Wednesday, May 24 2006 @ 05:58 PM PDT
A relative of the family who was slain in a recent Louisiana church shooting says he is very mad at the devil because Satan had something to do with it. If it is true that Satan is an accessory to crimes, where does his power begin and our free will end? Likewise, how involved are we in random acts of kindness compared to God's? Are we mere puppets with easy strings or are God and Satan less involved than some might think?
I am sorry for this man's grief, but Satan has nothing to do with this whatsoever. This was a tragedy brought on by several factors, all of which are explainable by anyone with half a clue regarding human interaction and social behavior, emotional management, dysfunctional dynamics, etc. It was totally avoidable, as are most tragedies of this ilk, and blaming Satan for what is essentially a human individual choice and a collection of individual choices forming a group dynamic is just idiotic, wrong, and personally irresponsible. Again, I'm sorry for his grief and I know this kind of muddy thinking is the product of grief, particularly the stage which seeks someone, something, ANYTHING to blame, but the fact of the matter remains that Satan -- if there is such a being -- has no power to force the free will choice of any individual. YES evil can manipulate, bribe, tempt, lure, etc. but ultimately the choice to do murder lies with the individual and the responsibility to manage anger as well. And this is true whether we believe "Satan" is an actual entity or just an archetypal construct embodying evil.
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