have u ever read paradise lost?

Yes, I have read it. Satan is actually a sympathetic character compared to Milton's Calvinistic God. From this perspective, it is perfectly understandable why Satan would utter the words, "better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven." It is Milton's God who is sick. That is the problem as Milton's God is the source of evil. He determines who will be saved and who will be damned totally out of his arbitrary will. Indeed, such a god is unworthy of worship or adoration as not one of his creatures ever asked to be created in order to be enslaved by this god's arbitrary will and ultimate cruelty. Calvin's God, the God of Milton, does not create human beings with "freewill." Calvinistic theology states that the human will is in bondage, and not free, and unable to turn to God unless God by his grace, bestows redeeming grace, which he does to some, by his own arbitrary will, and not to others. God preordains before creation whom he will redeem by his grace, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and whom he will damn. The five points of Calvinism are "Total Depravity" (man has no freewill), "Unconditional Election" (God saves whom he elects to save0, "Limited Atonement" (Christ's redemptive work applies only to the elect which God chose from before creation), "Irresistable Grace" (No freewill - God saves those whom he has preordained to salvation, the rest are damned), "Perseverance of the Saints" (Those whom God has preordained to salvation can never fall from grace). That is Milton's God. Satan recognizes the inherent tyranny and injustice in the nature of God in Milton's Paradise Lost. But, as a good Calvinist, Milton ultimately resigns himself to the "inscrutable" will of the divine sovereignty knowing full well that "Satan" has indeed a case against God.

"A mind not to be changed by place or time.

The mind is its own place, and in itself

Can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n...

,,, Here at least

we shall be free; the Almighty hath not built

Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:

Here we may reign secure, and in my choice

to reign is worth ambition though in Hell:

Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven." Paradise Lost, Book I

In other words, better to live free in the hell of your own making than a slave in someone else's "paradise." Which could possibly be worse?

"Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay

To mould Me man? Did I solicit thee

From darkness to promote me?" Paradise Lost, Book X

Even the angels asked God not to create humans. But God knows better than any of his creations.

I haven't, but from your post.. I'm interested.

But why would Satan disapprove of creating humans who lack knowledge and freewill? There must be a reason. Was the reason mentioned?

Because from the line you quoted.. it seems that Satan, regardless to his perspective on humans, seems to believe that humans are superior to him.. and such superiority is given to them but god?

I don't think t.v. is a waste products of time, it's just that I see no real use from it nowadays and there is nothing educational or advantageous on now. Children of today are exposed to 'entertainment' that is merely plain ridiculous and does not have any morale meaning in it

Havnt read it yet, is on my list of "101 books to read before i die"

btw, i heard he wrote the book shortly after he got married. then his wife died and he wrote another book titled "paradised regained".

believe it or not it's actually as very old book. I read it long time ago maybe wayy before you have (I assume you just read it recently). In fact my account name used to be My Master Born of Smokeless Fire

GHOST OR JINN

Lot of people think Ghost is a spirit of the dead. According to Islamic religion and some reports from Bible also, that dead is dead, meaning they don't have contacts to this world any more.

However, in Islam we read Qur'an, which is Allah's ( God) words. In it we learn that God created three distinct groups: Angels, Jinns and Human.

Angels are created with out any Choice but to do good. They have no Choice to sin.

Jinns are created with the choice, just like humans, to believe and to do right thing or no to believe and do right thing. They, Angels and Jinns are unseen creatures to us human. Humans are created with the choice to believe and to do right thing or not to believe and do right thing. How ever all those three groups of creations are created by Allah Almighty for one reason and one reason, only. To warship God and God alone.

Because of the given choice to Jinns and Humans from our creator Allah=God, some of the Jinns and some of the humans are disobedient to God. One of the Jinn, called Sheitan=Satan is the one that was in Paradise with the Angels and prior to the creation of Adam he, the Jinn/Satan, was in Paradise. When Adam was created God Almighty asked Angels and Jinns to welcome and bow to Adam. All they did in obedience except Sheitan=Satan He become haughty and disobeyed Allah's order and thus become DISOBIDIANT!

Allaah has created different types of jinn. Among them are some who can take on different forms, such as dogs and snakes; some who are like flying winds with wings; and some who can travel and rest.

Every individual among the sons of Aadam has a jinn who has been appointed to be his constant companion (qareen).

Allaah has given the jinn powers that he has not given to humans. Allaah has told us about some of their powers, such as the ability to move and travel quickly. An 'ifreet from among the jinn guaranteed to the Prophet Sulaymaan (peace be upon him) that he would bring the throne of the Queen of Yemen to Jerusalem in a moment faster than that needed for a man to get up from where he was sitting.

The jinn eat and drink.

They are mostly to be found in ruins and unclean places like bathrooms, dunghills, garbage dumps and graveyards

.Some jinns are Muslims and some are kaafirs

Source(s):

http://www.islam-qa.com/en/search2/jinn/%E2%80%A6

Has anyone ever seen a ghost? Yes, Most definitely. Disobedient Jinn and disobedient Humans have contacts ever since Adam and Eve! Some Jinns possess humans and they become very ill, some form of epilepsy and disturbance. Others they have contact with bead humans to cast Magic spell to people they want to harm.

Sometimes Jinn appears in a Human form. Very bead of ALL Jinns is the Sheitan, from Arabic = Satan.

The rest of the Information any one interested can find in Qur'an, chapter 2 .

Source(s):

http://www.youtrbe.com/watch?v=NOaA0v026%E2%80%A6

www.quranmiracles.com

Source(s):

THE EXORCIST TRADITION IN ISLAM

Al- Hidaayah Publishing & Distribution Ltd,UK

E:mail2al-hidaayah.co.uk : www.al-hidaayah.co.uk

yes, not same subject

ya_shami@yahoo.ca

can we compare notes?