The Devil

Atheism 

Belief that no God, gods, divine beings, or supernatural phenomena exist 

"Is a man merely a mistake of God's? Or is God merely a mistake of man?" - Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher 

The idea of gods, the divine, or supernatural agents is often closely related to very basic, driving questions. Who created the universe? How did we come to be here? For the atheist, the answer does not rely upon a supernatural or divine basis. Atheism allows for the possibility that there is no divine, godly answer to our questions. (page 100)

Agnosticism 

Belief that it is impossible to know if the supernatural, including God, exists

"Who knows for certain? ... None knoweth whence creation has arisen ..." - The Rig-Veda, Hindu scripture 

In modern times, people often use "agnostic" to denote those who describe themselves as being unsure about whether a God exists. 

Agnosticism expresses skepticism, especially regarding the extent of human comprehension. It is also a statement that it is immoral to believe in something that has no basis, or to assert an answer to an unanswerable question. (page 100)

(Excerpts from "1001 IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WAY WE THINK - The Most Interesting and Imaginative Thoughts From the Finest Minds", published by Hachette India [An Hatchette UK company]/Impulse; hardbound; colour/color illustrations; 960 pages; ₹ 2,295. I bought this wonderful illustrated encyclopedia from a young Impulse book agent who came to My house and gave Me a heavy discount. Equally interesting entries include Equals Sign, Drama, Tragedy, Abortion, Birth Control, etc. - G)

The above explanations of atheism and agnosticism sound very funny to Me. Immoral? Ha ha ha!!! (Hachette sounds like hatchet - hatchette is a female hatchet?!! Ha ha ha!!! Good joke!!! An Hatchette? Like an honest, an hour, an honourable/honorable - h is silent in Hatchette!!! Ha ha ha!!!)

Kishalay Sinha [G]

Equals Sign 

The shorthand use of two parallel lines that revolutionized mathematics 

"To avoide the tedious repetition of ... is equal to: I will ... use, a paire of paralleles." - Robert Recorde

In 1557, Welshman Robert Recorde (c. 1510-58) grew weary of writing "is equal to" in his treatise on advanced mathematics and introduction to algebra, The Whetstone of Witte. The shorthand symbol that he devised is the two parallel lines familiar to those with the most rudimentary of mathematical knowledge: the equals sign. This symbol makes otherwise abstract mathematical ideas clear and the discovery of unknown quantities in algebra possible.

... the equals sign took many years to find a place in mathematical texts; seventeenth-century mathematicians were partial to ae, representing the Latin aequalis (equal).

The state of being equal, indicated by the presence of the equals sign, is an indispensable concept in basic mathematics and algebra. In fact, an equation could be argued to be the most basic notion in all of mathematical thinking: figures on either side of an equals sign are of the same value. Both sides of the equation can be simultaneously manipulated (by dividing, subtracting, or adding, for example) with the intent of "solving" the unknown in the equation. Most laws of physics are expressed most clearly through equations such as, Newton's First Law of Gravitation. (page 332)

(Excerpts from 1001 IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WAY WE THINK, Hachette India; hardbound; 960 pages.)

Kishalay Sinha [G]

The Devil 

If God is a personification of good, the Devil personifies the absence of good, or evil 

"The Devil has come to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short." - The Bible, Revelation 12:12

From the Greek diabolos, the word "Devil" is considered synonymous with the Hebrew satan, which itself means "adversary" - in particular, an adversary of God. 

The Devil is a Hebrew idea that originated in c. 1500 BCE and appears in the Hebrew Bible. Jews see no direct link between the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the adversary of Job. However, for Christians and Muslims, Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 make it clear that the Devil is that same serpent or "dragon." Allowed by God to go about his evil practices, he is "the prince of this world" (John 12:31) or "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

The Devil's princeship or lordship over this earth probably has to do with his apparent status as an extremely powerful but "fallen" angel who took his war against God to earth and now holds dominion over many non-believers. Although direct statements about the Devil having been an angel are few in the Bible ("Lucifer" probably has nothing to do with the Devil), there are some that make this fairly clear. Jude 1:6, for example, talks about "angels who neglected their first estate," ["Sounds like it means they gave up their rank or position, in addition to their "habitation" (residence) [Heaven] in exchange for some wicked thing they desired. Now, as a result, they are enjoying their 2nd estate--in chains." - Google source] and Revelation 12:7-9 talks about "the great dragon and his angels" who were cast out of Heaven.

The Devil is unable to tempt many people at once (people wrongly attribute to him an omnipresence that only God has), but his global influence is undeniable. For billions he is a symbol of pure evil (reflected in phrases such as "That's diabolical"), even though, theologically, pure evil cannot exist - evil being a deprivation of natural goodness [or purity]. (page 112)

(Excerpts from 1001 IDEAS THAT CHANGED THE WAY WE THINK, Hachette India; hardbound; 960 pages.)

Kishalay Sinha [G]

REPULSIVE 

I find all male and female Nazis I see on TV extremely repulsive.

Kishalay Sinha [G]