Satan's new role?

Chiaroscuro · Post by **Chiaroscuro** » 2006-10-27 10:11am

In a recent argument with a fairly fundamentalist Christian, I learned that apparently Satan is referred to as "the god of the world" in the Bible. My first question was, naturally, "Why?" His answer was that if I didn't realize that Satan was the ruler of the Earth, I must be living with rose-colored glasses on.
Frankly, I didn't find this a particularly satisfying explanation. Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but can any Bible scholars tell me why Satan is referred to as the god of the world? I thought according to Christians only God was god of the world. And if God is omnipotent and omniscient, as they claim, why does he/she/it even allow Satan's existence?

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2006-10-27 10:34am

Oldest quandary in Christianity. The point you refer to allows for a supposedly omnipotent deity with an obviously flawed world.

Ours is apparently a "fallen" world, you see, and we are all sinners doomed to burn, unless we accept Jesus as our saviour. Because our distant ancestors stole the fruit of knowledge.

Doesn't make sense, really; except that if the world isn't fallen, you don't need a saviour, now do you? It's all our fault and only the invisible friend of the guy in the funny hat can clean up our mess.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2006-10-27 10:43am

Actually, it's not his New Role. It's reversed. You must understand that Satan old tradition wasn't God's enemy. A Satan (note that it appears in plural often) was an angel who worked for God that was sent as an adversary or a test (Satan actually is derived from a word meaning "Adversary"). You can see this older documents and in stories like "Balaam and his Ass" (in Numbers) and the whole Book of Job. Read the Book of Job some time. At any point in Job do you ever get the impression that Satan is an enemy of God... or an employee of God? A Satan does God's work on Earth by testing and opposing humans till they do God's will, in a way, ruling it.

It was later, historically, that Satan became an individual and God's enemy, which started popping up in documents sometime after Alexander the Great conquered the region and it was controlled by Hellenistic kings.

Chiaroscuro · Post by **Chiaroscuro** » 2006-10-27 10:44am

Hmm. So, since the world is inherently sinful, that automatically leaves Satan in charge? If I were God, I don't think I'd be pleased with that state of affairs.
Well, it's like that old paradox:
"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?"

Post by **Surlethe** » 2006-10-27 11:33am

I think the interpretation comes from something in Paul. That apostle is constantly making references to battles between "the spirit and the flesh", and with the identification of the flesh, opposing spirits, and the world, it's not difficult for people who have grown up believing Satan to be in charge of the world to rationalize it.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2006-10-27 02:05pm

I'll second Surlethe. It appears to all come down to Paul, the one guy who pretty much shaped Christianity yet never met Christ. He had a boatload of issues.

Satan is always an interesting paradox, even if you just study Christianity as fiction. We have a primary deity, a few others which the primary can match in tasks and threatens(Exodus), and one big guy who seems to be working for the primary, except when a nutbar who wandered in the desert without enough water had a vision and decided he was important.