The problems with a dualistic beliefe
It's crazy to think about the fact that most of the world grew up with the Christian/Zoroastrian idea of the dualistic devil. To think about the consequences of that dualistic belief is difficult, but here's what I see: When you believe in two opposing cosmic forces battling it out, you externalize evil. "The devil convinced me to do it". Evil becomes something out there attacking you, not something you're responsible for navigating. And when hardship comes, there's no meaning to find. It's just bad. The enemy won this round. No lesson, no growth. Just senseless suffering. This makes everything more extreme, more hopeless. You're not being shaped, you're being attacked. Add cheap grace on top. Sin, confess to Jesus, repeat tomorrow. Where's the pressure to actually become better? But in a monotheistic beleife, hardship becomes something else entirely. A loving father educating his son. An act of love. Painful, yes. But it propels you forward. It refines you. It means something. Dualism robs people of that. It leaves them swimming in darkness instead of growing through it. What do you guys think, did I get it right? (A photo of the persian devil below)