devil mythology is supposedly found in the ancient Jewish texts that were borrowed to create the bible. One can’t help but wonder how Christians came up with such a fantastically different interpretation of Gods assistant Satan in their theology.\n\nOther hints about Satan’s role in human relations can be seen if you look at the name Lucifer. It’s meaning in the original tongue translates as Light bearer or light bringer. Essentially the bringer of enlightenment. The temptations of the Satan idea bring all of us eventually into Gods light. Hardly the Evil entity of Christian mythology.\n\nLove and blessings\ndon