Does God love the Devil?

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My 7 yo son asked me this and I did not have an answer for him.

I suspect not. I told him I would ask here as there are much smarter people than I who hang out here:)
 
God does love Lucfier, as he loves all his creatures, but because of his choice he is now in suffering Hell demonstrating the glory of Divine Justice.
 
Matthias123 said:
God does love Lucfier, as he loves all his creatures, but because of his choice he is now in suffering Hell demonstrating the glory of Divine Justice.
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I have a Catholic book called ‘His Time Is Short: The Devil And His Agenda’ and it points out that the Devil and his angels are on earth, they are not in hell yet.
 
Vimy_Ridge said:
I have a Catholic book called ‘His Time Is Short: The Devil And His Agenda’ and it points out that the Devil and his angels are on earth, they are not in hell yet.
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I disagree – they are in Hell, yet they can roam the earth. I am not certain how they can do this though.
 
Matthias123 said:
I disagree – they are in Hell, yet they can roam the earth. I am not certain how they can do this though.
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According to the book the Devil is in the “state” or “condition” of hell, as distinguished from the “place” of hell.
 
Vimy_Ridge said:
According to the book the Devil is in the “state” or “condition” of hell, as distinguished from the “place” of hell.
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I think this makes more sense anyways… for if hell were a place it would mean that God created it…(God does not create evil)…
 
catholic1seeks said:
I think this makes more sense anyways… for if hell were a place it would mean that God created it…(God does not create evil)…
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You are correct in that God does not know evil. However, God did create Hell. The fallen angels demanded it. It is a perverted state to want to be in pain, yes. Sort of like the misguided people yet on earth who when angry resort to self-inflicted wounds.

God does love the Devil in the Christian sense. God does not like the Devil’s sins, but He does love the Devil. Hate the sin, not the sinner.
 
catholic1seeks said:
I think this makes more sense anyways… for if hell were a place it would mean that God created it…(God does not create evil)…
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It seems that hell is also a place and that it will be the final destination for the devil and his angels, according to tradition. Evil is the absence of good, so I don’t think it can be created. Hell must be the absence of all that is good.
 
Depends on what you mean by “love.” Here are some different ways to look at it (and these are somewhat ad lib … and thus probably might be off here and there):

Love, in this case, could mean …

Love: Wanting what’s best for someone:
Now, for humans and angels, the best thing they could achieve would be heaven. However, the devil has eternally rejected heaven, and God therefore does not work for what is best for him, and thus in that sense, God does not love the devil. However, even though, in consideration of what the devil essentially is (an angel), heaven would be the best place for him … in another sense, heaven would not be the best place for him. This is because his will has turned against heaven, and thrusting heaven upon an unwilling creature would be worse than hell (the sense of shame and unworthiness would be overwhelming … this is according to St. Catherine of Siena). Thus, in another sense, because God withholds heaven from the devil and does so because it is the best thing for him (according to what he has chosen … not according to his essence), God loves the devil.

Love: Desiring something as a means to an end:
It is natural to love things if they provide you with the means to achieve a more ultimate end. However, we should not use people in this way (and thus we should not love people in this way). Also, we likewise hate things that impede our efforts to attain a more ultimate end. God can be said to hate the devil in this way, since the devil tries to impede His efforts to save souls. On the other hand, it’s God’s plan to bring good out of evil. I read in a book about St. John Vianney, and during an exorcism of a woman, the devil confessed through the woman: “God makes use of demons to revive the faith . . . . Must I then serve as an instrument to instruct men, I who am raging to damn them?” And perhaps because of this, because God can mysteriously use demons to bring about salvation, God could be said to love the devil.

There is also the thing, of course, that God loves all being (that is, all things that exist). And since the devil exists, God loves him.

So, it depends what you mean by love. In some sense, God hates the devil. In another sense, God loves the devil. I hope that made any sense whatsoever. I hope I didn’t utter heresy. Pretty sure I didn’t.
 
Areopagite said:
There is also the thing, of course, that God loves all being (that is, all things that exist). And since the devil exists, God loves him.
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Exactly. God loves Judas. God loves Adolph Hitler. God loves Osama bin Laden. God loves Stalin. God loves both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. God loves you and me, sinners though we might be. God is love (1 Jn 4:8). To exist to be deeply loved by God “as if there were no other”.

This does not mean that God approves of what we do. This does not mean that we do not stray. It only means that God’s love is limitless.
 
Great answers - thanks all.

Areopagite, I think you nailed it though:)

I did not realize that Satan eternally rejected God.
 
I would like to add that God definitely loves the Devil by his sheer existence - that God willed and created him. The question really should be - is the Devil able to receive or give love? Is anyone in the “state” or “place” of HELL able to love at all? I think by definition, that by nature a person in the “state” or “place” of hell is not able to love or receive love. Hell is an absolute rejection of Love. And to be in a state or place of not being able to give or receive love, is to be in a state or place of hell.

God loves the Devil - but the Devil is not able to Love God. That is Hell.
 
I dont think hell is a ‘place’
its more of just a state completely away from God’s love 😦
sad
 
I’m not sure. As others have said: hate the sin, love the sinner. Maybe that’s the better answer for a seven year old who has reached the age of reason and is considering the concept of the devil and sin, and love and forgiveness. He’s really thinking isn’t he? God bless him. What a wonderful opportunity for you and he to have a conversation about what he’s learning. I think it was very brave of you to tell him that you don’t have all the answers but will seek answers and share them with him.
 
My answer would be NO. Here is why the devil is evil. God hates evil. The devil is full of les.God hates lies. No God could never love evil.
 
rinnie said:
My answer would be NO. Here is why the devil is evil. God hates evil. The devil is full of les.God hates lies. No God could never love evil.
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This seems counter to everything I keep hearing Catholics say… “God is love” etc etc.
A God that would hate seems more human than God.
 
liquidpele said:
This seems counter to everything I keep hearing Catholics say… “God is love” etc etc.
A God that would hate seems more human than God.
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Why would you say that. And why would you deny God being human. God is all things. God from God light from light true God from True God.

By the power of the HS he became Man. God hates evil and sin. Evil and sin are nothing at all like God. If you choose evil and sin you do not choose God and you are not of God.

What would you expect a God full of goodness to embrace evil and sin?
 
rinnie said:
Why would you say that. And why would you deny God being human. God is all things. God from God light from light true God from True God.

By the power of the HS he became Man. God hates evil and sin. Evil and sin are nothing at all like God. If you choose evil and sin you do not choose God and you are not of God.

What would you expect a God full of goodness to embrace evil and sin?
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If God is human, why worship him? I mean, even if he’s powerful, if he’s essentially human of mind then what’s the big deal? Obama is powerful right now, do you worship him too?

I wouldn’t expect a God to embrace evil and sin, but I wouldn’t expect him to Hate either. If your little boy lied to you, would you hate him? I find the notion of God hating simply ridiculous… but I classify hate as something you would consider sin. It’s an emotion of pure negativity. In this respect, you either have a God that is all good, or a god that is all things, but you can’t have both because a God that can hate is not all good and a God that cannot hate is not all things.
 
liquidpele said:
If God is human, why worship him? I mean, even if he’s powerful, if he’s essentially human of mind then what’s the big deal? Obama is powerful right now, do you worship him too?

I wouldn’t expect a God to embrace evil and sin, but I wouldn’t expect him to Hate either. If your little boy lied to you, would you hate him? I find the notion of God hating simply ridiculous… but I classify hate as something you would consider sin. It’s an emotion of pure negativity. In this respect, you either have a God that is all good, or a god that is all things, but you can’t have both because a God that can hate is not all good and a God that cannot hate is not all things.
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God is human and Divine. Do you reject that Jesus Christ was both human and divine. By the power of the HS he became Man. Is Obama divine I think not.

What would you expect God to do then love evil and sin? No I would not hate my Child for a lie but I would hate the lie. And would hate the sin.

Do you think that God accepts and loves the devil? That is unreal. Why then in Eph 4:27 does God tell us do not leave room for the devil. Why does God tell us to not be deceived by the evil one. Why does God tell us to stay in the light and out of the darknesss. The darkness is the devil, the darkness is evil. But God tells us to live as children of the light for light prodices every kind of goodness and righteousness and Trurth. Learn what is pleasing to God. take no part in the fruitness of darkness rather expose them.
 
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