Satan Supports Equal Rights?

[mkgal1]

This blog has some great points:

Satan was not the first to demand equal rights. He didn’t want equality at all. He wanted to take God off the throne and rule in his place.

You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
(Isaiah 14:13-14.)

I get the impression that whoever approved the wording for that church sign (assuming someone didn’t create it just to get a rise out of people) is also opposed to equality. Of course, another way to read that sign is as a teaser for a sermon on servanthood as Jesus taught it:

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45.)

That’s a good topic for a sermon. But it still doesn’t lead to the idea that equal rights is satanic.

In fact, nowhere does the Bible say we are not to consider ourselves equal to each other. It does say that we are not to think more highly of ourselves than we should (Romans 12:3) and we should not emulate those who seek to put themselves higher than those around them (Matthew 10:25), but those passages do not tell us to avoid equality or striving for equality.~Tim Fall

 

[Hetta]

This blog has some great points:

Wow. Just wow.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Seems to me like God talked about equality first in fact.

 

[Tiny Bible]

NM

 

[WolfGate]

Who ever thought that sign was a good idea?

 

[Thunder Peel]

That sign doesn't make a lot of sense. Satan tempted Eve and Adam by claiming that they knew better than God and that their "..eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5).

I'm not sure how that's supposed to translate into equal rights.

 

[mkgal1]

That sign doesn't make a lot of sense. Satan tempted Eve and Adam by claiming that they knew better than God and that their "..eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5).

I'm not sure how that's supposed to translate into equal rights.

It takes some mental gymnastics, so I can't be sure, but I *think* the sign is referring to Satan's fall from heaven mentioned in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18. I believe they're translating that (or leaping to the conclusion of) as Satan wishing to be "equal with God" ---but Satan wasn't.....he was trying to elevate himself above God.

It's just another way (I believe) to take a bit of general knowledge of the Bible (distorting it) to be used in one's agenda. It may be a bit intuitive and make sense...(kind of like: "yeah....that Satan was a prideful being---I don't wish to be prideful like him and make any demands").

 

[RedPonyDriver]

No accounting for misogyny

 

[heliumskylark]

I remember seeing this doing the rounds on social media last year - there were a couple similar ones if I remember correctly, during the leadup to the same-sex marriage vote. The pastor's defense of this sign was to do with Satan's fall, as mkgal1 said, and in particular with the individualism that drove Satan's desire to be like God. He related that to the individualism he observed in society, and tried to argue (pretty unconvincingly) that the sign was defending a more communal, unfied approach to life rather than an individualistic "I know my rights" kind of approach. I can't imagine that's really what he had in mind when he put the sign up, though. There are a thousand other, less inflammatory, phrases he could have used to promote unity.

 

[Hetta]

IJWTS that I keep reading that as "Stan" and wondering who Stan is.

 

[mkgal1]

IJWTS that I keep reading that as "Stan" and wondering who Stan is.

LOL....That Stan---thank goodness he got the whole equality movement rolling I had to double-check the title, I thought maybe I transposed some letters.

 

[LinkH]

It takes some mental gymnastics, so I can't be sure, but I *think* the sign is referring to Satan's fall from heaven mentioned in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:12-18. I believe they're translating that (or leaping to the conclusion of) as Satan wishing to be "equal with God" ---but Satan wasn't.....he was trying to elevate himself above God.

That sounds like an analogy for radical feminism, the more than equality part.

We have to be careful not to read our own political philosophies and concepts of social justice back into scripture. Last night I went to a prayer gathering and a man connected somehow with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association talked about an intercessory prayer gathering he'd been to where they repented for ancestor's sins. If I remember right, he was talking about Billy Graham and said that one of his ancestors was a slave owner, and presented that as if it were a sin to repent of. Biblically, though, owning a slave is not a sin. Abraham owned slaves. Philemon owned a slave, and we can see in the epistle that mentions it, that he loved the saints.

'Equality' is extremely important in modern western political thought. It's a buzz word for Americans that invokes a lot of feeling and patriotism, like the word 'freedom.' Our government tells soldiers that when they invade foreign countries and destabilize regions of the world that they are doing it to protect their freedom. We hear voices in our society telling us that it is against 'equality' to reject certain forms of unnatural sexual immorality that the Bible condemns.

I certainly believe Satan can twist concepts like equality and prey in philosophies and systems of belief to advance his agenda.

 

[Hetta]

Regardless of whether biblical characters owned slaves, "owning" other human beings is wrong, as is the evil that comes of slave ownership.

 

[mkgal1]

We have to be careful not to read our own political philosophies and concepts of social justice back into scripture

"Political philosophies"? I believe you have that backwards---most of the people I know are taking their ideas about who God is (and what He values)...and placing that onto their political philosophies (me included). IOW....our politics come from what we believe about God. Isn't "politics" just "the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area"? Because that's what I see it defined as.

I don't know about you.....but my ideas of how our country should be run all goes back to what I believe is best for our people (and I hope and pray that those that represent us politically have the same philosophies--doing what's best). I just don't know how it's even possible to separate our "political views" from our "biblical views".....or even how we perceive God's heart to be....and what He ultimately believes is best. I think everyone.

But....that warning you gave can also be written to say, "We have to be careful not to read our own biases and fears of social justice back into Scripture". How else can someone believe "it's not a sin to own a slave"? How can one person claim to have "ownership" of another as if they are no longer a human being but, instead, are property? It makes me wonder what "sin" is being defined as.