Why Does the Devil (Satan) Exist?
11 Though the title of this section specifically references the Christian notion of evil, the question is valid for most mainstream religions.
2Amongst the polytheistic religions, the idea of deities that embody positive as well as negative traits is commonplace. 3Having a god or goddess that rules over anger, war, destruction, deceit, etc., would make sense as these things exist as part of the human condition. 4The deities themselves are usually a mix of qualities and not strictly all evil. SThey have balance, just as humans do.
60n the other hand, a monotheistic religion that holds a single God to be omnipotent doesn t logically have a reasonable place to put a Satan figure. 7So why does he exist?
Where Is Satan s place?
8Some suggest that God and the devil create a balance of good and evil, but since the former is also considered all-powerful, there is no balance. 91t is odd that God would create humans with the intent of punishing them for failing to worship him or for living a sinful life, yet also create evil to lead them from his path.
1OWhy not simply create humanity without the burden of sin and temptation, allowing all to live in harmony with the Divine? 111f God wants to be worshipped, that would make more sense from his point of view as well as ours.
12Those who follow a religion with a Satan concept say that he exists as a way of testing us to prove our worth. 13But shouldn t we already be worthy since we are created by God – in his image? 14And since our unworthiness comes from sins caused by devilish temptation, then surely we are blameless.
15It would seem that the addition of a satanic figure is just another way of adding fear into the lives of believers in order to keep them in line. 161t also conveniently adds a cosmic scapegoat where the blame can lie when evil acts are committed.
Who is Satan?
17There are some conflicting ideas about Satan, and who this figure actually is. 18The simplest answer is that he is God s nemesis and the source of all evil. 19Not only does he have influence on Earth but he also rules over Hell.
Similar Figures in Other Religions
20In Christian mythology, Satan is not only the great deceiver, but also the ruler of Hell. 21Not all religions have their evil deities taking on such a dual role.
22For the ancient Greeks, the underworld was ruled by Hades but he had no influence on the living and no particular interest in how people acted or behaved before they died and joined him. 23Set was the closest deity to the devil that the ancient Egyptians had, but Osiris and Anubis were the gods who handled the dead and the underworld.
24Hinduism doesn t really have a devil figure, nor does it create the personification of evil at all. 25Shiva is seen as a destroyer, but only as a natural force and not one of evil intent. 26His consort, as Kali, is another fearsome figure, though she is a representation of change and also the nature force of destruction. 27Again, not an evil figure as Satan is made out to be.
28For a Hindu, we all have evil tendencies within us; it's one of the natural facets of being human. 29We make our own choices, which impact our karma and thus our future lives. 30They believe that many of the temptations that befall us come from the karma we ve built up and the lessons that our souls need to learn from. 31There isn t a single evil force out there that looks to derail humanity s quest for the Divine. 32This is the general outlook of Sikhs as well.
33Modern neo-Pagan religions are often incorrectly portrayed by Christians as being Satanic. 34Since the concept of Satan doesn't generally exist outside of the monotheistic religion, this is not the case. 35Neo- Pagans worship a multitude of different gods and goddesses, none of whom are Satan.
Scared into Obedience
36The concept of the devil seems to function as a spook story, a bogeyman who hides beneath our (spiritual) beds to scare us into faith. 37There seems to be little other logical explanation for the existence of such a being.