2006-10-21 17:35:30 · 11 answers · asked by gabby 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
This question is basically the same as "is God real, or did man make him up" with the name Satan inserted. It really depends on what context you're looking at it. Biblically, Satan is rather ambiguitous, his origins and existence rather undefined. Yes, there is a traditional "opponant" of man in the original Old Testament, but the story of a fallen angel becoming the Prince of Hell is not found within Biblical text.
Does Satan exist in a literal, horns and tail sense? Demons exist in every culture across the globe in one incarnation or another. One can simply chalk that up to a common theme in human thinking, global superstition. The image of satan is merely a conjuration of a church attempting to demonize pagan traditions.
In the end, it all adds up to what one believes involving God as to whether there is a "Satan."
2006-10-21 17:47:41 · answer #1 · answered by Shawn L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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
2006-10-22 17:51:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Satan is made up by human beings, just as god is too.
2006-10-22 00:41:31 · answer #3 · answered by Edwardo Corrochio 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Made up to take the blame from us for the bad things we do.
2006-10-22 00:39:25 · answer #4 · answered by AveGirl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was invented for the purpose of gaining control through fear by the men who wrote the bible.
2006-10-22 00:37:35 · answer #5 · answered by Gorgeoustxwoman2013 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know, but it get's me to think twice about doing something bad.
2006-10-22 02:34:46 · answer #6 · answered by ladymescih 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
of course he is real. Have you not heard of Musharraf ?
2006-10-22 00:37:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
something tells me he's pretty real.
but i guess it all depends on your beliefs.
2006-10-22 00:37:33 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
HE'S REAL! HE'S EVIL! AND HE'S GOT YOUR ATTENTION!!!!!!! HOW ABOUT ASKING AND TALKING ABOUT GOD INSTEAD!?
2006-10-22 00:40:07 · answer #9 · answered by justhuman 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it was made up to terrorize kids... (and you, apparently)
2006-10-22 00:38:08 · answer #10 · answered by pba_ams_eahb 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋