Can Satan repent?
After I posted those lines from Paradise Lost yesterday, I got to thinking about the possibility of repentance that Satan seems to consider, if only briefly. If Satan chose to repent, could he repent? Surely, I thought, many learned scholars have written about this very question as it relates to Milton's epic poem. Lo and behold, Gypsy Scholar has a great article on this very question. I'm still in the midst of reading it, but I'll tell you that the short answer to the question appears to be no.
posted by Kate Marie | 11:37 AM | Permalink
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8 comments
8 Comments:
Hmm. That link doesn't work for me.
Anyway, if it will take KM long to read, it is probably over the heads of mere mortals. Perhaps she will summarize. My guess is it comes down to a "hardened heart." (Like Pharoah.) Then you get into the whole predestination vs. free will argument and your head explodes.
Let me see if I can do something about the link, CIV. Scotty is out of town for a couple of days, so I'm on my own, tech-wise. And yes, it does *sort of* seem to come down to a free will versus predestination argument (don't they all?), but it's a bit more complicated. But I'm not even halfway through yet.
Try going to the Gypsy Scholar blog (from our blogroll) and it's the first article under "online articles." The article comes up when I click on it there.
I am sorry.
There. . the answer is yes!
I'm splashing holy water on my monitor, Stewdog. Burn, baby, burn.
Get thee behind me, Stewdog.
Actually, I just realized that Stewdog spelled backwards is "god wets." Is that some kind of sign?
When you've finished, let me know if it's worth reading, and I'll read it, too.
I can't wait to find out if Satan can repent! If there's hope for him, there's hope for me.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
KM, I recently finished reading Ordered to Return by George G. Ritchie Jr. M.D. In it he recounts what he was shown by Jesus of the afterlife. If he is correct, the angels never give up on trying to get us to repent, even after death.
In some ways the book is comforting; in other ways it is creepy. A friend, who now attends church with the author, gave me this book. It's not what I'd usually choose to read, but I'm glad I did. The only part I would have chopped out of the book is his unorthodox opinions on religion, in the last chapters.
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