Who is Satan? Or what does Satan represent to you?

[1137]

For those of you who believe Satan is a real being/entity, who is Satan? Where did he/it/she/they come from? What is Satan's relationship to other beings/entities, including deities, Angels (if you believe in them) and human beings?

For those of you who view Satan more figuratively or metaphorically, and not as a real being/entity, what does Satan represent to you?

Satan is a title meaning adversary, which is most commonly associated with the Christian devil. The Christian devil is the ultimate perversion of that which goes against natural order/"God". The oldest positive understanding of this unnatural force was the Egyptian god Set. Set certainly seems to exist based on my understanding. I'm not sure where Set came from, I'm not sure Set knows where It came from. It's relationship to God/Horus is dualistic, each is what the other is not. All other gods, indeed all other things, come from a mix of Set and Horus.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

A powerful evil/malicious spiritual entity. Not any sort of deity and most of its "power" is in illusion and delusion. According to traditional Christianity, he/it was originally an Angel (most likely a Seraph, as Archangels actually aren't the highest choir of Angels), which rebelled against God (basically fell out of harmony with God) and is extremely spiritually lost and deluded. And, no - its "original" name was not Lucifer (Christ actually fits the archetype of Lucifer far better). All the Angels have Hebrew names and we don't know what Satan's Angelic name would've been. It's not based on any pre-Christian deity, either. The closest concept to the Christian Satan is the Zoroastrian Angra Mainyu/Arhiman.

 

[Tumah]

All the Angels have Hebrew names

This is false.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalphon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metatron

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

This is false.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandalphon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metatron

Well, I'm speaking from a Catholic point of view. Those two don't really figure into our beliefs. I've never even heard of the first one.

We traditionally recognize only 7 or 8 named Archangels, with the Catholic Church expressly recognizing the first 3, but the rest are recogized in Eastern Christianity to various degrees:
Michael
Gabriel
Raphael
Uriel
Selaphiel
Jegudiel
Barachiel
Jerahmeel

There's some differences in terms of which tradition recognize whom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Archangels

 

[Tumah]

Well, I'm speaking from a Catholic point of view. Those two don't really figure into our beliefs. I've never even heard of the first one.

We traditionally recognize only 7 or 8 named Archangels, with the Catholic Church expressly recognizing the first 3, but the rest are recogized in Eastern Christianity to various degrees:
Michael
Gabriel
Raphael
Uriel
Selaphiel
Jegudiel
Barachiel
Jerahmeel

There's some differences in terms of which tradition recognize whom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Archangels

Oh I see. On one of them I saw the word Christian, and didn't realize it said "early Christian", as opposed to Christians today.

That one "Jegudiel" from the Hebrew name provided here looks like it should be pronounced "Yehudiel".

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Oh I see. On one of them I saw the word Christian, and didn't realize it said "early Christian", as opposed to Christians today.

That one "Jegudiel" from the Hebrew name provided here looks like it should be pronounced "Yehudiel".

Yeah, they're typically Latinized or Hellenized, like "Jesus".

 

[Desert Snake]

Satan, the make believe boogeyman created to give Christians a scapegoat for all the bad crap that happens.

First you said this

Besides, if you know Hebrew then you would know that Satan is not a person/being...it is a title that means "the adversary." If we are playing chess, you are 'ha-satan'...the adversary.

Then you said this...
So which is it /to you/?

 

[Desert Snake]

God, as the omnipotent creator of the universe. My belief has nothing to do with any man made holy book. Hence deism.

First this...

Well, I do have a Doctor of Theology degree backed by 30 years as a Baptist.

If you want to know the nature of Satan, ask a rabbi as the OT was written in Hebrew and it is their language/culture/history.

Then this...
This makes no sense. Unless you are unaware that Judaism is a religion with holy books, these statements contradict, or imply an answer different to the one you gave for yourself.

 

[VioletVortex]

Satan is the entity that either triggered or originated from the conception of the universe, and probably constructed DNA, and made life possible.

Satan is not really a tangible being, rather Satan is made of energy. He consists of both an omnipresent force, and a defined spiritual entity. The omnipresent force of Satan can be used as a medium to convey one's own spiritual energy during a ritual.

 

[Neo Deist]

First you said this

It's called poking fun at them for that ludicrous belief.

Then you said this...

Illustration that the Christian concept is wrong. Must I spell it out for you?

 

[Neo Deist]

First this...


Then this...
This makes no sense. Unless you are unaware that Judaism is a religion with holy books, these statements contradict, or imply an answer different to the one you gave for yourself.

Figure it out for yourself. It is not that hard to understand.

 

[Desert Snake]

It's called poking fun at them for that ludicrous belief.



Illustration that the Christian concept is wrong. Must I spell it out for you?

I suppose it's a Christian concept. I'm not familiar with it, besides reading things such as , that are on RF, whatever other references to that sort of 'satan', there are. I suspect it might be more of a specific church concept, or even cultural concept, though.

 

[The_Fisher_King]

Besides, if you know Hebrew then you would know that Satan is not a person/being...it is a title that means "the adversary."

Ha-Satan is indeed the Adversary. Of God and all God's Servants.

 

[The_Fisher_King]

The evil forces and entities around us.

Define evil. And do these evil forces and entities have particular names in your religion?

 

[Desert Snake]

Okay. What do you mean by demonic here?

What I mean is that it is a subjective word, outside of the linguistic usage. So, you can say Satan is a lot of things. The OP question is problematic for me, because I don't really have an association with a ''Satan'', in usage like that. The word meaning does not indicate 'who' that satan is. /necessarily/. Or, if it does, it is specific to a religions interpretation of such. So, my answer, isn't an answer, because the OP question is subjective by necessity.

 

[The_Fisher_King]

The Dark side of the Force.

If Satan is the Dark side of the Force, who is the Force and who is the Light side?

The father of the lie.

I thought that was the Serpent?

 

[Desert Snake]

Jesus may have called one of the Apostles , 'Satan'.

 

[The_Fisher_King]

As the angel Gabriel represents G-d's strength and Michael, G-d's greatness, Sama'el stems from the concept of the unity of G-d's existence: that there is only G-d. Its this concept that wars with the creation and seeks its nullification, to return to a state where there is only G-d's existence.

Your references to Angels representing G-d's Strength and Greatness and to Sama'el stemming from the concept of G-d's Unity, and of this concept warring with Creation, sound like you are saying that these Angels (I assume you are referring to Sama'el as an Angel - please correct me if I am wrong) and this concept are all essentially aspects of G-d - is this what you are saying?

 

[The_Fisher_King]

Satan is the name of a very huge number of concepts.

Can you give me some examples of some of the most important concepts for you?

Some of them might actually be entities or thoughtforms, I don't know.
I call my deity Satan

If you don't know whether some of these concepts might be entities or thoughtforms, in what sense is Satan for you a deity?

 

[The_Fisher_King]

Satan represents an acceptance and pursuit of one's self

From this it sounds like you are saying that Satan is for you more of a concept, an idea - that you understand Satan in a more figurative sense.

Because one has adopted the ultimate scapegoat as his master and teacher

But from this it sounds more like Satan is for you an actual, real entity, that has a separate existence from yourself.

Set represents a metaphysically complete picture of Satan as the origin of mankind's individualistic will.

What exactly do you mean by Set/Satan as the origin of mankind's individualistic will?

I guess what I am asking overall here is whether you see Set/Satan as an actual, real entity with a separate existence from us, or as rather a representation of certain key concepts (and not an actual, real entity)?