Quote Originally Posted by volleykinginnc View Post
no and yes he is evil.
If he doles out eternal punishment to sinners, isn't he doing God's work, and therefore one of his most loyal servants?

If he was the antithesis of God, he'd probably go on rewarding the most wicked of men, rather than subjecting them to eternal agony. And in that case, you could get eternal reward by being extremely pious OR exteremly wicked. It's only those of who are waffling somewhere in between who'd get the short end of the stick.



Anyway, does evil have a soul... tough question. I think of evil more as an influence, rather than a sentient being. Think more of the 'One Ring' from LOTR, rather than the personification with the ram's horns. The idea of a sentient personification of evil, trying to convince you to stray from the path of righteousness imo is a metaphor for the conflict of your own desires vs what you know to be right, under the influence I mentioned.

Anger, hate, greed, ... we all have those things inside us. Things and places can speak to us and our emotions, and cause us to react in certain ways. And because what we do can physically leave traces in the environment, I think that as a result if our actions, evil can wax or wane. I'd define evil as something (physical or not, like a belief) which is exhibiting the influence towards doing that which is wrong. This does not necessitate sentience.

Just thinking out loud here. I'd need some time to write down my thoughts in a more coherent way. But I do have to say I find this an interesting discussion.