You: Now where does Satan come into it? I thought we were talking about God?

Aaron: We are. God causes those things which are good, Satan causes those which are evil.

You: But how do you know that? Maybe God does some good and Satan some evil. Perhaps they alternate weeks, or do good only unto those who they favor.

Aaron: Nonsense. Because God is good...

You: You keep saying that without backing it up with anything. In your original argument, you said that it is God who tells you what is good and bad, and now you say that you assign all good actions to God and all evil ones to Satan. This puts you in a rather uncomfortable position.

Aaron: I don't see why.

You:  Let's say, for example, that you meet two boys named Joe and Damien. Both are carrying something behind their backs, but neither will show you what it is and that makes you nervous. You ask Damien what he has and he won't tell you. When you ask Joe what he has he answers, "It doesn't matter, but you can be assured that it is something good because I am a good boy." Now, if you had never met this boy before, you would have no reason to feel relieved.

Aaron: I understand your example, but it does not apply to this situation. The boy Joe, representing God, is known to me. He has shown me his good works. I know that I can trust him.

You: Then you are being foolish! If someone left a thousand dollars on your doorstep when you were away and you decided to ask Joe and Damien if they knew who did it, Joe's claiming that he was your benefactor would mean nothing. Perhaps he is just stealing Damien's glory because Damien is too humble to speak up. You should not place your faith in Joe's words just because he lies to you consistently.

Aaron: This analogy is getting on my nerves. Are you saying that Satan does good works and that God takes credit for them? Are you saying that God just uses Satan as a scapegoat? Ridiculous!

You: I don't see why. Since we know nothing about the nature of either God or Satan — if they exist at all — there is nothing to stop me from speculating freely about their motivations and actions.

Aaron: You are baiting me! I know you are!