tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578935861941887705.post4813853887323013324..comments2023-07-31T15:47:07.128-07:00Comments on The Armor of God: Why Evil Existsmotherof8http://www.blogger.com/profile/08755565115935625741noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8578935861941887705.post-1888516213412578832018-04-09T17:36:58.151-07:002018-04-09T17:36:58.151-07:00I think you can say that negative things are essen...I think you can say that negative things are essential to God's plan, but it is just part of natural law that there is opposition in all things, not something that God created. How can you have light without having dark? It wouldn't mean anything. So if there is no evil, then what does it mean to be good?<br /><br />God didn't create Satan to be evil. Before he became Satan, he was named Lucifer, which now has negative connotations, but literally means "the Shining One; also Lightbringer or Son of the Morning"*<br /><br />He was a good person, until Heavenly Father chose to send Jesus as the Savior, and rejected Lucifer's plan to force everyone do what is right to guarantee that everyone would return to live with Heavenly Father. God instead chose the plan to let everyone make choices for themselves--even though people would make wrong choices, because He knew that's the only way we would really learn and grow. <br /><br />Lucifer let his pride swallow him up into bitterness so great that he hates God and anyone who follows Him. Lucifer's name was changed to Satan, which means "slanderer"** when he was cast out of heaven. He lies about God, about us, about God's plan for us, and about what will make us happy. Satan uses what he saw as the flaw in God's plan against Him by trying to convince everyone to do evil, so he can prove that he was right all along. But when we decide to repent, we learn and grow from our mistakes. We can also learn and grow by making correct choices. If we weren't able to make choices, we wouldn't be able to progress. When we make choices, we choose who we are and who we will become.<br /><br />*LDS Bible Dictionary https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/lucifer?lang=eng&letter=L<br />** LDS Bible Dictionary https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/satan?lang=eng&letter=S<br />see also: The LDS Bible Dictionary entry for "Devil" https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/devil?lang=eng<br />& The LDS Bible Dictionary entry for "Repentance" https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bd/repentance?lang=eng&letter=RMiriamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01452599271448732300noreply@blogger.com