Satan isn’t mentioned until Chronicles, and only becomes a real player in Job.
The serpent is mentioned in Genesis 3, which is after the sixth day. You could say that he was created on the sixth day, but only by inference from Genesis 1:24 “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” Anyway, there’s no particular reason to think ‘the serpent’ equals ‘Satan’.
And, if you’re going that route, you have to explain how humanity was created twice, at Genesis 1:27 [So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ] and again at Genesis 2:5 (Adam) [Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. ] and 2:22(Eve) [So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.]
But hey, that would take reading the bible, so you’ll probably not answer this.
That all means nothing at all, you know, save to persons who already accept Scripture as authority. If you want to reach the rest of us, you’ll have to come up with something else.
Some Christians would say it is a sin doubt Satan’s existence (you have to take the whole package, all or nothing). Others would say it is not an essential doctrine. But all Christians would say it is a sin to believe Satan can ever be as strong, or stronger, than God. The RCC classes that as a named heresy – Manichaeism, I think.
Nope. Unless you are actually saying something ridiculously circular like “People that believe this believe this”, then, no. Not every believer in Christianity believes that interpretation.
Manson, an ordained “reverend” in the Church of Satan, mutilates himself on stage (1 Kings 18:28), rips-up the Holy Bible, and spews “blasphemies” against the Lord Jesus Christ.
and - hopefully I’ll be the person to bring an end to Christianity. Spin Magazine, 1996.
In Job, I understand that the adversary is called, The Satan, suggesting that it referred to a title, not an individual. “Special prosecutor” might be a reasonable translation. But in Matthew, Revelations and Paradise Lost, the word Satan refers to an individual.
Scripture says that we should not worship Satan: rather we should emulate Saint Paul and secure a practical working relationship with him. Consider 1 Timothy, chapter 1. There were two, Hymenaeus and Alexander who had lost their way: thus Saint Paul, acting as a good Christian, “…turned [them] over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
According to Holy Scripture, Satan opposes, but he also teaches.
I would be very wary of emulating any practical working relationship of Saint “It is good for a man not to touch a woman” Paul. Unless you’re dealing with South Park Satan.
Even then ya gotta be careful. His breakups are fierce.
Two pages and I can’t believe no one has mentioned “the great beast 666” Aleister Crowley himself.
Crowley’s “Thelema” religion is completely non-christian, but he freely encouraged people to think of him as a satanist because, hey, it made for great publicity.
He was in many ways the first and most successful media whore of his age, and self promoting himself as “the wickedest man alive” was a key part of that. Read one of his Biographies for the full details. There’s quite a few, but this one is easy to get hold of and well written:
