Our view on Satan / Evil.
To us, Satan is the breaker-of-chains, the one who refuses to follow blindly, the one who accepts that knowledge is a good thing, and that it is good to question authority.
To us, Satan is the breaker-of-chains, the one who refuses to follow blindly, the one who accepts that knowledge is a good thing, and that it is good to question authority.
Good and evil are human things. There is no force outside of humanity tempting us - we provide our own temptation. It is our choice whether or not to give in to temptation - the gods have no interest in our struggles of good and evil. The universe doesn't care.
Heaven and Hell are here on Earth. We are responsible for whether the world is our personal heaven or our personal hell. The world is what we make of it. Our accomplishments are our own, as is our failings.
It is about personal responsibility. It is far too easy to blame an outside force for tempting us, or to praise an outside force for our accomplishments. It allows us to say 'it was out of our hands', to eschew personal responsibility for our lives.
The gods do not tempt humanity. If the kami are involved in our success or failure, it is because of the things we have done. It is, always, about our actions and the consequences of our actions.
It is never about the gods and what they 'made us do', or 'did for us'.
It is never about the gods and what they 'made us do', or 'did for us'.
And to some extent, we think there are people who are distinctly uncomfortable with the idea that they are, in fact, responsible for their lives and for the lives of those around them. They don't want to feel like they have any responsibility, at all.
But yes. In our faith, there is no heaven or hell waiting for us in the afterlife. Here, now, is our heaven or hell. The life we live now is our most important life. The lives of those around us are just as much our responsibility, to make their lives better.
It is our obligation to those around us to make this life the best it can be for them, as well as us. We are responsible for the health of this world, its animals, its people. Because no god is going to do our work for us.
Too many people say 'it's in God's hands'. No, it isn't. God watches, most certainly, but the world's health is in our hands. The health of its animals and people are in our hands. It is our responsibility, and He isn't going to do our work for us.
We strive, every day, to make the lives of those around us better for us having been a part of it. It is our duty to the world to do so - and it is an obligation we accept gladly.
If we die, our duties end, passed on to those who remain. We do not go to Heaven or Hell, we remain, a part of this world, forever.
@threadreaderapp unroll please.
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