Edit: grammar

  • jeffw@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    ·
    2 years ago

    I don’t think Satan is supposed to be an “opposite,” he was an angel who just fell or something

    • TheActualDevil@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      “anti” also doesn’t mean opposite, it means against. The roots of the word, tracing back to the Greek, means against. As it does in French and it’s Sanskrit version. All forms of it mean opposed to. This is why language is important and some checks should be there to counter the “language is malleable” argument that people use as an excuse to not learn how to use words correctly. The idea that anti means opposite has been around as long as I can remember, and definitely longer than that, but it drastically changes the meaning of words.

    • Carighan Maconar@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      I mean I feel like undoing all creation every time I fall or stub my toe, too. Sure, we all do. But geez, it’s a figure if speech! An in the moment thing!

    • R0cket_M00se@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      2 years ago

      Satan and Lucifer are only the same being in the minds of theology invented by men, in the Bible they’re never mentioned as being one and the only time ha-satan is mentioned is in the book of Job, which plays out in the opening scene like a formal hearing where the accuser (the meaning of the word Satan) is investigating God to see if he’s made a worthwhile creation or that his creation will worship him.

      He says that there isn’t anyone on earth that would worship God unless they were actively protected/blessed by God, which is the accusation against God and his creation. God then retorts with a “witness” of sorts in the courtroom of divine beings, claiming Job will prove Satan incorrect.

      Then the events of Job getting his whole family killed and losing everything occur, etc.

      It’s just funny how modern fundamentalist Christians see it as some kind of “bet” between God and the devil, when the text makes it seem like God is on trial and Satan is the prosecuting attorney assigned to the case. Never does it imply that he’s Lucifer or the talking snake from genesis, and the Bible never conflates those two characters either. That’s exclusively been done as part of the theology surrounding the Bible that has been taught for so long to people so young that they believe it’s just part of the faith, and since most will never bother to read the whole Bible they’ll just assume it’s true and go on acting as if it’s in the text instead of a very VERY loose conclusion drawn from the Bible.

    • Masimatutu@lemm.eeOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      2 years ago

      Still he is often portrayed as the evil counterpart of God, which is as opposite as you will get

      • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        18
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 years ago

        I’ve seen what God “approves of”, and I wouldn’t call it the opposite of evil.

        Maybe God’s biggest trick was convincing everyone that Satan is the evil one. 🤔

      • southernbrewer@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        2 years ago

        Maybe in modern media. He’s definitely not portrayed as an equal or opposite to God in the bible. He’s just another angel

        • Masimatutu@lemm.eeOP
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          2 years ago

          Definitely. I just reasoned that God is the personification of good while Satan is the personification of evil. It is just a shower thought, a word game, so don’t give it too much thought :)