What is SATAN, who is he?

[g85]

Is Satan (or the devil) real?
Is Satan a symbol of evil?
Other. Explain.

 

[SolitarySoul]

I believe he is an actual being because the Bible talks about him being the fallen angel from Heaven. Maybe not neccissarily a physical being as we would call it though. I mean I don't think we could dig to the center of the earth and find him sitting there or anything , but I believe he's more than just a symbol of evil.

 

[Taure]

Just as the four horsemen of the apocalypse aren't actually real men riding horses but are instead athopomorphic personifications (of death, war, famine and pestilence) used as a literary device to explain abstract concepts in a simple way, so too Satan is a literary device created to show the way evil effects the world and humanity

Evil isn't sentient - it is something that we as humans perform. Using Satan as a scapegoat is a bit feeble.

I wouldn't quite say that Satan was merely a symbol of evil though - evil is quite something to be a symbol of, and in no way is it merely.

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

He's real. Trust me on this one. No, you do NOT want me to tell you how I know. Trust me on THAT, too.

 

[Sonfest Rocker]

he is a fallen angel
he was created by god but like humans was given free will and turnd away.
but a fallen angel is all he is.
he is no where equal to God
he is real

 

[in2Nas]

I believe he is an actual being because the Bible talks about him being the fallen angel from Heaven. Maybe not neccissarily a physical being as we would call it though. I mean I don't think we could dig to the center of the earth and find him sitting there or anything , but I believe he's more than just a symbol of evil.

Good assessment. I'm somewhere along these lines.

 

[repentant]

Just as the four horsemen of the apocalypse aren't actually real men riding horses but are instead athopomorphic personifications (of death, war, famine and pestilence) used as a literary device to explain abstract concepts in a simple way, so too Satan is a literary device created to show the way evil effects the world and humanity

Evil isn't sentient - it is something that we as humans perform. Using Satan as a scapegoat is a bit feeble.

I wouldn't quite say that Satan was merely a symbol of evil though - evil is quite something to be a symbol of, and in no way is it merely.

"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled, was convincing the world he didn't exist."

 

[MarkEvan]

As Jesus quite often refers to satan I am going to go with Him, satan is real and it is his job to "steal kill and destroy," he does this to your soul.

Mark

 

[Harlan Norris]

Satan, is part of God's creation.God controls satan,and uses him for his own purpose.

 

[Taure]

He was created by god but like humans was given free will and turned away.

So if Angels have free will, and some of then turned away, then why can some angels stay in heaven with God, without needing salvation from their own Jesus figure? For all humans have free will, and some turned away (Adam and Eve, if they are real that is - even if they aren't they can still represent those humans who did turn away), and this for some reason meant that all humanity was doomed, and we needed Jesus for our salvation.

Why didn't the same thing happen to angels when their Adam and Eve - Satan - turned away?

It didn't, so we must assume that angels don't have free will like humans. The bible seems to back this up: in biblical events angels are simply God's messengers.

Of course, this creates this problem:

Satan, is part of God's creation.God controls Satan, and uses him for his own purpose.

This would imply that God is directly and actively responsible for evil - something that most Christians would reject.

Far better to say that Satan represents human evil. When Jesus curses the devil, he is cursing the concept of evil. When Satan is cast out of heaven, it is showing that heaven is a place without evil. When we are told to fight against the devil, we are being told to resist evil and temptation.

 

[Nautica]

an angel gone bad,very bad

 

[repentant]

Read the Book of Job...

Read Jesus' temptations in the wilderness.

 

[Moriah_Conquering_Wind]

Quote:
Satan, is part of God's creation.God controls Satan, and uses him for his own purpose.

This would imply that God is directly and actively responsible for evil - something that most Christians would reject.

But something God Himself is willing to take responsibility for, at least, nonetheless:
Isaiah 45:7
[bible]Isaiah 45:7[/bible]