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Devil

2015-11-15T02:41:45Z

Liberals Rule:

'''Devil''' (from the Greek word διαβολοξ; ''diábolos''), which means
*''"one who throws things around"'' in the sense of creating the [[chaos]], or
*''"slanderer"'' in the sense of name-calling or "throwing" false accusations),<br>
is the name given to the unseen personification of [[evil]]. By causing chaos, the devil leads people away from [[God]], their [[Creator]], and sometimes even to curse God. According to Wilhelm Busch, pastor who was persecuted by [[Nazi]]s in [[Germany]], it is totally impossible to understand the present state of the world if we have not accepted the fact that behind the scenes are the Devil and the powers of [[darkness]].<ref name="Busch"/> Acknowledging that the [[Evil]] is an active power and educating new generations in this respect helps humans to distinguish between good and evil and live a life in harmony with [[Natural Law]].<ref name="Kuby">{{cite book
|author=Gabriele Kuby
|title=Globálna Sexuálna Revolúcia. Strata Slobody v mene Slobody. (Global Sexual Revolution. The loss of Freedom in the name of Freedom.)
|location=Bratislava, Slovakia
|publisher=Lúč
|page=164
|isbn=978-80-7114-922-4
|quote=The title in German original is “Die Globale sexualle Revolution.”
|url=
|language=Slovak
}}</ref>

During the [[Three Temptations of Christ]], the '''devil''' explains how the world is his dominion. This amounts to [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]], as the world is fundamentally uncertain and chaotic according to [[quantum mechanics]].<ref>[http://www.daltonator.net/durandal/religion/satan.shtml Is Satan Really Such a Bad Guy?]</ref>
The term "devil" is often used synonymously with the term [[Lucifer]] or [[Satan]], although Satan has the connotation of a personal evil while the devil is a common name for demons or evil spirits.

==Etymology==
The word has its origins with the early Hebrews during the Exodus from Egypt. The local religions they encountered when they entered into Canaan included tales of the demon spirits (''sa ir'' שעירים, "hairy ones" or "saytrs", Isaiah 13:21) of the desert, whose influence could be averted due to sacrifice. Despite being told to ''"...put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD,"'' (Joshua 24:14) many had accepted this superstition and sacrificed goats on the Canaanite and other altars. From this came the Herew word ''ha-satan'' שָׂטָן, the root word of "Satan".

==Devil and Bible==
In His parable, [[Jesus]] equates Devil to the thief who comes only to steal, kill and destroy<ref>{{cite web |title=John 10:10 |author=New International Version (NIV) |publisher=BibleGateway |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A10&version=NIV |quote=}}</ref>, i.e. to disrupt the natural order of the World. [[Bible]] also records that first followers of [[Christ]] claimed to struggle not against flesh and blood, i.e. against created [[mankind]], which mislead by Devil, often contributes to this disruption, but against these powers of darkness.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ephesians 6:12 |author=New International Version (NIV) |publisher=BibleGateway |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+6:12&version=NIV |quote=}}</ref> Bible further claims that a person can be delivered from the dominion of darkness, i.e. from life marked by disordered state, through faith in [[Christ]] causing an orderly life to be renewed again, referred to also as a life worthy of the [[Lord]]<ref>{{cite web |title= Colossians 1:10|author=New International Version (NIV) |publisher=BibleGateway |url= https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A10&version=NIV|quote=}}</ref> in the kingdom of the [[Son of Man|Son]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Colossians 1:13-14 |author=New International Version (NIV) |publisher=BibleGateway |url= https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A13-14&version=NIV |quote=}}</ref> Empirically, such experiences are reported by individuals including, for example, [[Michael Glatze]] or [[Jozef Demjan]].

==Devil and Lack of Time==
Bush asserts that the powers of darkness work with a very precise goal in view. They keep us running - and that is why we never have time. Every imaginable device is used by the Devil to hinder us from finding ''time to think'' - for if we did we would discover that we can be delivered from his hold.<ref name="Busch">{{cite book |title=Jesus our destiny |author=Wilhelm Busch |year=2001 |publisher=Brunen Publishing |place=Basel, Switzerland |page=35, 209|isbn=0-86347-024-6 |url= }}</ref>

==Devil and [[Atheism]]==
Bush further muses that the Devil himself "believes in God" and certainly is no atheist: "The Devil is perfectly aware of the existence of God. Yet, for all that, he is not at peace with God."<ref name="Busch"/> Humanists in Slovakia, who present them self as being atheists and often show their [[Anti-Christian sentiment]], surprisingly asked Jaroslav A. Polák, a self-described [[satanist]] and rationalist who worships pagan gods, to write an essay on the book [[The God Delusion]] by professor [[Dawkins]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Odviatie vetrom - alebo ako to redakcia neustála (Taken by wind, or how the publisher changed the mind) |author= |publisher=humanisti.sk |url=http://forum.humanisti.sk/viewtopic.php?t=912 |quote=Nie tak veľmi dávno sme si o autorovi recenzie knihy Delúzia Boha mohli prečítať:
Citácia:
…racionalista, ktorý uspokojuje svoju potrebu iracionálna praktizovaním pohanských kultov: člen Prvého Česko-Sloveského chrámu cirkvi Satanovej a občianskeho združenia Dávny obyčaj.
Po následnej diskusii:
scirocco napísal(a):
AntropologickaKonstanta - Tvoj osobny nazor nikoho nezaujima. Ale to ze na humanisti.sk dostava priestor aj "člen Prvého Česko-Slovenského chrámu Cirkvi Satanovej" a aj stari bolsevici povazujem za divne aj ja. Wink
sme sa dozvedeli:
Citácia:
Redakcia si stojí za tým, že čo je tam uverejnené, a vie, že je to ich zodpovednosť.
(http://forum.humanisti.sk/viewtopic.php?t=291)
resp. o intelektuáloch s "s nezvládnutou traumou z totality". Jednako nie je úplne jasné kam sa podel neochvejne pevný postoj redakcie, žeby údaj o autorovi prestal byť aktuálny v dôsledku jeho možného prejdenia na inú formu uspokojovania svojej potreby iracionálna alebo že by sa táto potreba úplne vyparila?
Jaroslav A. Polák v (Novopohanství a satanismus) napísal(a):
Já, Jaroslav A. Polák známý též jako Kojot, vzývám pohanské bohy a současně jsem satanista. A jsem na to patřičně hrdý!
|accessdate=February 1, 2015 |language=Slovak}}</ref> In 2006, under the pretext of analysing "believing strange things", [[Michael Shermer]], the founder of The Skeptics Society, presented on the so called 'TED event' the "hidden messages" that are supposedly there in reverse play of one musical record: ''"Oh, Here’s to my sweet satan, the one who’s little path would make me sad, whose power is satan"''. However, no information on discoverer of the alleged text was given.<ref>{{cite web |author=Michael Schermer |title=Why people believe weird things |Date= February 2006 |location=TED2006 |pages=ca 10min:30sec |url=http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_shermer_on_believing_strange_things#t-634757 |accessdate=February 1, 2015 }}</ref>

==Devil and Humor==
In his ''The Screwtape Letters'' (1942), [[C.S. Lewis]] quotes Thomas More who claimed that ''“The Devil, the proud spirit, cannot endure to be mocked…”''<ref>{{cite book |author=C.S. Lewis |title=The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis: Letters from a senior Demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a Junior Tempter |publisher=Amargo |date= September 28, 2014 |isbn= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sQmkBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT1&dq=Lewis+Screwtape&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3GrOVNWIL4rzaof8gcgP&redir_esc=y#v=snippet&q=Thomas%20More&f=false}}</ref> [[Martin Luther]]
wrote in his ''Tischreden'' (Table Talk) that ''“The best way to drive out the devil ... is to jeer and flout him ...”''<ref>{{cite web |title=Quotations and Allusions in C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters |author=compiled by Arend Smilde |place=Utrecht, The Netherlands |url=http://lewisiana.nl/screwtapequotes/index.htm |accessdate=February 1, 2015}}</ref>

==Other names for the devil==
There are many pseudonyms used for the Devil, sometimes to clarify his nature and other times with the effect of obscuring his evil:

*Beelzebub (Hebrew: ba'al zevuv בעל זבוב; "Lord of the Flies")
*Baphomet, originally a [[Templar]] image, portrayed by a goat-headed man
*Ba'al
*the Prince of Darkness
*Old Nick, from a character in ''The Devil and Tom Walker''
*Pazuzu, ancient Sumerian and Babylonian demon-god, best known for its appearance in the film ''The Exorcist'' (1973).

===Inaccurate===

*[[Lucifer]]
*[[Satan]]

==References==
<References/>
==See also==
* [[Satan]]
* [[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)]]

[[category:Abrahamic Religions]]

Satan

2015-11-15T02:37:06Z

Liberals Rule:

[[Image:GustaveDoreParadiseLostSatanProfile.jpg|right|thumb|Gustave Doré's depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost.]]

'''Satan''' or the '''[[Devil]]''' is the embodiment of evil, and plays a major role in Christian theology and literature, as well as in many other religions. He is the tempter and spiritual enemy of mankind. He is the adversary of God, although subordinate to him and able to act only by his sufferance, and is represented frequently as the leader or prince of all apostate angels and as ruler of [[hell]].
"Satan is the force that loves to find the guilt and weakness in people, to humiliate them with it, to convince them that, because they are not good, God cannot love them."<ref> [http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/258360/iritei-stuff-satan-prosecutor-mike-potemra The Rite Stuff: Satan as Prosecutor] - Mike Potemra</ref> [[Leftist]] Saul Alinsky dedicated to Lucifer his book ''Rules for Radicals'', which inspired some [[liberal]] activists.<ref>[http://www.daltonator.net/durandal/religion/satan.shtml Is Satan Really Such a Bad Guy?]</ref>

==Old Testament==
Satan was once a member of the divine council of God referenced in the [[Old Testament]]. He is referenced 11 times in [[Job]] and 4 other times in the Old Testament. The [[New Testament]] mentions Satan 34 times in all, starting with the first book [[Matthew]] and ending with the last [[Revelation]]. In the Christian tradition he rebelled against God and is now the enemy of God and man alike. He is the father of lies and no good is found in him. He leads a host of fallen angels (or [[demon]]s) who know their days are numbered before they will be cast in the lake of fire and they seek to take as many humans as possible with them.

== New Testament==
In the [[New Testament]], Satan tries to tempt [[Jesus]] in the desert, and fails. Jesus warns extensively to beware of Satan as does [[Paul]].

In Christian theology Satan's goal is to lead people away from the love of God, by tempting or tricking them. The only sources of supernatural power in the world are from either God (good) or Satan (evil). In the book of [[Genesis]], Satan takes the form of a snake and tempts Eve with fruit from a tree. This causes sin to come into the world. Kelly (2006) demonstrates how assumptions--such as the identification of the Eden serpent with Satan, probably first made by Justin Martyr in the second century--have hardened into fact.

Satan, in the Book of Job, listens to God speak highly of Job and accuses Job to God before the host of angels that Job praises God only because he is blessed and would curse God if he was forced to suffer. God allows Satan to do what he will except to spare his life, and Satan causes Job to suffer immensely. (Job remained true to God through his hardships; Satan accused him further and punished him further, but could not get Job to break).
==Possession==
[[Jesus]] makes references to demonic possession on multiple occasions that He then casts out. Some believe that Satan is able to possess and control living humans on Earth even today. Even more, some others believe that Satan actually has done this in the past as well. Specifically, Satan is said to have entered Judas during [[The Last Supper]] (John 13:27). The Catholic church believes that priests (and sometimes only bishops) are able to exorcise this possession through Jesus.

==Terms==
The word ''Satan'' derives from the Hebrew "ha-satan", meaning the "accuser", "tempter", "persecutor", "calumniator", or "adversary". He "was a liar and a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44) Synonyms include '''Lucifer, demon, Mephistopholes, Mephisto, Beelzebub, the Evil One, the Tempter,''' and '''The Prince of Darkness.''' Only "devil" is used as an epithet for a profoundly evil person.

The adjectives include "devilish," "demonic", and "diabolic". Those who worship Satan are called [[satanism | Satanists]], Satan-worshippers, or demonists.
=== Lucifer ===
'''Lucifer''' is a name literally meaning "Son of the Morning" (or "Light-Bearer"), and is mentioned in the Bible only in the [[book of Isaiah]] (Isaiah 14:12). Though in Christian tradition Lucifer is equated with Satan, the immediate context of the passage is Isaiah's prophecy against the king of Babylon, and the name "Lucifer" was not present at all in the original manuscripts (in the Latin Vulgate, the phrase "Son of the Morning" was transliterated as a proper name).

Whomever Lucifer may be, the Isaiah makes strong prophecy against him, condemning him for 5 pronouncements:

* I will ascend into [[heaven]]
* I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
* I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north
* I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
* I will be like the most High

Those who take this passage to be a reference to Satan believe that it gives more history of what caused his downfall, that he was created by God as one of His most powerful angels (possibly a [[Seraphim | Seraph]]), but that he fell from grace after he in his pride rebelled against his Creator. Some, however, believe that there is no grounding to interpret the passage as a history of Satan, citing that the passage uses highly figurative and poetic language that was meant as a prophecy against Babylon and nothing more.

[[Image:Paradise Lost 12.jpg|right|thumb|''The fall of Lucifer'' by Gustave Doré.]]

== Jewish Views ==
In the Jewish tradition, Satan is an angel who faithfully serves God as a prosecuting attorney — one who accuses men of wickedness and impiety. At the direction of God, Satan may be permitted to test these accusations, such as in Job. In this view, Satan's goal is not to lead men away from their faithfulness to God, but merely to reveal the true depths of their devotion, although in [[I Chronicles]] 21:1 Satan provoked [[David]] to take a [[census]] of the people of Israel against the will of God and 70,000 men are slain because of it. [[II Samuel]] 24:1 supports the view of Satan as God's prosecuting attorney by reporting that it was the Lord Who moved David to take the census; the two passages can easily [[Scripture interprets Scripture|be reconciled]] if Satan acted as God's agent.

==Jehovah's Witnesses==

[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] believe that Satan was at one time an [[Angel]] who lived among the many millions of Angels that existed before the [[world]] was created. They believe that at some point He developed the desire to be worshiped by [[Humans]] and other Angels and so set himself in Opposition to worship of [[Jehovah]], his [[God]] and Father. This they believe occured in the Garden of Eden, and not prior to the Earths creation. [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] teach that Satan used a serpent as his mouth piece, the same way a vantriloquist uses a dummy, to bring the first [[Human]] couple under his control.

[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] teach that God has allowed Satan to rule mankind for several resons such as:

*Satan has challenged God's Right to rule his creations, not his power....

*Satan accuses God of bribeing Humans for their loyalty with protection and blessings....

*Satan has accused Humans of being loyal to God out of selfish reasons....

*Satan claims that he can rule mankind better then God....

[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] teach also that [[God]] decided that time, rather then a display of force, is needed to settle these issues. This, they believe, has giving Satan thousands of years to prove that Mankind is better off without God, that He (Satan) can rule Mankind sucessfully, and that the Humans that Do serve God do so only out of selfish reasons.

[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] teach that Satan does not live in any kind of [[Hell]] or world of the dead, but on the [[Earth]] as it's current ruler, along with as many as a third of the Angels of [[Heaven]]. They teach that Satan had lived in Heaven up until 1914, when Jesus and his Angels cast him out of Heaven, bringing woe to the Earth. this is their reasoning on Why the world has experienced two World wars, increasing lawlessness, an increase in disease and polution, and the overall conditions on earth today.

[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] believe that Satan delegates authority to each Demon as he see's fit, and over what he see's fit, sometimes including whole Nations and kingdoms. They believe that Satan and his demons are in every way the enemy of God, rather then working along side him. They teach that Satan will continue to rule the world until [[Armageddon]], when Jesus Christ and his heavenly Angels come to earth and bind him, eventually killing him, freeing the world of all opposition towards True worship.

==Defenses==
The three classic defenses against Satan are:

* mockery, which Satan cannot withstand due to his pride
* sunlight or exposure, from which Satan hides
* the [[Holy Spirit]], meaning "The Advocate" (i.e., defense lawyer), or the ''Armor of God''.<ref>Ephesians 6:1-17</ref>

Note that Satan lacks self-restraint, which often leads him to failure. In addition, Satan delights in [[deceit]], even to the point of causing his downfall.

==Dante and Milton==
The classic literary depictions of Satan appear in Dante's Italian poem, "Inferno," and in [[John Milton]]'s English poem, "Paradise Lost." These are considered the two greatest poems in Italian and English literature.

In western art and popular culture the devil is used to represent evil influences or motivations.

==See also==
* [[Devil]]
* [[satanic deception]]
* [[Salem Witch Trials]]
* [[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)]]

==Further reading==
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: I. In the Old Testament," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan., 1913), pp. 29-33 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142352 in JSTOR]
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: II. Satan in Extra-Biblical Apocalyptical Literature," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 2 (Feb., 1913), pp. 98-102 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142425 in JSTOR]
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: III. In the New Testament," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 3 (Mar., 1913), pp. 167-172 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142755 in JSTOR]
* Empson, William. ''Milton's God'' (1966)
* Jacobs, Joseph, and Ludwig Blau. "Satan," ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906) [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=270&letter=S&search=Satan#ixzz0UQlw0zPS online] pp 68-71
* Kelly, Henry Ansgar. ''Satan: A Biography.'' (2006). 360 pp. [http://books.google.com/books?id=gPIpQg0lRbMC&pg=PA12&dq=intitle:satan+inauthor:kelly&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false excerpt and text search]ISBN 0-521-60402-8, a study of the Bible and Western literature
* Kent, William. "Devil." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1908) Vol. 4. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm online older article]
* Osborne, B. A. E. "Peter: Stumbling-Block and Satan," ''Novum Testamentum,'' Vol. 15, Fasc. 3 (Jul., 1973), pp. 187-190 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1560340 in JSTOR] on "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
* Rebhorn Wayne A. "The Humanist Tradition and Milton's Satan: The Conservative as Revolutionary," ''Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900,'' Vol. 13, No. 1, The English Renaissance (Winter, 1973), pp. 81-93 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/449871 in JSTOR]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'' (1987) [http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Perceptions-Antiquity-Christianity-Paperbacks/dp/0801494095/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Satan: The Early Christian Tradition'' (1987) [http://www.amazon.com/Satan-Christian-Jeffrey-Burton-Russell/dp/0801494133/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages'' (1986) [http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-Devil-Middle-Cornell-Paperbacks/dp/080149429X/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World'' (1990) [http://www.amazon.com/Mephistopheles-Modern-Jeffrey-Burton-Russell/dp/0801497183/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History'' (1992) [http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Darkness-Radical-Power-History/dp/0801480566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255995689&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Schaff, D. S. "Devil" in ''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1911), [[Mainline]] Protestant; vol 3 pp 414-417 [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc03.d.iii.html online]
* Scott, Miriam Van. ''The Encyclopedia of Hell'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Hell-Miriam-Van-Scott/dp/0312244428/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b excerpt and text search] comparative religions; also popular culture
* Wray, T. J. and Gregory Mobley. ''The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Satan-Tracing-Devils-Biblical/dp/1403969337/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]

== Notes ==
<references/>

== External links ==

*[http://www.1timothy4-13.com/files/teach/accuser.html The accuser of the brethren - commentary on Revelation 12:7-12] - Dr. J.B. Buffington
[[category:Abrahamic Religions]]
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