Of What Use Is Satan To Us?
Assuming Satan has no ontological existence, of what use is the concept of Satan to us?
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Assuming Satan has no ontological existence, of what use is the concept of Satan to us?
Posted by Paul Sunstone at 10:31 AM
Labels: Islam, Judeo-Christian Tradition, Religion
3 comments:
The same use anything identified has for us. Once we've identified it, we can deal with it.
Satan has the same use to me as his cultural anagram, Santa; he is expressive shorthand for a certain frame of mind. Neither requires ontological existence to be "real" in that sense (and that's what I told my kids when they little).
Satan is a powerful symbol, rivaling that of God. It represents the Nemesis; the Enemy. But it is not necessarily malevolent...
I think that those who embrace the philsophical side of Satanism liberate themselves from an unattainable ideal. The symbol of Satan represents the Freudian Id; accepting this beastial side frees the individual from being a slave to conformity. But, the symbol of God lies on the opposite field, and the individual must balance between or risk the dangers of extremism.
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