Something that is a bit uncomfortable to acknowledge, but is also very empowering, is that God and Satan seem to be incahoots at times. Looking back to the Old Testament, for example, God and Satan discuss Job’s righteousness. God is very pleased with Job, and when He and Satan disagree on the motivation for Job’s upright character, God grants Satan the power to essentially wreak havoc on Job’s life. He experiences extreme hardships and we (along with God and Satan) watch to see if Job will stay faithful to God during hard times or if he will break. Looking forward in the New Testament, we can see something similar in Mark Chapter 1. At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “you are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well … [Read more...] about Satan and Suffering as Teachers
"All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree." Albert Einstein