THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN AND GOD AS IMAGINARY ENEMIES IS HARMFUL
Self-respect demands that you have real friendship with real persons. That is the principle. Then there are the bad consequences. For example, you are praising somebody for caring who does not. You are at risk of getting hurt.
An imaginary enemy would seem to be worse than an imaginary friend.
It depends for a fake friend can be worse than a hostile enemy. A fake friendship is a harm.
If the imaginary enemy is not actually worse it potentially could be.
In war, the innocent side and the malign side are enemies against each other. So God can be good and loving and still be your enemy if you are in defiance of him.
If you love your sin, and God is sin's enemy, you will be at war with God. There is the Christian claim that the love of God and love of his creatures goes together so you become a threat to other people too.
When you realise that, it is extraordinary how Christians can say they truly befriend atheists and pagans. Paul had it right when he said that Christ has nothing in common with Belial and that you must only be yoked with followers of Jesus.
That will not do in a secular world.
If you have an imaginary enemy, one can be sure that you have more than one. Imagination breeds more illusions. And if you could live long enough perhaps the full blown harm and evil in you would be seen. And it is all put there by what notions you have.
