History Main / GodKartingWithBeelzebub

God and Satan, in modern Christian mythology, are adversaries, with Satan rebelling against God at the birth of creation and striving to overthrow Him ever since. But what if that wasn't the case?

* In ''Film/OhGodYouDevil'', {{God}} and TheDevil are adversaries, but it's a rather friendly competition.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', {{God}} and TheDevil are seen at a bar together.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons,'' in the HalloweenEpisode in which Lisa creates little people who think she's God. "The Devil [i.e., Bart] is your brother?!''

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[[caption-width-right:350:''Game of Life'' by [[http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/2486192915 Hu Zheng]]]]

* At the end of ''Film/{{Bedazzled|2000}}'', the Devil and God himself are seen playing a friendly game of chess in the park... although [[CardCarryingVillain true to form]] the Devil ''does'' cheat.
* A "friendly bet" version in ''Film/{{Constantine}}''. This isn't actually proven to be the case, it's just Constantine's own impression of the situation. The pair also seem to be intentionally antagonistic with each other.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* ''Series/{{Lucifer}}'': At the end of the series [[spoiler: Lucifer's brother Amenadiel has become the new God while Lucifer has chosen to remain in Hell to help the damned souls there find forgiveness for themselves and get to Heaven. As the two of them patched things up over the course of the series, they are on quite good relations]].

* In Judaism, the Devil is traditionally not seen as God's enemy. Instead, he works at God's request, tempting mortals to test their faith in God (see the Book of Job), and after their deaths pointing out the sins they've committed in life that might prevent them from getting to Heaven (essentially working as a prosecutor in God's court). Many Christians take this view. Others see Satan as evil.

* ''Fanfic/TheGameOfTheGods'' has Varda (and diverse other gods and great heroes of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' lore) all playing a game with [[UltimateEvil Morgoth]] which involves the latter creating OP people for the former to kill them off using the laws of reality and canon. [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption You can almost feel sorry for Morgoth sometimes.]]

Compare GoKartingWithBowser, from which this trope draws its name.

* ''WebVideo/HellsingUltimateAbridged'' seems to have this dynamic between God and Satan, with Satan merely being socially awkward, affable, and super-apologetic about "that business with [His] Son." God just seems more slightly uncomfortable around him than anything.

* In Judaism, the Devil is traditionally not seen as God's enemy. Instead, he works at God's request, tempting mortals to test their faith in God (see the Book of Job), and after their deaths pointing out the sins they've committed in life that might prevent them from getting to Heaven (essentially working as a prosecutor in God's court). A minority of Christians also take this view. Others merge the traditional Satan with the prosecutor, and see Satan as truly evil, yet also as the prosecutor who simply [[DrunkWithPower went out of control]].

* In Judaism, the Devil is traditionally not seen as God's enemy. Instead, he works with God's permission, tempting mortals to test their faith in God (see the Book of Job), and after their deaths pointing out the sins they've committed in life that might prevent them from getting to Heaven (essentially working as a prosecutor in God's court). A minority of Christians also take this view. Others merge the traditional Satan with the prosecutor, and see Satan as truly evil, yet also as the prosecutor who simply [[DrunkWithPower went out of control]].

* At the end of ''Film/{{Bedazzled|2000}}'', the Devil and a man implied to be either an angel or God himself are seen playing a friendly game of chess in the park... although [[CardCarryingVillain true to form]] the Devil ''does'' cheat.

* The GrandFinale of ''Series/TouchedByAnAngel'' sees Monica trying to get a promotion to supervisor by assisting in one final case: defending Zach, a good-natured drifter accused of causing an accident that killed most of the children in a small town. When Zach goes on trial, Monica discovers that the prosecutor is Satan in human form, and though she's able to convince the citizens to forgive Zach, he's still found guilty thanks to Satan's tricks. Monica declares that she'll become Zach's personal guardian angel to defend him, even if it means giving up the supervisor job--at which point it's revealed that the real trial was a SecretTestOfCharacter for ''her.'' Zach is actually Jesus and knew Satan's identity the whole time, and the two clearly cooked up the plan together, suggesting a friendly relationship between the Son of God and the Supreme Evil.

* Mikhail Bulgakov's treatment of Woland (the Devil) in ''Literature/TheMasterAndMargarita''. He is not evil, just tricky and likes to tempt mortals into traps. And though he does not meet God or Jesus 'onscreen', they're neutral at the very least. Woland punishes sinners, mocks atheists and obviously supports Christian worldview, and he fulfills Jesus's request on the Master's fate.

* A "friendly bet" version in ''Film/{{Constantine}}''. This isn't actually proven to be the case, it's just Constantine's own impression of the situation. The pair also seem to be intentionally antagonistic with each other. When John flips off Satan at the end, it's God making him do it.

Maybe [[SatanIsGood Satan isn't so bad]]. Maybe he's [[NecessaryEvil fulfilling an important function]], or [[PunchClockVillain just a guy doing a job]]. Maybe [[GodAndSatanAreBothJerks God is no better than Satan to begin with]]. For whatever the reason, some works portray Satan and God as allies, colleagues, or even [[FriendlyEnemy friends]].

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=86929 The Devil went home crying and Jesus never even showed up.]]
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