The devil AKA Satan.

Do you believe in the devil?

Many fundamentalist Christians would obviously say "yes" with the sage and knowing comment that the greatest trick of the devil is to convince us that he doesn't exist.

Myself, I think his greatest trick is to convince us that he he does.....which doesn't really make sense I know, but is rather funny when you think about it.

The Dharma, Buddhism, does have its own version of the "lord of darkness", Mara. Mara often acts as someone who would seek to convince us that "enlightenment/salvation" can never be ours.

Once, on a Buddhist forum, another poster spoke of his own outlook. He only believed in bodhisattvas, surrounding us, "enlightenment beings" who have renounced the joys of nirvana in order to share our sufferings, making them their own, aiding and supporting. Angels in a sense I suppose. I saw his outlook as life giving. I still do.

I don't think we need believe in fairies to reap the benefits. A "bodhisattva" can be in the smile of a child, an act of a stranger. Tangible. Real. Lifegiving.

No poll here I'm not interested in any vote. Truth is not democratic.

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Graylight · 51-55, F

I believe hell is wandering away from the best path for one's soul. What we call the devil is simply the negativity that man is capable of in his own mind. If we can use the positive energy of the universe to manifest beneficial things, we can follow the negative energy down into self-recrimination, lack of confidence, lies others have whispered to us.

A devil implies judgment, which implies a punitive concept of eternity and God. I think that's a limitation of man's mind. I believe the Universe only wants us to rejoice, experience, learn and add to the creative cycle of transformation; when we follow that current free of flailing arms and shouted commands, we find it takes us just where we need to be. When we don't, we end up clinging to flotsam and blaming others for our fears. We call the latter the devil, but it's odd how often he sounds just like our own voice.