The concept of Satan in world religions is an interesting one that has not sufficiently been studied by scholars. We all know that Satan is a familiar character from Christianity; does the red-pajama'd, soul-stealing badass, however, appear in other religions as well, drinking the blood of newborn babes and raping evildoers with his white-hot thorned penis? As it turns out, he does (although not in his characteristic red pajamas).
In Hinduism, for example, there is an evil trickster known as Majapudu, who is reputed to have twelve horns, eyes of fire, and noxious flatulence that can kill an entire village in minutes, like mustard gas. Worshipers in the south of India and in Burma, fearful of Majapudu's power, reportedly have developed an elaborate set of rites intended to pacify this worst of demons. Some of the rites include the ritual sacrifice of all infants born in the month of D'vindi (roughly mid-November to mid-December of our calendar).
The religion of the aborigines of the Ukraine has a similar character, Thauraza. No traditions give any direct description of Thauraza, though, He is said to travel around the countryside in a giant ball of fire, only stepping out to devour the occasional soul and send it to thousands of years of torment in his miles-long sulphurous bowels.
Not all Satan characters in world religions, though, are terrifying. Others are more like tricksters, or, even worse, like that frat brother everyone had who was always able to score at any party, no matter what. The Indonesians, for example, tell of a mysterious stranger known as Jobimba, or "mystery man," who would occasionally come into a town, seduce all of the women under thirty, and then leave them pregnant and unfulfilled by their less seductive husbands. The resulting social dysfunction that would ensue was said to be worse than that caused by a thousand episodes of "Dr. Phil."
In sum, many world religions talk about Satan (or someone who looks a lot like him). Maybe that's the most important thing about Satan-- he goes by many names and wears many faces (the Devil, the Lord of the Flies, Prince of Darkness, even Jobimba).
A Delusion of Satan was written in 1995 by Frances Hill, and published by Da Capo Press. Frances Hill, an accomplished writer and journalist from London, has been writing for a decent period of time. Aside from publishing two novels, Hill has written fiction reviews for The Time (London) and has worked as a reporter in in both New York and London. With such an accomplished journalist, reporter, and writer, we are due to receive a good read in A Delusion of Satan.
Satan is the core of Milton’s master piece and no matter how he is interpreted; the overall complexity of his character cannot be overlooked.
Spinden suggests that the power of death is so strong because “death and destruction were within the sphere of every deity if they chose to extend their power beyond a given point” (85). The death deities are commonly portrayed with decaying flesh on their bodies, distended stomachs, skeletal bodies, closed eyes, fleshed and bloated, and black spots signifying petrification (Fitzimmons 2009, Foster 2002, Mazariegos 2017, Wilson 2006). A fine-line ceramic vessel found in Guatemala, dating back to 600-700A.D., shows an underworld mythological scene with the Maya Rain Diety, Chaac, swinging an axe over a baby and a Death God joins in a dance or “shuffle,” an important component of the Underworld, according to Schele (See figure 3) (Metropolitan Museum of Art, Schele 1988). The most common death god, known as Ah Puch, lives in the Underworld and patronizes the day Kimi, meaning “death” (Foster 2002). He is most commonly represented in an anthromorphic appearance with a skull head, skeletal spine and black dots on his body (Foster 2002). He can also be seen with an adornment headpiece in the shape of an owl of caiman, when alongside the God of War in scenes of captive sacrifice (Barnhart 2005). As a conductor of death, he is believed in to be present in the quick transition between life and death. Since death
Satan is an allegorical representation of God the Father. Both Satan and God are seen as Father figures; God as the Father of all that is virtuous, and Satan as the Father of all that is wicked. Just as God is the King of heaven, Satan claims himself King of Hell. God is the originator of Goodness, as Satan is the originator of Evilness. All in all, Satan is a perverse representation of God.
Next, Satanism is misunderstood for many reasons these include: the way in which the media portrays it, false accounts of Satanic Ritual Abuse, and people who claim Satanc status without knowing what exactly Satanism is. There have been numerous accounts where the media exaggerates certain cases. For example in Hammond, Louisiana there was a man named Pastor Louis Lamonica Jr. He was pastor of the local church in town, he also happened to be a psychopath and a rapist. The media claimed the man was a Satanist because he had raped children in a church when in fact he thought that was what God wanted of him. The Pastor was not alone in these horrid crimes his accomplices included, his wife Robin, Austin Trey Bernard, and Austin’s wife Nicole Bernard. The group raped numerous babies and supposedly slaughter animals in the name of Satan however, there is no evidence proving the latter ever occurred. The only reason the case got misinterpreted as a case of Satanic Ritual Abuse was that Lammonica described the youth room where they committed such terrible crimes as black and as everyone knows The Church of Satan runs out of The Black House. This case became so publicized that it even got an episode of HBO’s True Detective made about it. Of course, in the show it was far more gruesome and demonic than the real event which did not involve the devil or Satanism in any form. It was just an average psychotic Pastor who will spend the rest of his years in jail which is far from unseen within the Church of God. Another example of the media over exaggerating Satanism and turning it into a cult is the incident in Johannesburg, South Africa where a girl was murdered. The victim was only seventeen and she was murdered by her fellow classmates. Th...
When a person hears Satan, a streak of fear, and the thought of evil, arises. People fear Satan, and think of him as evil, but in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, he displays a thought of the Father being the evil being, and Satan a tragic hero. In Paradise Lost, Book 1 and 2, the minor areas where God is shown, He is displayed as hypocritical. He contradicts himself by creating the humans to be of free will, but when Satan displays free will, he is shunned. Satan can be described in many terms, and by many people, but all can be disputed.
Prior to open practice of Satanism, the Roman Catholic church used Satanism as a label for individuals and groups who held views or ideologies that conflicted with those of the church. This was an attempt to delegitimize their opponents and to strengthen the Church’s following. While these accusations were initially harmless and limited to heretics, they became increasingly frequent and extreme. These wild accusations spread to rumors of violent rituals claimed to be performed by Satanists which built up to widespread fear and panic. Ultimately, this would result in events like the Salem Witch Trials where innocent people were put to death due to false suspicion of individuals performing witchcraft and becoming possessed by the Devil. Ironically, while the church merely intended to bolster both its image and following with these accusations, the widespread panic that resulted put Satanism on the map, and “several scholars identify fundamentalist Christianity as one of the major influences shaping and driving the” onset of the Satanist movement (Underwager and Wakefield, 281). This sheds light on the true relationship between the conflicting belief systems of Christianity and Satanism. Although the two are at odds on even the most basic levels, their relationship is largely codependent. Christianity uses the fear surrounding Satanism and the
middle of paper ... ... Not only is he a heroic figure, but he also possesses characteristics of which mankind can identify with. Satan also doubts himself, has jealousy, confidence and does not know he is wrong when he is; all of which a reader can identify with. Satan is in the same position as human beings under an omnipotent God who has foreseen their fate and yet argues that they possess free will.
This document gives a history into the image of Satan and a light anthology of him. This text will instrumental in the metaphysical discernment of this essay.
Satan frequently characterizes “the tyranny of heaven” and employs negative diction in his depictions of both heaven and God (I.124). His negative portrayals of God and his kingdom highlight his utter dissatisfaction with being subservient to God and, from that, his desire for autonomy. In the exposition of the text, Satan’s emotions toward God make themselves apparent when Satan “throws his baleful eyes / That witnessed huge affliction and dismay / Mixed with obdúrate pride and steadfast hate” (I.56-58). Satan reveals himself to be furious with his continued subjugation to God as well as his inability to truly revenge himself against his subsequent punishment. According to Satan, God’s dissimulation of his power tempted Satan and others to rise
In Milton's Paradise Lost, he writes the story of the fall of Satan, his followers, and mankind. Many critics often view Satan as the unlikely or tragic hero of the epic poem. Satan is, obviously, the main character throughout most of the poem, but not necessarily the hero. Satan's main purpose is to fight G-d, and try to be on the same level as Him. The important thing is to realize that Satan is sin, and being humans, who are all born into sin, we can easily relate to a sinful character. G-d is holy and perfect. This is something which we, being fallible humans, cannot begin to comprehend. Satan does, at the beginning, follow many of the attributes which coincide with Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero; however, after the first few Books, Satan looses his status as a tragic hero rather rapidly. Along with this, Satan's thoughts parallel the idea of "Evil, be thou my good," (p76, line 110) which is the opposite of what G-d intends.
Milton’s Satan in Paradise Lost is a complex character meant to be the evil figure in the epic poem. Whenever possible Satan attempts to undermine God and the Son of God who is the true hero of the story. Throughout the story Milton tells the readers that Satan is an evil character, he is meant not to have any redeeming qualities, and to be shown completely as an unsympathetic figure. Satan’s greatest sins are pride and vanity in thinking he can overthrow God, and in the early part of the poem he is portrayed as selfish while in Heaven where all of God’s angels are loved and happy. Satan’s journey starts out as a fallen angel with great stature, has the ability to reason and argue, but by Book X the anguish and pain he goes through is more reason for him to follow an evil path instead. Even so, Milton uses literal and figurative imagery in the description of Satan’s character to manipulate the reader’s response to the possibility that Satan may actually be a heroic figure. As the plot of the story unfolds there are moments where the reader can identify with Satan’s desires and relate to his disappointments.
(Analyze Satan as the main character of Paradise Lost: is he a hero or villain?)
Milton's introduction of Satan shows the reader how significant Satan is to Paradise Lost. He uses Satan's heroic qualities to his followers, and his ability to corrupt to show the thin line between good and evil. Satan was one of the highest angels in Heaven and was know as Lucifer, meaning, light bearer. This shows he was once a good angel. Milton makes the reader see him as a leader and a strong influence to all in his presence. He best describes Satan's ways when stating, "His pride/ had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host. / Of rebel angels, by whose aspiring/ To set himself in glory above his peers" (Milton Book I). Satan's pride was the main reason that God banned him from heaven. Satan always tried to be number one and a leader, instead of following in God's shadow. He would of lived a life in Paradise forever, but he had to follow his feelings as he states, "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" (Milton 31). This shows how strongly he felt about not being above everybody else.
Ask anyone to draw Satan and you 'll get a red snake-like figure with horns and a pitchfork. Satan, as introduced in the Hebrew bible is an unworthy adversary of God. His longing to be like God is quickly recognized and dealt with. God banishes him from Heaven and sends him to Hell. That 's the last we see of him until he talks with God about his faithful servant Job. In each interaction we see Satan in, we get only a glimpse of who he really is. Satan 's motive is not developed and we assume he does evil simply because he is evil