So many times evil is not the great satanic black mass, but those little choices we make each day, to not be kind, to not consider someone else's view, to not exercise. These are the frontlines of a greater evil. Without these, evil wouldn't have a larger "church" where to conduct mass.
Hebrews 2:14-15 "…Now since the children have flesh and blood, He [Christ] too shared in their humanity (Hypostatic union), so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." The last three years we have witnessed how the fear of death was used to terrify people and manipulate them to take an experimental injection which had untested technology with unknown outcomes. Instead, 'fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.' Repentance holds the key for overcoming death and receiving eternal life. The world lies in the power of the evil one, Satan, also called the prince and power of the air. Luke 4:5 in the famous exchange with Jesus and the Devil, . . "The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Many people fall for the temporal trappings of power and riches but God offers an eternity of unimagined beauty (I Cor 2:9) and joy, etc. The only future worth contemplating is one where we are aligned with the Creator of the universe.
In the Catholic Christian paradigm, which I hold to be true, you are precisely wrong. We are not all born Satanists, we are born with original sin and our concupiscence, which emerges onto the worlds stage by the time we reach the age of reason, means that we all (with the sole exception of the Virgin Mary) sin in ways great or small, venial or mortal, by commission or omission. There is a huge difference between that world view (developed and explicated by thousands of Saints and holy men and women over two millennia) and holding that we are all affiliated with Satan by our sins. Stating the problem in such bald terms is very likely to lead people to not examine their consciences, since it is very easy (and justified) to say "I'm not a Satanist". For a sin to be mortal, three elements must be present: it must entail grave matter, engaged in with full knowledge and with the assent of the will. Venial sin is committed when only one or two of those conditions are met. Mortal sin separates a soul from God, venial sins, in isolation, do not, though they can act cumulatively to separate the soul from God if not repented and confessed.
A comment box is too limited in scope to examine all the issues involved, however it is understood generally in Christian religion, that final impenitence, which Catholics take to mean dying in steadfast refusal to repent and confess, leads to damnation and that this broadly defines the "sin against the Holy Spirit" which cannot be forgiven (if forgiveness is not wanted, it will not be conferred against the will). Affiliation with Satan probably comes perilously close to this definition since it is such a grotesque repudiation of the justice and goodness of God as Lord of all creation and entails enormities of pride, arrogance, hubris and a willingness to commit grave evils "do as though wilt is the whole of the law" as Satanists say. A soul who strays into this territory during life is at grave risk of meeting the definition of the sin that cannot be forgiven - such souls are likely to relish and revel in their sin, so therefore all too likely to die in final impenitence.
On this basis one can see why it is rash to say that we are all born Satanists, this is a grievous overstatement. God is good, He loves we his children and desires that we spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Starting out in life as Satanists would prove an impossible burden and for the vast majority, this burden is not present, though I admit it must be possible, even likely that Satanic bloodline families endeavour the seal the fates of their children by indoctrination and inculcation. However, this might mean that one of the three elements of mortal sin is not be present. If MKUltra programming of alters is a real thing (I believe it might be) grievous evils done in one of the alter states might conceivably not entail damnation, since free will is absent.
Perhaps this is a long way of saying that prudence is required when speaking of these matters. I think your post is imprudent for these reasons.
Don't dismiss the Black Mass - it is most certainly a real thing. To one who desires to repudiate God, repudiation comes no stronger than the inversion of Holy Mass, the most potent of all seven sacraments. Sad to say, we Catholics have it on extremely credible authority that Cardinal Bernardin participated in a Black Mass and all it entails as part of a direct insinuation of the satanic spirit into the Vatican. Pope Paul VI himself alluded to the "smoke of Satan" having infiltrated Holy Church. For the sake of clarity, we Catholics make a vital distinction - what is not of God, cannot be of the true Church, his bride, therefore those human parts of the church that became so infiltrated, have separated themselves from the True Church by their acts. When, as Catholics believe, the True Church comprises Church Militant (the living, human component), Church Suffering (those souls being purified so as to be worthy of entering God's presence) and Church Triumphant (those souls already in heaven), it is perhaps easier to see how Satan's infiltration is not definitive, though the assault is grievous in human and spiritual terms.
Morals are, imho, not predestined. What is, however, is the fact that narcissism extending into adulthood exists for about 20% of humans. They lack the brain function for compassion. Demons find their dwelling place therein. Unshielded by compassion nor a sense of faithful connection to others and their Creator, they sadly seek the 2most corrupting things: money and power. Hence, they occupy the halls of world power. And pave the road to hell for civilization. They know who they are, and so do you.
The dialectic is very ingrained, it’s the ‘Santa Clause’ dilemma. I sure do appreciate your hashing this out. We all have free will to think what we may. The potential of ‘devil’ is in us all- the Creator’s creation is the teacher - the penalty for stupid is extinction ;). Transient desires - everyone gets to pick.
Funny how The Rolling Stones tune Sympathy For The Devil is playing in my mind :)
I don’t agree fully with your take. For me, Satan/the devil is very real. He is a fallen angel and he wants to be worshipped. All of these secret cabals knowingly do so at the highest levels but maybe not the entry level Freemasons for example. Satan gives his worshippers power and worldly success.
St Michael, defend us in battle from the evil ones🙏
Satan is often portrayed as elegant, rich, highly educated, urbane... Until you cross him.
In reality, frightening deceiver wanting your soul
So many times evil is not the great satanic black mass, but those little choices we make each day, to not be kind, to not consider someone else's view, to not exercise. These are the frontlines of a greater evil. Without these, evil wouldn't have a larger "church" where to conduct mass.
Hebrews 2:14-15 "…Now since the children have flesh and blood, He [Christ] too shared in their humanity (Hypostatic union), so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." The last three years we have witnessed how the fear of death was used to terrify people and manipulate them to take an experimental injection which had untested technology with unknown outcomes. Instead, 'fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.' Repentance holds the key for overcoming death and receiving eternal life. The world lies in the power of the evil one, Satan, also called the prince and power of the air. Luke 4:5 in the famous exchange with Jesus and the Devil, . . "The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Many people fall for the temporal trappings of power and riches but God offers an eternity of unimagined beauty (I Cor 2:9) and joy, etc. The only future worth contemplating is one where we are aligned with the Creator of the universe.
In the Catholic Christian paradigm, which I hold to be true, you are precisely wrong. We are not all born Satanists, we are born with original sin and our concupiscence, which emerges onto the worlds stage by the time we reach the age of reason, means that we all (with the sole exception of the Virgin Mary) sin in ways great or small, venial or mortal, by commission or omission. There is a huge difference between that world view (developed and explicated by thousands of Saints and holy men and women over two millennia) and holding that we are all affiliated with Satan by our sins. Stating the problem in such bald terms is very likely to lead people to not examine their consciences, since it is very easy (and justified) to say "I'm not a Satanist". For a sin to be mortal, three elements must be present: it must entail grave matter, engaged in with full knowledge and with the assent of the will. Venial sin is committed when only one or two of those conditions are met. Mortal sin separates a soul from God, venial sins, in isolation, do not, though they can act cumulatively to separate the soul from God if not repented and confessed.
A comment box is too limited in scope to examine all the issues involved, however it is understood generally in Christian religion, that final impenitence, which Catholics take to mean dying in steadfast refusal to repent and confess, leads to damnation and that this broadly defines the "sin against the Holy Spirit" which cannot be forgiven (if forgiveness is not wanted, it will not be conferred against the will). Affiliation with Satan probably comes perilously close to this definition since it is such a grotesque repudiation of the justice and goodness of God as Lord of all creation and entails enormities of pride, arrogance, hubris and a willingness to commit grave evils "do as though wilt is the whole of the law" as Satanists say. A soul who strays into this territory during life is at grave risk of meeting the definition of the sin that cannot be forgiven - such souls are likely to relish and revel in their sin, so therefore all too likely to die in final impenitence.
On this basis one can see why it is rash to say that we are all born Satanists, this is a grievous overstatement. God is good, He loves we his children and desires that we spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Starting out in life as Satanists would prove an impossible burden and for the vast majority, this burden is not present, though I admit it must be possible, even likely that Satanic bloodline families endeavour the seal the fates of their children by indoctrination and inculcation. However, this might mean that one of the three elements of mortal sin is not be present. If MKUltra programming of alters is a real thing (I believe it might be) grievous evils done in one of the alter states might conceivably not entail damnation, since free will is absent.
Perhaps this is a long way of saying that prudence is required when speaking of these matters. I think your post is imprudent for these reasons.
Don't dismiss the Black Mass - it is most certainly a real thing. To one who desires to repudiate God, repudiation comes no stronger than the inversion of Holy Mass, the most potent of all seven sacraments. Sad to say, we Catholics have it on extremely credible authority that Cardinal Bernardin participated in a Black Mass and all it entails as part of a direct insinuation of the satanic spirit into the Vatican. Pope Paul VI himself alluded to the "smoke of Satan" having infiltrated Holy Church. For the sake of clarity, we Catholics make a vital distinction - what is not of God, cannot be of the true Church, his bride, therefore those human parts of the church that became so infiltrated, have separated themselves from the True Church by their acts. When, as Catholics believe, the True Church comprises Church Militant (the living, human component), Church Suffering (those souls being purified so as to be worthy of entering God's presence) and Church Triumphant (those souls already in heaven), it is perhaps easier to see how Satan's infiltration is not definitive, though the assault is grievous in human and spiritual terms.
Hoping this helps.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/sam-smith-demonic-performance-leaves-many-grammy-viewers-horrified
Morals are, imho, not predestined. What is, however, is the fact that narcissism extending into adulthood exists for about 20% of humans. They lack the brain function for compassion. Demons find their dwelling place therein. Unshielded by compassion nor a sense of faithful connection to others and their Creator, they sadly seek the 2most corrupting things: money and power. Hence, they occupy the halls of world power. And pave the road to hell for civilization. They know who they are, and so do you.
The dialectic is very ingrained, it’s the ‘Santa Clause’ dilemma. I sure do appreciate your hashing this out. We all have free will to think what we may. The potential of ‘devil’ is in us all- the Creator’s creation is the teacher - the penalty for stupid is extinction ;). Transient desires - everyone gets to pick.
Funny how The Rolling Stones tune Sympathy For The Devil is playing in my mind :)
Hugs pal
I don’t agree fully with your take. For me, Satan/the devil is very real. He is a fallen angel and he wants to be worshipped. All of these secret cabals knowingly do so at the highest levels but maybe not the entry level Freemasons for example. Satan gives his worshippers power and worldly success.
St Michael, defend us in battle from the evil ones🙏
Good post. I intend to take my dogs to Heaven or as Tyler Childers says “Go to Hell with all my friends”.
https://youtu.be/QU3GJ8M6SHA