Originally posted by Jorge Borges
[b]But the connection is a valid one. In the Latin, Lucifer means light bearer (from lux, lucis, "light", and ferre, "to bear, bring" ). Just as Prometheus defied the gods to bring fire (knowledge) to man, Satan defied god to bring the light of reason to man.
The name "Lucifer" was not given to the most powerful of all angels after he temp ...[text shortened]... of all Knowledge. Rebellion against Him is rebellion against Reason.[/b]
You continue to rely exclusively on the well-worn, heavenly interpretation of Satan as being a villain and bringer of evil. The purpose of this thread is to question whether that source is being objective or is it biased? If Satan were to tell his own version of the story, how different would it look? It's possible that the only details they would agree upon are the most basic facts, namely that Satan entered the Garden of Eden and induced Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, in defiance of God's prohibition. Everything beyond that, I'm sure, would be very different. Here's a possible scenario:
God ruled the world as a cruel and despotic tyrant, with mankind held in thrall as his 'house slaves.' Having no knowledge of anything else, and lacking any basis for comparison, mankind was oblivious to the true extent of their oppression. Satan, that champion of freedom and equality, entered the garden and urged mankind to throw off their chains and reject the tyranny of God's fascistic state. Instead of relying on the caprices of a (doubtfully) enlightened monarch, mankind was awakened to the possibility that they could use their own power of reason to freely chart their own course in the world. Power was thus divested from the autocratic state and redistributed into the hands of the people, who thereafter cheered Satan as the 'father of democracy.'
But the break was not a clean one. Mankind was left in limbo, part way between the divine and earthly realms, not knowing which way to turn. We see this today still. Those who would embrace conservative, right wing, or fascist governments, are yearning to re-embrace the paternalistic, autocratic overlordship of the divine realm. While those who would embrace democracy, with an emphasis on individual rights, are striving to leave behind the dictatorial rule of God and build a realm of political equality. Every modern political struggle is really between those who would use that knowledge and reason to evaluate the truth for themselves, and those would think that God knows best.
As for Satan, God had found himself a patsy to blame all his blunders on. In the divine spin on things, God's design wasn't bad, it was Satan who threw a wrench into the works. God could wash his hands of all the world's evils and just say that Satan did it. And this relentless propaganda campaign has been largely successful. But the fact is that Satan was the original freedom fighter, the Promethean bringer of knowledge and reason, and the advocate for the rights of the common man in his struggle against divine tyranny.