There's this idea about selling your soul that goes around. The devil tricks you into signing a contract because he wants your soul. The problem I see with this is that by default he already gets everyone's soul. You have to beg god not to send you to hell, during your lifetime, or you go to hell.

It's not like a contract keeps you from being saved, either. Supposedly Jesus can still save you, even after you make a contract in these stories, unless I'm wrong. So what's the point of these stories about contracts in exchange for something the devil already gets by default?

(August 6, 2015 at 6:29 pm)Chad32 Wrote: There's this idea about selling your soul that goes around. The devil tricks you into signing a contract because he wants your soul. The problem I see with this is that by default he already gets everyone's soul. You have to beg god not to send you to hell, during your lifetime, or you go to hell.

Kind of like Doctor Faustus. That moron didn't broker the right deal. But Goethe managed to paint Mephistopheles as an interesting and kind of likeable character. What I always ask myself is, what's in it for the devil. It's certainly not in his best interest to torture people for eternity, which is nonsensical anyway, since there's that bit about the second coming which predicts the ultimate defeat of Satan.

It can be a metaphor too.

When I assert Rev. Pat Robertson has sold his soul, I don't mean he literally inked a deal with Satan, I mean he (obviously) worships Mammon.

Dude. Dude. We are like, cartoon siblings

(August 6, 2015 at 6:34 pm)abaris Wrote: Kind of like Doctor Faustus. That moron didn't broker the right deal. But Goethe managed to paint Mephistopheles as an interesting and kind of likeable character.

Reminds me of one of my all-time favorite lyrics. In the Police song Wrapped Around Your Finger Sting writes:

Mephistopheles is not your name
But I know what you're up to just the same

I was 13 when the song was released. No fucking internet made information gathering a bit of a chore so it took a bit of effort to track down the Faust. Not that bad actually. I remember hearing the lyric as Mephistophanes and assumed a Greek origin, not German. We were fortunate to grow up with an encyclopedia at home so I went to look it up and ran into Mephistopheles on the way to Mephistophanes. So sure was I that I distinctly remember looking to make sure there wasn't also a Mephistophanes. Anyway, I then went to the library which led me to Goethe.

This bit of knowledge came in handy when I first encountered the tale in American blues legend through the movie Crossroads. I'm actually very fond of the blues version of the tale including all the actual shenanigans pinned on the legend, including Robert Johnson's demise.

Personally, I would love to find the crossroads. Getting paid for my ultimate demise seems dishonest in a way, but fuck it; integrity is probably superfluous when dealing with the Devil.

(August 6, 2015 at 7:40 pm)Cato Wrote: I was 13 when the song was released. No fucking internet made information gathering a bit of a chore so it took a bit of effort to track down the Faust. Not that bad actually. I remember hearing the lyric as Mephistophanes and assumed a Greek origin, not German. We were fortunate to grow up with an encyclopedia at home so I went to look it up and ran into Mephistopheles on the way to Mephistophanes.

I'm lucky enough to own the complete works of Goethe in a 19th century edition. Came upon me from one of my ancestors, I don't know which. Faust is a work of beauty in German. It's rhymed in it's original and when I first read it, the internet wasn't around for more than a decade or so.

I made a deal with the devil for my soul, but I guess since I did not get what I wanted he does not exist.

What does he do with these souls anyway? Make moonshine?

I'll show myself to the door