I was troubled the other day by one of my friends who though unreligious had an abiding belief in demons and ghosts. I have found the best way to fell a tree is to strike at its roots and so I researched into the subject of demons and in more particular the great demon himself, Satan.

Known by many names: Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, The Great Serpent/Dragon , the Morning Star, The Fallen One, and the Prince of Darkness, has played a central role in the development of the major three religions and thus the history of the world. Satan’s roots began in the Torah and are of particular note in the Book of Job. Hebrews didn’t see Satan as an evil demigod but rather saw him as a prosecutor of the law. For all intents and purposes the Hebrew word from which Satan is derived literally means adversary or prosecutor. The Hebrews viewed Satan as an agent for God who held the power of good and evil. Just as prosecutors are agents of the state. He was merely fulfilling his duty as prosecutor when he accused Job of being pure only on account of being spoiled by God.

Israel was constantly being conquered by other neighbouring kingdoms and as a consequence their theological beliefs came in contact with other religions and philosophies. The concept of two opposing powers one good and one evil or a heaven and hell were borrowed from Zoroastrianism. The idea of an individual embodiment of said evils was most likely derived from Hades the lord of the underworld and the pantheon of the Romans. The influences of the ancient philosophers are all throughout the father of Christianity (Paul)’s epistles. Once the bible was organized the vivid descriptions of an evil beast that tempted Christ and was said to come forth in the end of days captured the imagination of priest who then expanded upon his evil characteristics leaving us the popular view of Satan that exists today.

There is much harm caused by a belief in Satan, not only does the superstitious notion cause people to suppress themselves it can also cause a mass paranoia. My ancestors the Putnams accused several people of an alliance with the dark one in Salem Massachusetts. During the 1980’s tons of taxpayer dollars went towards an FBI investigation of rumoured satanic sacrifices. It is a means of terror used to keep people in backwards ideologies and in cultish behaviors. It is my hope that such dangerous views can be abolished with the realization that Satan to the authors of the ancient Torah was none other than God having his agents represent himself.

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