I’m trying to pin down who first raised this theme-was it John Milton (“Paradise Lost”)?
Anyway, its a theme I’ve always wondered about-we humans are imperfect, living in an imperfect world. God allows us tantalizing glimpses of perfection ( Michaelangelo’s “David”, Gisele Bndchen, F. L. Wright houses), but we only get little snatches of it-and the knowledge that we are condemned to live in a world marred by ugliness and evil makes us unhappy-so we react by getting mad at God.
Of course, this attitude is irrational-because God has ordained the world as it is, and to question this is to doubt divine providence.
Anyway, is this what drove Lucifer to oppose God?
You could make a case that the idea of getting mad at God appears in the book of Job, as when Job’s wife advises him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9).
This theme isn’t only present in works of fiction, but I think this thread has a better chance of catching on in Cafe Society than in MPSIMS. Moved.
Actually, this “theme” is well-represented here on the Dope, as many posters have expressed the sentiment that, given the opportunity, they would do serious bodily harm to the “Supreme Being,” however He/She/It/They chose to manifest.
Well, what can you do? I’ve known believers who probably didn’t really believe in God, and “atheists” who probably did, deep down. Some had… other motives than love in mind.
I’m not angry, just very disappointed.
That’s not accurate. In my experience, what you see on the board is “If God were real, he’d be a monster/I’d punch him and give him a wedgie/I’d ignore his friend requests on Facebook.” People who hate gods aren’t common. It’s easier to just stop believing. Again in my experience, the trope of the atheist who is secretly mad at God is much more common in fiction than it is in real life.
There is a scene in the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore movie BEDAZZLED (not, on any account, to be confused with the awful one with Brandon Fraser), explaining why Lucifer rebelled against God. It’s a very, very funny scene, and I highly recommend the movie – on account of that one scene, alone. Basically, the angels are in heaven singing praises of God all the time, and Lucifer got bored. This doesn’t actually spoil the movie scene, which is VERY funny.
Nothing even close to it in Paradise Lost. In PL, and traditionally (notwithstanding Bedazzled), pride is the issue. Satan will not bend the knee towards the son of God, 'tis better to reign in hell than serve in heaven, etc., etc.
I came in to mention Bedazzled, partly because Peter Cook is such a petty Satan. He spends his time scratching LPs and ripping the last pages out of murder mysteries and the bit were he explains his fall just fits in with his character.