Satan

Satan (?????? Standard Hebrew Satan, Latin Sátanas, Tiberian Hebrew ????n; Aramaic ???????? ?i?nâ: both words mean "Adversary; accuser") is an angel, demon, or minor god in many religions. Satan plays various roles in the Hebrew Bible, the Apocrypha and the New Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, Satan is an angel that God uses to test man for various reasons usually dealing with his level of piety (i.e. the test in the Book of Job). In the Apocrypha and New Testament, Satan is portrayed as an evil, rebellious demon who is the enemy of God and mankind. These two ideals are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Satan's existence in skeptical thought

Skeptics, influenced by thinking stemming from the Enlightenment, generally do not accept Satan as a real person. Their criticisms rest on three main themes: theodicy, naturalism, and mythology.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• It is unclear how Satan, in the traditional notion, could defy or defeat an omnipotent opponent. Spinoza argued that it is unclear why an all-powerful good God allows Satan to do evil deeds and go unpunished, and then turns around and punishes humans who are victims of Satan's evil deeds to an eternity of hellfire.
• The existence of supernatural beings conflicts with naturalism. It is unclear how Satan, which is supernatural, interacts with the human world. It is unnecessary to explain bad events such as the Black Plague or more modernly, AIDS or 9/11 by appealing to Satan. Furthermore, from a humanist point of view, it is unnecessary to require a supernatural source for human behavior that arises from normal animal urges like lust, adultery, theft, and lying.
• Satan's origins can be partially explained and traced through comparative mythology.