"I've ask before why God allows Satan to exist at all, now I'm even more confused. It seems Satan's followers are 'religious' as well. What's that about?
If they were 'non believers' that would make sense. But if they are believers it makes no sense at all unless all his followers are psychopaths. Is it a church of psychopaths?
Why does God allow this 'contest' to exist at all?"
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Fred...
Good question.
Non-believers are already on Satan's side, so he does not even have to worry about them at all. Satan is a created being and no match in any way for God Himself, and Satan knows that so Satan's battle is instead with those who are true believers in God and in His Word as found in Scripture. It is almost impossible for Satan to convert such people to "unbelieving" status so his best gambit to undermine God's people is to attack them by posing as an "angel of light", not denying God outright, but by twisting the word of God subtly so as to change the meaning of what God has said and casting doubt on the veracity of God.
The first example of this is found in the Garden of Eden when the serpent (Satan) seduces Eve into disobeying God by eating of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil with the implication that it would make her like God. Another, even better, example is when Satan tried to tempt Jesus using quotes from Scripture, but each time the quote was out of context, or incomplete -- Jesus came back with the correct quote, in context, and resisted Satan's temptations based on the Word of God.
Today, the application is found in the liberal church, for example, where Satan has managed to induce professing "christians" to deny large portions of Scripture as being from God because it does not conform to what they want to believe about sin, personal responsibility, salvation though Jesus alone and perdition for all those who reject God's plan for salvation. The liberal church stands for nothing but what they want to believe and tolerates everything, even that which God condemns -- well earning the condemnation from Jesus found in the Book of Revelations in the letter to the church in Laodicea. On the other side, Satan has those who preach the "gospel" of health, wealth, and prosperity for all those who will send in their prayer requests on the back of a $100 bill each month. These are just some examples of "religions" that try to lead people down the "broad path" that leads to destruction.
Satan loves religion for it is religion that enables him to ensnare potential Christians and lead them away from the true Gospel of the Messiah. What Satan cannot stand is true Christianity, for that is the Gospel of God, and Satan will stir up all his resources to fight Christianity.
Why does God allow the contest?? Only God knows the answer to that and He has not shared it with us, probably because our finite minds could not understand it.
Hope that helps
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