...the show this week is all about Satan. I looked up my past research on the subject, and worked this week to put together some more research, both from contemporary and early Christian belief, and from the work of mythologists (is that a word?). I think it might be interesting, so tune in!
We will be discussing the definition and the origins of The Devil, and beliefs about the little split-footed demon. Why are so many seperate characters attributed to the same creature? Maybe we'll find out!
The show will be ready for download at our site Saturday evening. After that, be sure to tune into the Live Show on Freethought Radio at 2 pm Eastern STANDARD time on Sunday, October 30. Don't forget we go back to standard time at 2 am Sunday morning! We'll be talking about more news stories, and playing more inexcusable music! Be sure to join us in the chatroom.
7 comments:
Actually, LaVeyan Satanists have it right about Satan. As I point out in my show, Satan was never one personality. Satan was always an angel sent by God to do his bidding. The name Satan means adversary. Satanism does not hold satan as a red devil personality, but as an adversary of christianity. However, I would have to say that Satan is only an adversary in later Christian liturgy from 1000 plus years after the supposed death of Christ. Christian/Jewish scripture does not have Satan as a personality named Satan or Lucifer. This is my current position on this, but it may change the more I read.
There only is a Lucifer who was a Roman god, and there only was a Helel who was a Babylonian one. Only Helel really resembles the Lucifer of ex-christian liturgy. "Satan" only is "a satan" who is an adversary of the one God sent it to bother.
Some satanists do believe magical nonsense. But they are not believers in the One Satan.
The satan myth raises more questions about the god myth than christians want to contemplate. For example, consider the claim that god created satan "good," whatever that means, but satan chose to become evil and rebel against god's authority in heaven. If satan set this precedent, what keeps the saints in heaven from likewise choosing to rebel against god?
...in other words, there is no Satan in the bible that stands against God.
The "Beast" of Revelation stands for what really stood against Christianity at the time: Rome. The entire book of Revelation of course is apocalyptic literature--which held the tradition of symbolic writing. Also,neither the "antichrist" nor the serpent were supposed to be "the satan."
It never was Satan that rebelled in heaven as an angel. That angel always did god's bidding. The story of the fallen angel, Helel, belongs to Babylonian mythology. As I mention in the show. Anyway...;)
Every super hero has to have a super villian, it's a literary law. If your heros and villians aren't exciting enough, go dig in the garbage bin and recycle someone else's plots. You would think that a myth, having been exploded once, would either stay dead, or point to the made-up nature of the recycler's story, but NOOOOO! The sly story teller will just explain that the earlier myth was started by people who misinterpreted what they were seeing, unlike the Official USDA-approved corn-fed version of the story that you are now hearing! (sleeep, Sleeeeep!)
The whole mess, regardless of what religion you are discussing, is an incredible pastiche. To believe reminds me of the silly human habit of continuing to flick a light switch upon entering a room, in the midst of a power failure. Mark Plus' worrying about the saints in heaven rebelling is a case in point. The Titans have been put to rest, the Pantheon of Roman gods have gone the same way, but the Pantheon of Saints are right there to fill the void. If the angels rebelled, if there was a garden with a serpent, if humans defied god, then it was as the god intended, or else the god made some serious mistakes and therefore is not perfect. If it was as the god intended, then why did it get so pissed off about it? None of it ever made any sense, and neither does flicking a light switch in a blackout.
Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. What I meant to communicate is that Satan is not a name. It is a description."
My claim is that there is not supposed to be one individual named satan. However, God has interacted with satans, and used them for his purposes, in the scriptures. The satan of job may or may not be the same satan that "tempted Jesus," and both were sent by God for his purposes.
Yeah, I really make more sense on the show about Satan.
But there is a really interesting conversation going on in the next post...
;)
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