Does the word Satan cause you anxiety or fear? Relax, everything is fine. This is only a word. And, just like everything, we experience the word based on conditioned thoughts and emotions. So, what is this devil that everyone fears? Satan is a symbol of fear, evil, and corruptions. As well as, anything considered bad and deceitful. Hebrew scriptures and documents from before 300 BCE often use this word (root word s‘tn). The word is a derivative of the Hebrew verb satan. The original meaning meant to oppose. The Christian church used the Hebrew Scriptures Greek translation of the word. They translated satan as diaboloc from which we derive our English term devil and diabolic. (source: www.religioustolerance.org)
So, our understanding of the universe implies that the devil is the root of all evil. These thoughts and beliefs are equal to the countless stories of a God or gods. A devil is the opposing force to all that is good. Thus, we entertain ourselves with God and devil misconceptions and labels. We superimpose these into our daily experiences. Love a God and fear the devil are typical dogmas throughout the world. And yet, there is also a certain type of fascination about the devil. But, so what? We tell similar stories and make comparable assumptions about many of our experiences throughout history. Human beings have an acute imagination and fantasy primarily based on creativity, fascination, and fear. Continue reading
