My friend is satanic....

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   selene383posted 13 years ago

   My best friend that i have grown up with is a satanist, I on the other hand am a christian. What do i do? Do i stop being friends with my friend?

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      Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Why do you care what his religion is? Is he doing anything to your or to others that makes him suddenly unworthy as a friend? Or are you just supposed to abandon him as a friend because he does not read the same religious books the same way you do?
      
      That seems a horrifically petty reason to write off a lifetime friend, and, frankly, if your religion casts off friendship so easily, even demands it of you, you might take a long hard look at your religion. Seems like you might have a high opinion of the wrong faith.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I like to think of Satanists as "Honest Christians."

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            Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            LOL.
            
            They make good heavy metal videos, that's for sure.

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            Castlepalomaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Satanists sure like their freedom anyways

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         selene383posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thank you for all the advice!!

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      CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      If this person has been a good friend to you, why would you want to let them go?
      
      What is involved in this person's satanism that makes them 'evil'? Have you ever asked them about their beliefs and what their worship consists of, or have you just let your imagination run away with you?
      
      If their general behaviour has not changed and they treat you well, there is not any reason to drop them, and certainly not because some bigoted people tell you to.  After all there are plenty of christians who feel that they have the right to judge others, but are quite happy to beat their kids, drink themselves silly etc etc etc
      
      So if you have no hard evidence of child sacrifice or desecrating churchyards or whatever it is that you think they get up to, I would say just accept that your friend is different to you and get on with your friendship.

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         Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hey, don't lump all people who drink themselves silly in with that nasty bunch. I take offense to that!

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            CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Sorry Shades - have been known to enjoy a white wine or four myself! But you know what I mean.....

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      Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well hopefully you have other things in common.
      
      The greatest commandemnt is to love..so love and use your head as well as your heart.

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      Reality Bytesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Is your friend a self proclaimed "satanist" or is that a label placed upon them by others?
      
      It could be possible that your friend is Pagan which has absolutely nothing to do with "satanism".  Christianity has quite a foundation built upon Pagan beliefs and rituals.
      
      If you decide to end your friendship based upon a "label" then it is you that is acting uncivil.  If your friend has done nothing to harm you or others then ending your friendship would be a very judgemental action and not very Christian?

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      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well after reading about your dilemma, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you.  Has your friend ever tried to convert you into his satanic religion?  Has he ever hurt you or anyone else?  Has he ever done anything to make you feel uncomfortable in anyway?  If you answer no to all these, then I don't see any reason why you should stop being friends with someone.  Besides, who cares what those other people think?  As long as your happy being this person's friend, then that's all that matters anyway. 
      
      However, if you're still conflicted about this, then you should write down a pros and cons list of being friends with this person.  Write down every single positive you can think of being friends with this person; along with all the negative.  If you end up with more positives to be his/her friend, then stay friends with them.  If you come up with more negatives, then stop being friends with them.  Anyways, I hope that helps.

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         Eaglekiwiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Good post,sensitive and sensible

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      prettydarkhorseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Is his name Satan? You can choose your friends according to your preferences, good friends are known in times of trouble (he might be handy then) - he may not be what you presumed he is. Satan can be good (it depends on your presumption of course). Just because he is not a Christian means he acts like one according to notion of what Satan is doing.

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      SirDentposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Seek God about it.  He knows what is best.  Satan is a destroyer and a thief.

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   Cagsilposted 13 years ago

   Be friends with whomever you choose.
   
   The fact that you need to ask for advice on this particular topic, clearly shows YOU cannot seem to guide yourself. And, that's sad in and of itself.

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      selene383posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The only reason i asked this question is because everyone at my church is telling me to quit being friends with him because he is evil and that to talk to him is a sin, my parents have told me that they will pretty much have nothin to do with me if im friends with him. I've known him forever, i am confused and upset.

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         Bill Manningposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         No, your friend is confused and upset. It's a phase that he will grow out of. However anyone who thinks they are actually worshiping a devil, real or not, does not sound like anyone I want to hang out with.

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            I am DB Cooperposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I agree. I feel that Satanism is just an act of rebellion by confused people (often teenage boys). Perhaps it would be possible to help this young man. He doesn't necessarily need to be converted to anything else, but maybe it's possible to figure out what he's rebelling against.

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               Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               He's probably rebelling against everyone telling him what he's rebelling against, or what he's doing, or why he is wrong, or what's wrong with him. He's probably rebelling against being judged and looked down on by a bunch of people all so full of themselves and full of the "right" answers that he's been DRIVEN to the one place he can get a big F. U. off of his chest.
               
               Frankly, and we don't have all the details, he's probably been surrounded by this knot of self-righteous Christians for so long he couldn't help it. Religion is having an ugly resurgence in America, and it threatens to drag us all back to the land of donkey carts and women as chattel if we don't remain vigilant and stand up for reason and calm.
               
               I think the OP should be a true friend to his friend, and not let the hisses and sneers of the "community" lead him down the path of disloyalty, judgment, and hate.

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         Beelzedadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         It sounds like the real evil lurks in the church.
         
         If those in the church are forcing you choose between your friend and them, then they aren't your friends at all.

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         Garrett Mickleyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I'm not a church going/practicing Christian, but I have read the Bible, and I believe the Bible teaches not to abandon such people but to pray for them and try to help them.
         
         If I was more into it, I would find the verse, but as I said, I've read it though am not a practicing Christian.

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         Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Consider what your parents say very seriously.
         
         You don't have to be enemies with the person, but the Bible does say there's no fellowship between darkness and light.
         Same with other religious situations.....don't let curiosity or liking for wiccans or druids or etc. turn into condoning of any anti-Christian things.  Because no matter how seemingly harmless those things are, ...if you're really a Christian, you'll keep those things at a far distance from yourself.  And sometimes that means actually keeping the person at a distance too.
         
         Have you spoken to your friend about the Biblical view of this?

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            Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            You only have to be afraid of other religions if your faith is weak and easily unraveled. The only real test of faith is, well, a test of faith. You have to see if it really holds up against all other ideas. Devotion in a church surrounded by people who all agree with you and who all drink the wine--or the Kool aid--from the same cup is not devotion; it's parroting.
            
            Real devotion is out in the world, at ease with itself, having no fear that it is so fragile that the slightest bump from another set of ideas will undo it. (Unless the ideas are lame and easily undone, at which point, yes, by all means don't test yours, lest everything that is so "true" and stuff will go away at the first breath of opposition.)

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               Brenda Durhamposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I think you're leaving out the concept of a "little" thing called temptation.
               Everyone is subject to that.  We are not perfect.  Sometimes we Christians have to guard our own hearts/minds/souls. 
               
               No, it's not a matter of being weak at all, in the long run.  It's about knowing right from wrong and yet being human, having to take into account those facts but being wise enough to recognize the adversary's wiles.   The devil has a habit of whining for sympathy.  This I know, and is becoming quite a popular ploy these days.   As is your label of "weak" you've placed upon Believers.

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                  Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  No, that's exactly my point. How can you know your faith is real if you aren't willing to put it to the test. And I'm not talking some stupid test, I'm talking a real life test. Like one that involves a friend. A complex test that requires complex navigation through conflicting notions of good. That is how you discover if your faith is real, and, frankly, if it's even worth having.
                  
                  Of course we aren't. Christians and every other human. We all have to guard our minds from bad things. The question is, are we guarding against corruption or hiding from it. If the OP abandons his friend because the mob told him to "burn the witch" so to speak, then he is not a friend; nor is he brave enough to see the world for what it is and trust in his faith to keep him safe from whatever boogeyman the church decides to paint the "satanic" kid as.
                  
                  When you write "your label of 'weak'" like that, you avoid the point. But you can't dismiss it so easily. When I say "weak," I am not saying it pejoratively; it's something that deserves looking at. If your faith is supposed to protect you, or help to protect you and give you strength, it can't be considered very strong if you hide from possible tests of it when those tests include things like friendship, loyalty and love (which is what the OP is talking about). If you can't wear your Christian armor into a situation like that, then the armor is weak, and dismissing the fact does not change that for anyone paying attention.
                  
                  My point is not that a Christian CAN'T keep his/her faith and have a friend like the OP describes. In fact, my point is that they SHOULD be able to without a problem. A Christian who can't, is a sorry excuse for a Christian. Even thinking their faith might be in jeopardy in that circumstance proves how weak their belief is. That's my point.

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                     Garrett Mickleyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I agree with you Shadesbreath.
                     
                     Eph 6:10-17 (NIV) ...Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
                     
                     Distancing ones self from the evil is not "stand(ing) your ground".  It's hiding, just like you said Shadesbreath.

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            Garrett Mickleyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Considering the possibility these two may be teenagers, and the "satanic" one is just going through a phase, I feel the Christian thing to do would be to stick around and hopefully bring the "satanic" one to their senses...
            
            We don't have information on ages so I wouldn't make that my final answer to the situation, though. Just a suggestion.

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   skyfireposted 13 years ago

   So your friend is evil because church says so ? or satanist because church assumes so ? You've no gut feelings that points you towards his so-called evil actions. Speaking of satanism, what type of rituals he performs everyday in front of you ? Bloodletting ? dark arts ? something that proves church's point that he's satanist ? or that guy is just plain wiccan ?
   
   I'm glad that person like you who listens to deluded crowd inside bs church is not my friend.

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   Pandoras Boxposted 13 years ago

   Yes, what form does his satanism take? Who says he is a satanist? I will tell you the truth, that all these nice people are too kind to say outright, but I'm a bitch like that, so I'll just say it.
   
   Your friend the satanist has out-learned you. He is one step closer to the truth than you are. He has rejected your false and angry bronze-aged god, and chosen the devil's side. This is a good thing, a relevant step in the natural progression of achieving true enlightenment. Soon he'll be worshiping noodly appendages, voting left, and quoting Christopher Hitchens, and then you know they'll be no hope left for him.
   
   If you look for it, you will see the light. If you depend on others to show you the way, you'll never get there.
   
   I suspect that if you wanted a standard christian answer you would have asked on a standard christian website.

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   dingdondingdonposted 13 years ago

   Has he done something to hurt you or others? If not, then I don't see any reason to stop being friends with him. If it seriously bothers you, ask him to explain his belief system to you so you understand it better.

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   Daniel Carterposted 13 years ago

   Our perceptions usually color our ideas of someone quite a bit. If you look strictly at his/her behavior and stripped out the word "satanist" then you would get a better picture of whether or not you want to be friends.

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   Home Girlposted 13 years ago

   Friendship is the one thing you do not have to have reason to.

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   optimus grimlockposted 13 years ago

   put holly water on him and kick him in the arse!!!

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   optimus grimlockposted 13 years ago

   ironicly enough my last post was number 666 lol

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      Home Girlposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Just make sure you do not drive over a black cat at night!

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         Castlepalomaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Satan believes in God, so you are a match

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    BunuBobuposted 13 years ago

    LOL.
    
    Like I said on another thread.
    WHAT IS THE POINT!!
    
    If you believe in God and the Bible, Satan does not win.
    Why would anyone choose to play on the losing side when they know the result already.
    
    How old is your friend?
    Maybe its a rebellious phase.

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       Castlepalomaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I think it's most likely a young person rebellious phase. Much like many involved in heavy metal music followers who seek more freedom.

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