I do believe the Holy Spirit guided those ecumenical councils. I, in fact, believe that the inspiration and guidance of God, rather than being rare, pours down from heaven in torrent. It is everywhere, in the majority of books, films, sermons, and even in the unexpected words of little children – not controlling, but a subtle influence. His communications to us are often in spite of what people intend to say rather than because of them.
Indeed. I quite agree. It would be considerably more difficult for me to be a Christian if they had included that thing. I strongly disagree with the interpretation of Genesis 6 as refering to angels breeding with women.
Yes, I credit the existence of this being but I do not credit him with anything else – not with responsibility for the fall of man and not with responsibility for any of the evil in the world. Why? Because I believe that blaming him for the fall is what created him in the first place. Power and responsibility go hand in hand and as long as we credit him with responsibility for evil then we give him power over us. I believe the devil exists but I do not believe in him.
Furthermore, I believe the devil is envisioned with goat like features because he is in essence nothing more than a scapegoat. He is there because if we have to blame something other than ourselves for the evil in the world, then it is better to blame him than to blame God, and thus God assigned him to this role. But it is better yet to shoulder the responsibility ourselves. None of this changes, however, the fact that he is the personification of evil, and thus any sympathy for him whatsoever, is completely misguided. He was an angel – a created tool rather than a living entity, no more than exactly what he was made to be, serving God however God requires.