There’s a paradox at the heart of some parts of the Christian religion. Well, there are many, but this is one of them: while adherents are taught that love of one’s neighbour and one’s enemy are of primary import, they are simultaneously taught that God’s enemy – a proud and fallen angel called Satan – is destined for eternal punishment in fiery torment for his crimes, with no hope of forgiveness or redemption.That's some serious double standards.
Satan crops up in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, as well as appearing in one form or another in the sacred books of other faiths. But while he is often (literally and metaphorically) painted in one dimensional form, the texts actually offer a richer and more complex view, such that one might say that the Satan we speak of today, is a relatively modern invention.
Lent is a time when Christians remember a period of forty days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness, during which time he was "tempted by Satan" – so this seems like as good a time as any to consider the whole idea of Satan. Let's start with a couple of things to mull over: what if mainstream contemporary Christianity owes its view of Satan at least as much to the Victorians as to any holy book? And what if the Prince of darkness has a more political role than we would like to admit?
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