russ@dadlab.UUCP (Russell Anderson) (04/30/84)
I hear comments about: If god is all powerful, then why does he allow Satan to exist? Why doesn't God solve all the problems so we can live in peace and happiness? or, Why can't God just create us as happy heavenly beings? These questions ignore the purpose of having opposition in our lives. A world with no opposition would not provide us any growth. How many of you would not even explore the depths of your beliefs for instance, if they weren't challenged on the net? Let me expand on this concept by a quote from the Book of Mormon. 11. For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. 12. Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and the eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God. 13. And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there is no righteousness nor happiness there is no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away. 14. And now , my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. 15. And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. 16. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was eniced by the one or the other. 17. And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. 18. And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. (2 Nephi 2:11-18) The essential message is that without the devil we would not have been able to be good, because we would not have had the choice of being bad or good. And without the ability to choose, we would not have developed the strength of character to make the choices. Russell Anderson tektronix!dadlab!russ
labelle@hplabsc.UUCP (05/03/84)
OK, here's some opposition for you! Christ is only a legend.
God was invented by man. Joseph Smith was a fake.
The devils right hand man GEORGE