Christians: What does Satan actually do that makes him such an evil entity?

[Lyra]

In the Bible, as I recall, God is the one commanding all the disasters and mass deaths (deaths of all the first-born innocent baby boys in Egypt, flood of Noah's ark, etc. etc.) But what does Satan actually do that's anywhere near that catastrophic?

 

For example, here are some of Satan's main scenes:

 

- Tempting Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (to eat fruit/get knowledge/have sex? Who really cares? It's not like he's telling them to slaughter the animals or kill each other)

- Tempting Job to not have faith in God, after God is the one to destroy his life and kill his presumably-innocent wife and kids

- Temping Jesus in the desert (whereas God is the one who requires this awful bloody sacrifice of an innocent in order to satisfy his bloodlust for other people's punishment)

 

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but as I recall, there was no Bible story where Satan actually inflicted murder, torture, rape, slavery, etc. on anyone. The God/Yahweh character was doing those things, and the "worst" thing Satan did was try to get people to question authority. Even his supposed start, getting kicked out of Heaven for rebellion against God, could be seen as healthy free-thinking and benevolent protest. This would be like if your teenage kid mouthed off to you and snuck out to party, and in response you banished them from the family forever and had them exiled from town and gave them a reputation as the most horrible person in the world.

 

Remind me again what exactly makes Satan a horrible, fearsome villain?

[★ Citsonga ★]

8 hours ago, Lyra said:

- Tempting Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (to eat fruit/get knowledge/have sex? Who really cares? It's not like he's telling them to slaughter the animals or kill each other)

 

Actually, that's not even Satan. There is no mention of Satan in that story, nor anywhere else in Genesis, for that matter. The character in the story of the fall is simply a cunning, talking snake. Christians read Satan into the story, but the story itself says nothing of the sort. In fact, despite Christians' claims, the story even has the snake telling the truth. What the snake says will happen if they eat the fruit is exactly what does happen after they eat the fruit.

 

[★ Citsonga ★]

8 hours ago, Lyra said:

Even his supposed start, getting kicked out of Heaven for rebellion against God

 

Actually, that notion is based on verses in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 that Christians take out of context. The passages specifically refer to human kings and make no mention of Satan. There is some imagery going on there, but nothing specifying Satan.

 

In fact, other than the book of Job, the Old Testament very, very rarely mentions Satan at all.

 

[♦ Fuego ♦]

2 hours ago, Citsonga said:

that notion is based on verses in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 that Christians take out of context

 

Yes! There is rampant poetry in the Old Testament, and Christians will try to claim that it represents reality. There are other examples, such as trying to find damnation in the OT when the Jews had no such belief. So believers will point to Isaiah 33 where Yahweh is wanking off to his own greatness and says:

 

“Now will I arise,” says the Lord.
    “Now will I be exalted;
    now will I be lifted up.
¹¹ You conceive chaff,
    you give birth to straw;
    your breath is a fire that consumes you.
¹² The peoples will be burned to ashes;
    like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze.”

¹³ You who are far away, hear what I have done;
    you who are near, acknowledge my power!
¹⁴ The sinners in Zion are terrified;
    trembling grips the godless:
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire?
    Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?”

That's it right there, see, everlasting burning!!!  So do sinners actually conceive chaff and give birth to straw? No. Even the context has nothing to do with a final judgment or even judgment after death. Mostly the Jews looked for a nice life on Earth. The spiritual side of Judaism has reincarnation of the parts of us that still need to learn things before moving on.

But about Satan, there is very little said. He was taken to be an angel doing the dirty work of Yahweh. The only scene played out with him speaking (in the OT) is in Job, a disgusting book of "better grovel before me bitch or things will get really ugly. Just remember how great I am, and tell me all about my glory." In this case, we see that Yahweh isn't really a good god, but a narcissist and a psychopath for treating people this way and then demanding groveling. Can't polish a turd.

 

 

 

 

[Aries256]

Satan is just the boogeyman xtians like to blame for when bad things happen, or as a excuse to verbally, mentally, or even physically abuse others they dont like or think are “in sin”, satan is also used when xtians are caught doing the things they rant against. “Oh the devil made me do it”