Quote:
Originally posted by Happy Monkey
So if the devil were eliminated, Earth would become paradise, regardless of free will?
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I have no idea what would happen to Earth if Satan suddenly ceased to exist. My answer above (no pun intended - nyuk, nyuk) was for Heaven.
I'd have to think about Earth. But, my prelim guess is that Earth would be paradise-like (we're still human and so I can't rule out suffering which may preclude calling Earth paradise) if Satan (or the personificaiton of evil) stopped exerting influence on people's actions and intentions. At a minimum, I think things would be a little better than they are if and when things we all pretty much agree are evil suddenly became a thing of the past.
I guess the degree to which one might be inclined to refer to a world without temptation as paradise would have to be a function of where that person is now. A drug lord who's living large on the backs of his addicts might call the "new world" hell whereas a North Korean starving in solitary for a political "crime" might be inclined to call the new world paradise.