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DEVIL - SATAN - LUCIFER - EVIL -
Beelzebub...
- THEY REAL OR NOT ?
DOES SATAN TRULY EXIST?
* * DEVIL * *
The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity who,
in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil. This entity is
commonly referred to by a variety of other names, including Satan, Lucifer,
Mephistopheles and Beelzebub. In classic demonology, however, each of these
alternate names refers to a specific supernatural entity, and there is
significant disagreement as to whether any of these specific entities is
actually evil. The word devil is derived from the Greek word diabolos ("to
slander"), and the term devil can refer to a greater demon in the hierarchy of
Hell. At the same time, the term devil is also derived from the same
Indo-European root word for deva, which roughly translates as "angel."
Raising the devil The notion of a central supernatural embodiment of evil, as
well as the notion of angels, first arose in Western monotheism when Judaism
came into contact with the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. Unlike classical
monotheism, Zoroastrianism features two gods, one good and one evil, locked in a
cosmic struggle where both are more or less evenly matched and the outcome is
uncertain. Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord"), also known as Ohrmazd, is the god of
light, and Ahriman ("Evil Spirit"), also known as Angra Mainyu, is the god of
darkness. In a final battle between the supernatural forces of good and evil,
human souls will be judged in a fiery ordeal, and only the good will survive.
Accordingly, humans are urged to align themselves with the god of light and his
angels and to shun the god of darkness and his demons.
Christianity views Satan as a being created by God, whereas the evil god of
Zoroastrianism is not a created being.
The Devil in Judaism
In Hebrew, the Devil is called Satan. The Hebrew biblical word satan means
adversary or obstacle. The word satan in the meaning of human adversary appears
in 1 Kings, Chapter 11, where God makes Hadad the Edomite an adversary to King
Solomon.
In the book of Job (Iyov), Satan appears as an angel submitted to God. One might
say that he rather manipulates God into letting him test Job and put Job's faith
on trial. Satan says that Job is faithful to God only because he has a good life
with a good family and lot of property. God permits Satan to cast disasters and
plagues upon Job. First, Satan destroys Job's property, then his family, and
finally he strikes Job himself and causes him to become ill.
In later parts of the bible, Satan tries to rebel against God but the rebellion
fails and God sends him to exile into hell, a concept that didn't exist in
Judaism originally and which later developed from Christian influence.
* * *
* *SATAN * *
Satan (שטן Standard Hebrew Satan, Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān;
Aramaic שטנא Śiṭnā: both words mean "Adversary; accuser") is an angel, demon, or
minor god in many religions. Satan plays various roles in the Qur'an, the Hebrew
Bible, the Apocrypha and the New Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, Satan is an
angel that God utilizes to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his
level of piety (i.e. the test of Adam and Eve in Genesis, and the Book of Job).
In the Apocrypha and New Testament, Satan is portrayed as an evil, rebellious
demon who is the enemy of God and mankind.
In modern Abrahamic religions, Satan is generally viewed as a supernatural
entity who is the central embodiment of evil. Satan is also commonly known as
the Devil, the "Prince of Darkness," Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, or Lucifer. In
the Talmud and some works of Kabbalah Satan is sometimes called Samael; however
most Jewish literature is of the opinion that Samael is a separate angel. In the
fields of angelology and demonology these different names sometimes refer to a
number of different angels and demons, and there is significant disagreement as
to whether any of these entities is actually evil.
In Islam, Satan is known as Iblis إبليس or "Shaitan شيطان", who was the chief of
the angels until he disobeyed Allah by refusing to prostrate himself before Adam
because he refused to accept Man as his superior. Islam describes Satan as a
Jinn, an entity made of fire, and not of the
Satan as an accuser
Where Satan does appear as an angel, he is clearly a member of God's court and
plays the role of the Accuser (possibly one of a number), much like a
prosecuting attorney for God. Such a view is found in the prologue to the Book
of Job, where Satan appears, together with other celestial beings, before God,
replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "From
going to and fro on the earth and from walking in it" (Job 1:7). Both question
and answer, as well as the dialogue which follows, characterize Satan as that
member of the divine council who watches over human activity, but with the
purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is,
therefore, the celestial prosecutor, who sees only iniquity; for he persists in
his evil opinion of Job even after he has passed successfully through his first
trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test
through physical suffering (Job 2:3-5).
It is evident from the prologue in Job that Satan has no power of independent
action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress. Satan
is not an opponent of God. This view is also retained in Zech. 3:1-2, where
Satan is described as the adversary of the high priest Joshua, and of the people
of God whose representative the hierarch is; and he there opposes the "angel of
the Lord," who bids him be silent in the name of God. In both of these passages
Satan is a mere accuser who acts only according to the permission of the Deity.
In 1 Chron. 21:1 Satan appears as one who is able to provoke David to destroy
Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan as an independent
agent, a view which is the more striking since the source whence he drew his
account (2 Sam. 24:1) speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David against
the children of Israel. Since the older conception refers all events, whether
good or bad, to God alone (1 Sam. 16:14; 1 Kings 22:22; Isa. 45:7; etc.), it is
possible that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by
Zoroastrianism, even though in the case of the prophet Jewish monism strongly
opposed Iranian dualism.
Satanists
There are historical records of people worshiping Satan, though their
authenticity is sometimes questioned. Today, some people identify themselves as
Satanists. Of these, some claim that Satan is a real being, some view him as a
symbol for the animal desires of humans, and some view him as a symbol for the
rebellious or independent aspects of humanity. Some Christians believe that most
or all other religions are satanic, that is, influenced by and supported by the
power of Satan. Some extreme Protestant Christians believe that all forms of
Christianity other than their own are actually disguised versions of Satanism.
The Catholic Church is the most common, but by no means the only, target of such
accusations.
SATANISM
Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered
around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the
forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an
archetype. Unlike many religions and philosophies, Satanism generally focuses
upon the spiritual advancement of the self, rather than upon submission to a
deity or a set of moral codes.
In an older sense, Satanism also refers to unorthodox practices within Abrahamic
religions deemed by the orthodoxy to be in diametrical opposition to the
Abrahamic God. For example, the earliest recorded instance of the word is in "A
confutation of a book (by Bp. Jewel) intituled An apologie of the Church of
England", by Thomas Harding (1565):
ll, ii, 42 b, "Meaning the time when Luther first brinced to Germanie the
poisoned cuppe of his heresies, blasphemies, and Satanismes."
As Martin Luther himself would have denied any link between his teachings and
Satan, this use of the term Satanism was primarily pejorative. Many Satanists
find such use of the term offensive.
Modernly, a large number of Satanists eschew what might be considered
traditional religious beliefs, attitudes and worship, in favor of more egoistic
worldviews and practices such as magic.
There are various kinds of Satanists in modern society. The main trends can be
(adequately but not completely) summarized into:
Sat/Tan, the Dark Doctrines type Satanism
Setian Satanism
LaVeyan Satanism
Other forms (e.g., The Imperial Satanic Order, some Gnostic sects, Order of Nine
Angles, Order of Mars)
* * *
* * LUCIFER * *
Lucifer is a Latin word derived from two words, lux
(light; genitive lucis) and ferre (to bear, to bring), meaning light-bearer.
Lucifer does not appear in Greek or Roman mythology; it is used by poets to
represent the Morning Star at moments when "Venus" would intrude distracting
imagery of the goddess. "Lucifer" is Jerome's direct translation in his Vulgate
(4th century) of the Septuagint's Greek translation, as heosphoros, "morning
star", literally "bringer of the Dawn", of a phrase in Isaiah that originally
intended no reference to Satan (see below). From the viewpoint of the Christian
mythology that developed after Jerome, Lucifer came to be seen as having been
second in command to God himself; he was the highest archangel in heaven, but he
was motivated by pride and greed to rebel against God and was cast out of heaven
with the angels who followed his lead. Then he became the Devil, and his
followers were known as demons.
Modern astrologers identify the planet Venus as having been known by the name
Lucifer in Roman astrology before being given its current name. See poetical
instances below.
Lucifer is also a deity in the Voodoo religions.
* * EVIL * *
Evil is a term describing that which is morally bad,
corrupt, wantonly destructive, selfish, and wicked. In most Christian and
Western cultures, and some Eastern ones, the word is used to describe acts, and
sometimes thoughts and ideas, commonly known as sin, that are thought to
originate with Satan and challenge the law or will of God.
Evil is one half of the duality of good and evil expressed, in some form or
another, by many cultures. It describes a hierarchy of moral standards with
regard to human behaviors; evil being the least desired, while love is usually
the most praised. In essence "evil" is a term for those things which (either
directly or causally) bring about withering and death - the opposite of life. In
casual or derogatory use, the word "evil" can characterize people and behaviors
that are hurtful, ruinous, or disastrous.
A similar term, malice (from the Latin mal meaning "bad") describes the
deliberate human intent to harm and be harmful. "Evil," by contrast, tends to
represent a more elemental concept; a disembodied spirit that is natural and yet
abominable. Whereas "malice" belongs to the specific, "evil" is the foundation
for malice.
Another definition of evil describes it as death and suffering, whether it
results from human or from other natural causes (e.g., earthquakes, famine). In
other words, it is not merely the intention to do evil, but the end result,
namely, harm to others, that is evil. And, as Plato observed, there are
relatively few ways to do good, but there are countless ways to do evil, which
can therefore have a much greater impact on our lives, and the lives of other
beings capable of suffering. For this reason, some philosophers (e.g., Bernard
Gert, Michael E. Berumen) maintain that not causing and preventing evil are more
important than promoting good in formulating moral rules and in conduct. From a
physical standpoint, "evil" could be defined as increasing entropy when the cost
outweighs the benefit.
Young children are considered to be good, and free of evil, though not of
original sin as defined in the Bible. As they grow older, however, they can
develop evil characteristics. The three main characteristics of an evil person
are:
Pride: "I am better than you are."
Hypocrisy: "I have higher standards for others than for self."
Indifference: "I do not care."
Note that "self" does not necessarily have to mean "one's self," but also to the
various units, groups, and demographics to which one belongs (e.g. family,
school, team, generation, nationality, race, religion, etc.) Indifference is
what binds together the total contradiction of pride (superiority) and hypocrisy
(lower standards). Without it, the person could not stand his or her own evil.
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