# Why does satan care about corrupting humans? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 12, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387 "2015-06-12T20:55:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/1 "2015-06-12T20:55:18Z")
Longest teenage rebellion ever? It seems an awful lot of effort to prove a point. Question is asked in the context of Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/2 "2015-06-12T21:08:57Z")
To keep it in the same context: I’VE GOT MORE FRIENDS THAN YOU! I’M MORE POPULAR THAN YOU! I’VE GOT THOUSANDS OF MORE SPIRITUAL POKEMON CARDS THAN YOU! I WIN, YOU BIG DOODY-HEAD! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/3 "2015-06-12T21:11:18Z")
Since the answer to this will vary depending on specific theologies (or demonologies), this is better suited to GD than GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/4 "2015-06-12T21:15:54Z")
> [@grude](#): > > …Question is asked in the context of Christianity. So Christianity has an explanation for bad things happening. A wrathful god lost its appeal at some point between the Old and New Testament, so the religion needed another source for all the mayhem and unfairness in the world. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/5 "2015-06-12T21:30:20Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Longest teenage rebellion ever? > > It seems an awful lot of effort to prove a point. > > Question is asked in the context of Christianity. It is a ‘teenage issue’ Satan is just a child compared to God - teenager is giving Satan too much credit, but compared to us, it’s good. Anyway he needs the worship (which is power given to him) to sustain his plan to ascend higher then God. In this world we have pyramid based power structures, everything here is basically a hierarchical structure, including governments and churches. These are worldly power structures where the power structure has many common folk supporting those above them, that number gets ever fewer as one goes upwards. This system is Satan’s influence in our world being manifest. It prevents and robs power of the many to serve the few and ultimately Satan. These are the power structures that we are told to pray against in Eph 6. We all are God’s children and do have God powers, Satan has basically blocked them by telling us lies that we believe (as in we need those power structures or society galls apart) Jesus shows us the way and Jesus is the way, our relationship is hierarchical only to our Father we are to look to him and him alone as someone above us, when ever we look at someone in power as above us we give our God power away to Satan and his system. ---
**Author:** ![Dibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbs)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/6 "2015-06-12T21:33:24Z")
Satan wants as many souls as possible to spend eternity in hell with him. Simple. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/7 "2015-06-12T21:34:01Z")
So Satan spends the rest of his days trying to show that following him can only turn out to be a bad deal? That’s no way to raise an army to go against God. ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/8 "2015-06-12T21:39:02Z")
Satan hates God so much that corrupting humans who are God’s creation is the most spiteful thing Satan can do to hurt God. I’ll bet God wishes He had never created Satan in the first place. Bad move God, You should’ve seen it coming, what with your omnipotence and all. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/9 "2015-06-12T21:43:31Z")
Almost all stories about “deals with the devil” show him doublecrossing the other guy-Satan has got the have the worst PR firm in the history of the universe. At this point, you’d have to have an I.Q. under 45 to believe he’d keep to his side of any contract. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/10 "2015-06-12T21:46:52Z")
**Why does satan care about corrupting humans?** It is disrespectful to the Dark Lord to fail to capitalize His name. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/11 "2015-06-12T21:50:52Z")
Because it’s his job. What’s he going to do all day sit around playing League of Legends? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/12 "2015-06-12T21:53:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > So Satan spends the rest of his days trying to show that following him can only turn out to be a bad deal? That’s no way to raise an army to go against God. Satan does not intend us to learn that part about being a bad deal, but just to accept it as what is and be very thankful for the very little you receive. Praise Satan for you subsistence meal of rice and beans, as Satan dines on prime rib (what God desires you to give to you) and receives your prayers of thanks to the ‘god’ that gave you that food. This allows Satan to claim that you are satisfied with the meager rations so Satan is justified in taking what God intended for His human child. It is the exact way armies of this world are raised, taxation and a ruling class, people wanting to serve their country based on lies and a false sense of pride, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/13 "2015-06-12T21:59:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > At this point, you’d have to have an I.Q. under 45 to believe he’d keep to his side of any contract. Is OK, my lawyer is Daniel Webster. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/14 "2015-06-12T22:12:58Z")
A lot of stuff Christians know about Satan (and Hell) is medieval fan fiction with little to no Biblical support. Anyway, Satan isn’t so bad. History is written by the winners and all that. Blood orgies really clear the mind. ---
**Author:** ![opmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9d8465/32.png) [@opmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/opmike)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/15 "2015-06-12T22:17:31Z")
Satan would be a being with immense intellect. I don’t understand why such an entity (according to some faiths) conducts itself like some kind of inept cartoon villain, complete with an evil overlord plan that even a small child can see won’t ever work. Blinded by pride, drunk on power, I’ve heard it all. Satan, as with most of the heavenly host, sounds remarkably human. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/16 "2015-06-12T22:18:55Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Satan does not intend us to learn that part about being a bad deal, but just to accept it as what is and be very thankful for the very little you receive. Praise Satan for you subsistence meal of rice and beans, as Satan dines on prime rib (what God desires you to give to you) and receives your prayers of thanks to the ‘god’ that gave you that food. This allows Satan to claim that you are satisfied with the meager rations so Satan is justified in taking what God intended for His human child. He’s done a pretty poor job controlling information then, since everyone sees hell as fire and brimstone and demons with pitchforks with Shatner doing Lucy in the Sky 24/7 on the loudspeakers. You’d think he’d try to get an alternate view out. It would be easy enough. In heaven you glow and are pure. If he just said, in hell you get all the sex you want with the hottest partners you imagine (heh) you’d have people dying to get in. In Dante Satan is stuck in the ice in the middle of hell, so how he makes trouble at all is unclear. It looks like maybe God set the whole place up, not Satan. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/17 "2015-06-12T22:33:13Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > He’s done a pretty poor job controlling information then, since everyone sees hell as fire and brimstone and demons with pitchforks with Shatner doing Lucy in the Sky 24/7 on the loudspeakers. You’d think he’d try to get an alternate view out. This is hell, we live in hell right now, pain and suffering and death (only moderated because we are human children of God, and can not stand the hell that was made to refine Satan). That Satan does not want us to know that we are suffering all that to make his life better. > [@](#): > > It would be easy enough. In heaven you glow and are pure. If he just said, in hell you get all the sex you want with the hottest partners you imagine (heh) you’d have people dying to get in. It’s quite the opposite, in heaven there is lots of sex (based on love) and there is no marriage but there are children. Don’t hear much of that from wordy (satanic) powers, because how Satan defines heaven it is actually hell, never having sex, always around the throne of Satan (god) singing holy holy holy god, who would want to go to this place, but many strive to because they believe the lie of Satan in religion, so God allows Satan to take them to it and worship him. > [@](#): > > In Dante Satan is stuck in the ice in the middle of hell, so how he makes trouble at all is unclear. It looks like maybe God set the whole place up, not Satan. God did make everything. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/18 "2015-06-12T22:33:25Z")
> [@opmike](#): > > Satan would be a being with immense intellect. I don’t understand why such an entity (according to some faiths) conducts itself like some kind of inept cartoon villain, complete with an evil overlord plan that even a small child can see won’t ever work. It doesn’t seem to make sense because Satan is weak compared to God. Maybe Christians were jealous of Zoroastrians and their dual Good/Evil God setup. There, the Bad God is a credible foil. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/19 "2015-06-12T22:56:32Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > This is hell, we live in hell right now, pain and suffering and death (only moderated because we are human children of God, and can not stand the hell that was made to refine Satan). That Satan does not want us to know that we are suffering all that to make his life better. I don’t know about you, but I’m doing fine down here. If this is hell, give me more. > [@](#): > > It’s quite the opposite, in heaven there is lots of sex (based on love) and there is no marriage but there are children. Don’t hear much of that from wordy (satanic) powers, because how Satan defines heaven it is actually hell, never having sex, always around the throne of Satan (god) singing holy holy holy god, who would want to go to this place, but many strive to because they believe the lie of Satan in religion, so God allows Satan to take them to it and worship him. Huh? I have a pet theory that Satan won the big fight, and sits around in heaven having those who kissed his ass in life kiss his ass in death, while God as much as possible encourages freedom of thought and deed. I didn’t want to bring it up since it is not exactly the Christian view. Is that what you are getting at? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387/20 "2015-06-12T22:57:46Z")
In C. S. Lewis’s _The Screwtape Letters_, demons (and, presumably, “Our Father Below,” Satan himself) seek to lure human beings into damnation in order that they may devour them. _The Screwtape Letters_ is, of course, fiction, and I don’t know how much if anything it tells us about what Lewis believed about actual demonic motivation. There is a Bible verse, I Peter 5:8, that says “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” It’s unclear to me whether the devouring is intended to be just part of the simile. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-satan-care-about-corrupting-humans/722387.md?page=2)