Wiccans: Is Satan a false god?

Answer 1

Wiccans do not acknowledge Satan as existing.

Answer 2

I'm not a wiccan but Sir, Satan is God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Messiah, who is the image of Yahweh, should shine unto them.

Satan has the world deceived into worshiping god or God and not Yahweh.

Answer 3

In ancient Jewish tradition Satan is simply an angel doing the work that God assigned to Satan to do.

The word Satan means challenger. With the idea of Satan challenging us, or tempting if you will. This description sees Satan as the angel who is the embodiment of man's challenges. This idea of Satan works closely with God as an integral part of Gods plan for us. His job is to make choosing good over evil enough of a challenge so that it becomes clear to us that there can be only one meaningful or logical choice.

Contrast this to Christianity, which sees Satan as God's opponent. In Jewish thought, the idea that there exists anything capable of setting itself up as God's opponent would be considered polytheistic or setting up the devil to be an equally powerful polarity to god or a demigod.

Oddly, proof for The Christian satan/devil mythology is supposedly found in the ancient Jewish texts that were borrowed to create the bible. One can’t help but wonder how Christians came up with such a fantastically different interpretation of Gods assistant Satan in their theology.

Other hints about Satan’s role in human relations can be seen if you look at the name Lucifer. It’s meaning in the original tongue translates as Light bearer or light bringer. Essentially the bringer of enlightenment. The temptations of the Satan idea bring all of us eventually into Gods light. Hardly the Evil entity of Christian mythology.

Love and blessings
don

Answer 4

Wiccans and Witches (not the same thing) do not acknowledge Satan. Therefore, they do not like being associated with something they don't believe in...make sense?

Answer 5

satan is not a god ,but an image used to project fear,with the purpose of keeping people on the straight and narrow

Answer 6

Satan
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This page is about the concept of Satan. See Devil for the concept of devil, influenced by Christianity, in general.
For other uses, see Satan (disambiguation).

Gustave Dorés depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise LostSatan from Hebrew for "accuser" (Standard Hebrew: שָׂטָן, Satan Tiberian Hebrew Śāṭān; Koine Greek: Σατανάς, Satanás; Aramaic: צטנא, Ṣaṭänä; Arabic: شيطان, Šayṭän, Slavic Сатана) is a term with its origins in the Abrahamic faiths which is traditionally applied to an angel. Ha-Satan is the accuser, a member of the divine council, who challenged the religious integrity of humans, especially in the books of Job and Zechariah. Religious belief systems other than the Judaism although relate this term to a demon, a rebellious (against God) fallen angel, devil or minor god and idolatry.

Contents [hide]
1 Etymology and other names
2 In the Hebrew Bible
2.1 Different uses of the word "Satan" in the Tanakh
2.2 Satan as an accuser
3 In Rabbinic literature
4 In the Hebrew Apocrypha
5 Satan in Christianity
6 Satan in Islam
6.1 Satan and Adam and Eve
7 Satanism
8 Satan in fiction and popular culture
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
12 External links



[edit]
Etymology and other names
The nominative satan (meaning "adversary" or "accuser"), and the Arabic shaitan, derives from a Northwest Semitic root Å¡á¹­n, meaning "to be hostile", "to accuse".[1] Ha-satan possesses no demonic qualities in the Torah writings. In the New Testament, Satan is a proper name, and is used to refer to a supernatural entity who appears in several passages and possesses demonic god-like qualities.

The most common synonym for Satan, "the Devil", entered Modern English from Middle English devel, from Old English dēofol, from Latin diabolus, from Late Greek diabolos, from Greek, "slanderer", from diaballein, "to slander" : dia-, dia- + ballein, "to hurl"[2]. In Greek, the term diabolos (Διάβολος, "slanderer"), carries more negative connotations than the Hebrew ha-satan (שָׂטָן, "accuser", "obstructer").[3]

Lucifer is sometimes used in Christian theology to refer to Satan, from a reference to Isaiah 14:12-14. In Jewish theology, however, this figure (Helel in Hebrew) has nothing to do with the Jewish understanding of Satan. Beelzebub (meaning "Lord of Flies") is actually the name of a Philistine god, but it is also used in the New Testament as a synonym for Satan.

[edit]
In the Hebrew Bible
Satan is to be better understood as an "accuser" or "adversary". The term is applied both to supernatural and human beings. The term Satan in hebrew is derived from a root meaning "to oppose", "to be an adversary" or "to act as an adversary". In the Book of Numbers he is not maleviolent has even been sent by God to prevent worse harm:

"But God was incensed at his going; so an angel of the LORD placed himself in his way as an adversary (Hebrew: satan)", Numbers 22:22

[4]

[edit]
Different uses of the word "Satan" in the Tanakh
The Hebrew "Satan" is used in the Hebrew Bible with the general connotation of "adversary," or act as an adversary being applied to:

An enemy in war and peace [5]
An accuser before the judgment-seat [6]
An antagonist who puts obstacles in the way, as in Numbers 22:22, where the angel of God is described as opposing Balaam as an adversary.
In the Book of Job, ha-satan("the adversary") is a prosecuting attorney against mankind in the heavenly court of God. Other angels are not mentioned by name. He is known as the accuser and is the angel which questions mankind's loyalty to God. He argues that man is only loyal because God gives them prosperity. He is the one who actually delivers all the ills upon Job to test his faith on Gods command.

In 1 Chronicles 21:1, Satan incites David to commit the sin of taking a census of Israel. Five hundred years earlier, this same story portrayed Yahweh as the one who incited David to take the census (2 Samuel 24:1). The later story was written after the Hebrews had been in exile in Babylon and had been exposed to Zoroastrianism.

The Strong's Concordance number for the Hebrew word "Satan" is 07853 and 07854[7].

"7853 satan saw-tan' a primitive root; to attack, (figuratively) accuse:--(be an) adversary, resist."

"7854 satan saw-tawn' from 7853; an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good:--adversary, Satan, withstand."

This can be used to research the Biblical usage of this word.

[edit]
Satan as an accuser
Where Satan does appear in the Bible as a member of God's court, he plays the role of the Accuser, much like a prosecuting attorney for God. The following information has been taken directly from the article on 'Satan' in the Jewish Encyclopaedia:

"Such a view is found, however, in the prologue to the Book of Job, where Satan appears, together with other celestial beings or "sons of God," before the Deity, replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."[8] Both question and answer, as well as the dialogue which follows, characterize Satan as that member of the divine council who watches over human activity, but with the evil purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is, therefore, the celestial prosecutor, lawyer who sees only iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after the man of Uz has passed successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test through physical suffering [9].

"Yet it is also evident from the prologue that Satan has no power of independent action, but requires the permission of God, which he may not transgress. He can not be regarded, therefore, as an opponent of the Deity; and the doctrine of monotheism is disturbed by his existence no more than by the presence of other beings before the face of God. This view is also retained in Zech. 3:1-2, where Satan is described as the adversary of the high priest Joshua, and of the people of God whose representative the hierarch is; and he there opposes the "angel of the Lord" who bids him be silent in the name of God.

"In both of these passages Satan is a mere accuser who acts only according to the permission of the Deity; but in I Chron. 21:1 he appears as one who is able to provoke David to destroy Israel. The Chronicler (third century B.C.) regards Satan as an independent agent, a view which is the more striking since the source whence he drew his account[10] speaks of God Himself as the one who moved David against the children of Israel. Since the older conception refers all events, whether good or bad, to God alone [11], it is possible that the Chronicler, and perhaps even Zechariah, were influenced by Zoroastrianism, even though in the case of the prophet Jewish monism strongly opposed Iranian dualism[12]. An immediate influence of the Babylonian concept of the "accuser, persecutor, and oppressor" [13] is impossible, since traces of such an influence, if it had existed, would have appeared in the earlier portions of the Bible."[14]



In regards to the 1 Chronicles 21:1 passage, it is known that at times, Yahweh gives Satan the authority to carry out wicked deeds. He had to give Satan permission to attack Job's family and health; likewise He granted Satan permission to enter Judas so that the Son of Man could be delivered over to the officials. God Himself, delivered Jesus to Satan's violence and scorn. This is most likely why it is written as Yahweh in one passage(2 Samuel 24:1), and Satan in the next.

[edit]
In Rabbinic literature
Early rabbinic Jewish statements in the Mishnah and Talmud show that Satan played little or no role in Jewish theology. In the course of time, however, Judaism absorbed the popular concepts of Satan, most likely inherited from Zoroastrianism. The later a rabbinic work can be dated the more frequent is the mention therein of Satan and his hosts.[15] The Palestinian Talmud, completed around 400 CE has provenance similar to that of the New Testament and is more reserved in its use of Satan. However large portions of this version of the Talmud in its original form have been lost.

An example is found in Genesis: The serpent who had Eve eat the forbidden fruit. The consensus of the Biblical commentators in classical Judaism is that the serpent of the narrative in Genesis was literally a serpent. They differ regarding what it represented: The evil inclination (Yetzer HaRa), Satan, or the Angel of Death. Others have suggested that the serpent was a phallic symbol. According to the Midrash, before this cunning beast was cursed, it stood erect and was endowed with some faculty of communication.

The normative Jewish concept, however, was and remains that Satan cannot be viewed as an independent agent. In the Babylonian Talmud [16], Rabbi Levi asserts that "everything Satan does is for the sake of heaven." When another rabbi preached a similar idea in his town, it is said that Satan himself came and "kissed his knees."

The Babylonian Talmud[17] also states that the Evil Inclination (Yetzer ha-Ra), the Angel of Death and Satan are identical.

In a midrash[18] Samael, the chief of the satans (a specific order of angel, not a reference to demons), was a mighty prince of angels in heaven. Samael came into the world with woman, that is, with Eve[19], so that he was created and is not eternal. Like all celestial beings, he flies through the air[20], and can assume any form, as of a bird [21], a stag[22], a woman [23], a beggar, or a young man [24]; he is said to skip [25], an allusion to his appearance in the form of a goat.

In some works some rabbis hold that Satan is the incarnation of all evil, and his thoughts are devoted to the destruction of man. In this view, Satan, the impulse to evil and the angel of death are one and the same personality. Satan seizes upon even a single word which may be prejudicial to man; so that "one should not open his mouth unto evil," i.e., "unto Satan"[26]. Likewise, in times of danger, he brings his accusations (Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 5b). While he has power over all the works of man (Talmud Berachot 46b), he can not prevail at the same time against two individuals of different nationality; so that Samuel, a noted astronomer, physician and teacher of the Law (died at Nehardea, 247), would start on a journey only when a Gentile traveled with him [27].

Satan's knowledge is not everpresent; for when the shofar is sounded on New-Year's Day he is "confounded" [28]. On the Day of Atonement his power vanishes; for the numerical value of the letters of his name (gematria and Hebrew numerals) is only 359, one day being thus exempt from his influence [29].

One rabbi notes that Satan was an active agent in the fall of man [30], and was the father of Cain [31], while he was also instrumental in the offering of Isaac [32], in the release of the animal destined by Esau for his father [33], in the theophany at Sinai, in the death of Moses [34], in David's sin with Bath-sheba [35], and in the death of Queen Vashti [36]. The decree to destroy all the Jews, which Haman obtained, was written on parchment brought by Satan [37]. When Alexander the Great reproached the Jewish sages with their rebellion, they made the plea that Satan had been too mighty for them [38].

Not all Rabbinic commentators agreed on Satan's spiritual nature. Rabbi Saadia Gaon, an 11th century philosopher and scholar, wrote in his commentary to the Book of Job that Satan was simply a human being who resented Job's righteousness and called upon God to test him. This interpretation rests on a literal reading of the Hebrew word שטן or "adversary", which Saadia claims refers only to the intentions of the individual in question and not to any spiritual or supernatural status.

[edit]
In the Hebrew Apocrypha
In Wisdom ii. 24 Satan is represented, with reference to Gen. 3, as the father of all lies, who brought death into the world; he is apparently mentioned also in Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 21:27. Allegedly, Satan was the seducer and the paramour of Eve, and was hurled from heaven together with other angels because of his iniquity [39]. Since that time he has been called "Satan," although previously he had been termed "Satanel" [40].

The doctrine of the fall of Satan, as well as of the fall of the angels, is found also in Babylonia. Satan rules over an entire host of angels [41]. Mastema, who induced God to test Abraham through the sacrifice of Isaac, is identical with Satan in both name and nature [42], Azazel of the Apocalypse of Abraham and the Asmodeus of the Book of Tobit is likewise to be identified with him, especially in view of his licentiousness. As the lord of satans, he frequently bears the special name of Samael.

It is difficult to identify Satan in any other passages of the Apocrypha, since the originals in which his name occurred have been lost, and the translations employ various equivalents. An "argumentum a silentio" can not, therefore, be adduced as proof that concepts of Satan were not wide-spread; but it must rather be assumed that reference to him and his realm is often implied in the mention of evil spirits.

[edit]
Satan in Christianity
Main article: Devil in Christianity
In the Christian understanding of the holy hebrew scriptures, the torah, the one named Satan (also the Devil) is shown to be an angel who rebelled against God— the one who spoke through the serpent and seduced Eve into disobeying God's command. He is described throughout the christian New Testament as hating all mankind. His ultimate goal is to lead people away from the love of God— to lead them to fallacies which God opposes. Satan is also identified as the accuser of Job, the tempter of the Gospels, the secret power of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, and the dragon in the Book of Revelation. It is widely believed that before his insurrection, Satan was the highest of all angels and the "brightest in the sky." His pride is considered a reason why he would not bow to God as all other angels did, but sought to rule heaven himself. In Christianity he is called "the ruler of the demons" (Matt. 12:24); "the ruler of the world" and even "the god of this world." (2Cor. 4:4) The book of Revelation describes how Satan will be cast out of Heaven, down to the earth, having "great anger" and waging war against "those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus." Ultimately, Satan is thrown forever into the "lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10), not as ruler, but as one among many, being treated no different than all the others who have been cast there as well.

[edit]
Satan in Islam
Main articles: Shaitan and Iblis
Shaitan (شيطان) is the equivalent of Satan in Islam.

"When you read the Qur'ân, seek refuge in God from the rejected Satan". [An-Nahl:98]

While Shaitan(شيطان, from the root Å¡á¹­n شطن) is an adjective (meaning "astray" or "distant") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", الإنس) and Jinn, Iblis (pronounced /'ib.liːs/) is the personal name of the Shaitan who is mentioned in the Qur'anic account of Genesis, and whose origin is unclear.

Whenever the Qur'an refers to the creature who refused to prostrate before Adam at the time of the latter's creation, it refers to him as Iblis. The Islamic view of Iblis (English:Lucifer) has both commonalities and differences with Christian and Jewish views.

[edit]
Satan and Adam and Eve
As per the Qur'an, before the creation of Man, God created the Angels — which had no free will — and the Jinn. Later God created Adam, and ordered all the angels and jinns to bow to him. All the angels and Jinns did, except a Jinn called Iblis, who was the leader of the Djinn, creatures made of smokeless fire. Iblis was proud and considered himself superior. Iblis argued that he is superior to Adam, who is made of modified clay, while he himself is made of smokeless fire. For this God damned him to Hell for eternity, but gave him respite till the Doomsday at his request. Then and there Iblis swore that he would use his time to lead all men astray to burn in hell. God replied that there would always be followers of God, and that the paradise of heaven was available for them, and those who followed Iblis would live with him in Hell.[43]

After their creation, Adam and Hawwa' (حواء, Eve) dwelt in Paradise (الجنة, AlJannah), where God forbade them to go near the cursed tree. "The Satan" (or al-Shaitan in Arabic), tricked Adam and Hawwa' into eating from the tree. God then expelled all of them from Heaven and onto Earth, to wander about not as a punishment. In Islam, God created humans to sned them on to Earth for which he created for humans. He was just to see how long the humans, Adam and Hawwa could have stay in heaven or paradise. Then Adam sought to repent to God, and God taught him the words by which to do so. God forgave Adam and Hawwa' and told them "Get ye down all from here; and if, as is sure, there comes to you Guidance from me, whosoever follows My guidance, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. [44]." Iblis will try to influence as many of their descendants as he possibly could into sin, so as to be his companions in his final destiny into Hell.

Adam remained weeping for 40 days, until he repented, at which point God rewarded him by sending down the Kaaba, and teaching him the hajj.

For a more full account of the creation of Adam, the refusal of Iblis to prostrate before him, and a description of the devil in Islam see Iblis