Introduction
According to some religions, the devil is the most powerful evil being. It is the personal supreme spirit of evil represented primarily in Christianity. In their belief, the devil is the tempter of humankind—the ruler of hell or the leader of apostate angels.
On the other hand, God Is the supreme reality. The perfect one in power, enriched with wisdom and goodness, who is holistically worshipped for all his kindness and good things as the creator and the ruler of the entire universe.
But are they true? Do God and Satan exist? Who is more powerful? How do we know there is God or there is a devil? Several questions pop into our minds whenever we talk about this topic. The truth has revealed itself in various storylines. The existence of them both has been witnessed and proved scientifically and in history.
People have stood up with various arguments over this, and some of them have sayings that the reason behind our strengthening belief in God is the devil who puts us in situations that test our faith in God as well as ourselves.
In the end, we cannot be in denial of the fact that it was only God who made the devil. He is a creation of God. The way he turned out as a fallen angel is his actions result. God does not hate anybody, that includes Satan or sinners. He hates what they do. Which keeps them in denial of the existence of God. for all the good work he has done.
God vs Devil
With time, on spiritual battlefields, mankind’s mindset is such that we fail to understand that there is a raging battle between God and the powerful evil spirit. If we go back to the earliest pages of human history, we can find out that this battle between the god and the devil continues to influence the course of history in several powerful ways.
The distinction between God and the Demon is that God is the Incomparable Individual, and the Fallen angel or the devil could be a conditioned being like any other person. God is the epitome of eternity, knowledge, truth and delight. The Devil could be a brief appearance of tama-guna, which is defined as ignorance.
In a few religions, the Demon, or Satan, has been described as the competitor of God. The story is recited in a manner where the two compete for souls. The conversation revolves around an eternal universal fight between the tremendous and the fiendish.
It is said that the god represents the good and the devil represents the evil. No one can compete with God since God is in no comparison with others. This sounds more like a diplomatic situation, subjecting god to a state of dualism. Having said that, god implies good only when opposed to the devil, which is evil. That means god is dependent on evil to be good.
The Vedic form of God is distant and predominant to the dualistic approach of some religions towards god. God is outright and transcendental, which implies He is past this thing of the good and the evil. God is supreme and does not require any evil to exist for good.
We are all fallen angels, turning away from God, diving into materialistic things for enjoyment to compete with the enjoyer that is God.
If we take the example of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, we can find in the saying of Krishna that says that he is Everything, the beginning, the end, and everything in between. Which certainly implies that he is everything, evil too. But there is no such concept here which talks about God not being evil or Rakshasas not being good.
Difference Between The God And The Devil In Tabular Form
| God | Devil |
| God is a supernatural creator, having control over everything that is happening around the world. | Devil or evil is the opposite of god. It is referred to as the fallen angel who well because he rebelled against god. |
| It is an embodiment of grace | It is an embodiment of evil |
| People in different religions have different names for god. | It is often referred to as Satan but has different names in different religions. |
| God is divine it does not have any beginning or end. | Devil is someone who is created by god. |
| God is the creator of this universe, managing the outcomes, helping, and inspiring visions, all these things explain the work of god. | Devil is the rebel created by god. It deceives the faithful. |
| God has a dualistic approach either everything is good or everything is bad. | As the name itself signifies there is nothing good about a devil, everything is evil. |
| God is believed to reside in heaven. | Devil is believed to reside in hell. |
| The one who gives blessings. | The one known for cursing. |
| God is known for his creations and good deeds for the universe. | Devil is known for his sly mind. |
| Different religions symbolise their god in different ways. | Symbols in the case of a devil is usually a goat or snake. |
What Is God?
God is the supreme being, the epitome of immortality, faith, truth, the definition of infinite, unchangeable, eternal and the principal object of the creator of this universe.
God is someone referred to as the creator of this universe, one who is a divine power above everything. The human mind is capable of understanding everything about God. His glory is beyond our understanding.
However, the word ‘God’ was introduced in the 6th century by a German which is called ‘Gudan” in Greek, meaning “to call” or to “invoke a power”. Different religions worship different gods. In Western traditions, according to Abrahamic faiths, ‘God is the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is a deity who revealed himself to an ancient patriarch, Abraham.
God is the representative of good. People in different regions worship God for the good he has done for mankind. God does not have a particular identity. He is worshipped in different forms with different names in different religions. God, for some people, is an indescribable feeling.
The reason behind this universe’s existence is God. The nature that we are surrounded by, these people, the water, the land, the Earth, everything is given by God. Both science and history have revealed about God.
We here are discussing the God of the Bible, and the God of the Bible is self-defined. God has revealed himself in the holy books like the Gita and the Quran. When we talk about God, we take him as eternal and righteous. He is someone filled with love. His work speaks for itself, being timeless and above this space. He is the God of supremacy. He isn’t visible yet. He is so much with us that wherever we go, we can never escape him.
God is the creator and the sustainer of this universe. People’s devotion and faith in God are immortal, just like its existence.
What Is The Devil?
A devil is the incarnation of the evil. It is conceived in various cultures and religions as a principal object of a destructive force.
The word Devil is derived from the Greek word ‘diabolos’, which means the accuser or the slanderer. The devil word is also used for minor demonic spirits or to refer to someone cunning. He is someone also referred to as the prince of evil spirits.
An American historian of medieval Europe threw some light on the existence of the devil that it could be for various reasons. He states that the devil is a being created by God who turned into a fallen angel, a symbol of human evil, or a principle of evil that is far away from God.
In Western religions, he is viewed as someone who is born to seize God. It is also known as Satan in the religions of Judaism and Christianity. The work of the Devil has several theories in different religions. According to Christian theology, the Devil’s work is to tempt humans to give up their way of life and pave their way toward death and destruction.
In Islamic theology, the Devil is referred to as the ‘Enemy of God’. It has been revealed in the holy book of the Quran that the devil was created by God, who later on was cursed by God itself for disobeying.
In Judaism, the Devil is referred to as the hurdles in life. It is not any kind of physical threat but the difficulties and problems in life that one must overcome to not suffer and remain worthy in God’s eyes.
Unlike other religions, Hinduism does not hold any belief in the existence of a central evil force or entity like the Devil opposing God. Asuras, the evil human beings, however, are someone believed to have caused human suffering. On such prominent Asura is Rahu more likely a Devil.
Satanists who worship Satan have a huge respect for him. For his choice of freedom and self-will to stand up against God. This led him to be declared punishable and hence was banished from Heaven and become a fallen angel. Therefore, for some, Satan stands for the acceptance of responsibility for your actions and your will for your freedom of choice.
The great power of the evil, the Devil, can be witnessed through literature and art. It has been depicted in the religious and secular aspects.
Main Difference Between The God And The Devil in Points
- The two words ‘God’ and ‘Devil’ are English words meaning goodness and evil.
- God is the creator of the universe, and the Devil is referred to as the temptation of humankind from life towards death.
- Various theories explain God as someone who is known to exist everywhere and has infinite knowledge.
- Devil is regarded as the fallen angel of God who rebelled against God.
- Overall, God is a positive topic. People believe God to be the reason behind the existence of good.
- Devil, on the other hand, when we talk about it, is regarded as a mark of the existence of destruction and negativity.
- Satan is referred to as the opposer of God.
- Devil is the symbol of evil, while God is the symbol of grace.
- God is the creator of the Devil and is immortal.
- God is known for everything good and positive in the universe, while the Devil is known for all that drives away humankind from life.
- Hell is considered the permanent residence of the evil spirit, and Heaven is that of God.
Conclusion
With time, curiosity among people has also increased. Several questions have been put up regarding the existence of God and correlated beliefs. Earlier, people used to worship wholeheartedly, fully devoted, having faith in their practice, not having second thoughts on God’s reality, his existence. Many generations passed by with the same feelings and beliefs. But as time has passed by, people have become more thoughtful about everything.
Does God exist? Does the devil exist? It has been a popular topic for debate in theology, philosophy and culture.
Various theories have been put forward to discuss the existence of God. Some arguments were made and were categorized as cosmological. Some arguments were made around the study of existence and ontology. while some different people came up with updated arguments, their versions of cosmological arguments.
It is inappropriate to deny the existence of them both. If we say that Satan does not exist, it will turn out as a lie because we know this world stinks to the evil minds of humankind. It is something that is expressed through choices, through human institutions that halt with negative and evil consequences.
Being in disagreement about the existence of Satan would mean claiming the levels of knowledge and insight minds that humankind does not possess. One must believe in the truth about the existence of God. The truth that strengthens trust in God. Such an accentuation will protect against the unhelpful theory about Satan that tends to move past the clear articulations of the book of scripture.
