An Easy One For Christians & Muslims

This should be an easy one for Christians and Muslims who both believe in a Hell where Satan lives and gets our souls to torture for eternity in unimaginably horribly ways.



The story goes that God, ever the narcissist, created angels so they could worship and adore him, but, so that they could do so in all sincerity and not just as pre-programmed automatons, he gave them free will too. For some reason, Satan wasn't convinced by his creator's majesty and perfection and, like an up and coming young ape, or a young would-be tribal leader of Bronze Age hunter-gathers, he challenged the old silver-backed alpha male, lost, and so was chucked out of Heaven for eternity. It's not clear why he wasn't convinced by a perfect god or why this god created him in the first place when, being omniscient, he knew all along what was going to happen. Nor is it at all clear why this god can't forgive Satan and so end evil, but let's run with the story and not get bogged down too much by its absurdities.



Now, we're not really told why, but Satan then decided to create Hell so he could punish other people who did what he had done and rejected God. I know! I know! It doesn't make any sense that he would punish people for agreeing with him and not worshipping his enemy, but I didn't make this stuff up and we're just playing along, remember!



Now, let's suppose this idea is real and not just the projection of a sick and angry little mind who would just love to be doing that to people who disagree with him or don't obey his commands.



If Satan wants to get our souls to stop his enemy God getting them,this should have created competition for the benefit of the customers (i.e. us) according to the laws of economics, or so the right wing tell us. Market forces always work in favour of the consumer, don't they? For Satan to create something no sane person would want would be like a car maker making cars that were guaranteed to crash and kill the driver, or a burger bar trying to beat the competition by making char-grilled whoppers that make you explode, and not in a humorous, scatological way.



Remember, according to the story, Satan is like a demi-god in his ability to create things like fossils, geology, demons, left-handed (sinister) people, rock stars, false prophets, false churches, false religions, other races, etc, according to the bigot making the claims. One Muslim told me recently that Satan can create false gods, though he couldn't tell me how he knew Satan hadn't created his god. Apparently, it's impossible to tell a god created by Satan from one created by... er... God.



So, we know that Satan doesn't lack the skills or the intelligence. After all, it must take an amazing intelligence to be the Great Deceiver. Just imagine being able to outwit everyone who ever lived!



So, here's the question:



Why doesn't Satan compete with God to make a paradise we would all be dying to go to?



Now, don't tell me that Satan doesn't have free will because there would have been no rebellion otherwise; he would have been merely following the will of whoever predestined him to follow. And, with no free will, Satan is doing your god's work, which makes your god evil, so you can't use that one.



Over to you. I'm sure the answer is simple....