-John Moraga
Part of the series: The Unholy Trinity
The name “Satan” is actually derived from the Hebrew phrase sâtan, שטן, which loosely translates “accuser,” or “adversary.” It takes on more of the form of a proper noun, Satan, in some books of the Bible such as the book of Job and Zechariah, as well as others. How Satan and the devil became synonyms deserves a much deeper exegesis than I am providing here. My focus is on the nature of the father of lies:
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44. (This portion of Scripture also deserves more extensive exegesis than I am providing here.)
I want to draw from Christ’s reference to the devil being the father of lies “from the beginning.” When was this beginning? Was it from the beginning of humanity, or even before God created Adam. It is the common belief that it is referring to the beginning of humanity, specifically to when the serpent seduced Eve in the Garden of Eden. If this is the case, then Christ is using the term “the devil” to refer to the serpent. Similarly, the devil is interchangeable with the entity of Satan. This is because the devil, the serpent, Satan share the same core nature of being the adversary i.e. the Hebrew origin of the term, שטן. Alternatively, the “beginning” referenced in the above passage, could be placed further back in time before humanity was created, when Satan spearheaded an angelic war in heaven (see Revelation 12:7-10). In order to gain the support of other angels to fight on his side, it is believable that Satan would have lied to the other angels, by convincing them they could win the war in heaven and acquire more power than God Himself (essentially, the same lie he told Eve). Whichever place in time is being referenced as the “beginning” in John 8:44, the lie being perpetuated is the same: you can be as, or greater than God. Embracing this lie is tantamount to the death of one’s soul. Thus, Christ also rightfully correlates that lie with a tool of murder.
Whether Satan lied to angels in the war in heaven, or to Eve in the Garden of Eden, he has continued to lie throughout history, and allure humanity to endeavor on a futile and murderous venture to be as, or greater than the one true God. He has done this in countless ways, but most systematically through numerous false religions. From all of the various forms of paganism condemned in the Bible, and primitive cults of nature worship universally practiced throughout history, to the idolatry of Hinduism and Buddhism, Satan has found countless religious mechanisms to deceive humanity. Irrespective of how benevolent any religion may claim to be or appear, they can all be classified as Satanism, based on the rationale I have laid out. My claims may be perceived as sweeping, politically incorrect condemnation of all religious systems, and they are, admittedly. My assertions may seem like oversimplified characterizations of religions throughout history and around the world, but they are true, nonetheless. Any attempt to complicate my thesis, by giving credence to the differentiating nuances among various religions, only validates its truth. Rationalizing the lies of any religion is the entrapment of Satanism. Ultimately, the objective of all religions is to obtain a level of the higher “Self.” That unobtainable and deceptive goal of self-elevation is the lie perpetuated by the father of lies, Satan, because Truth is the denial of one’s self and the elevation of the gospel of Christ. Stipulated, many religions may teach some elements of truth, but they all deviate from Truth. For example: if a religion teaches that water is a liquid and it is not good for society to condone murder, that religion promotes some truthful teachings. However, adherents of that religion will still be spiritually murdered, because they were denied the Truth of Christ’s gospel.
If a person subscribes to the lies of Satan, he is a Satanist. Satanism does not need to be some practice of elaborate magical theatre in poorly-lit black and crimson rooms with incense, candles, and pentagrams. In fact, that kind of Satanism is a relatively modern reinvention of Satanic worship, popularized by Anton Szandor LaVey in the mid-20th century, which was actually an amalgamation of other occult practices. Ironically, that form of Satanism is a sensationalized form of Humanism used for shock value and publicity (effective marketing). I will be exploring that member of the Unholy Trinity, Humanism, in a subsequent article.
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