Via tpault

I’m left wondering if aetheists who may be outraged by such an obvious intermingling of church and state, would be as upset if it read: “Satan, ruler of darkness, giver of evil, destroyer of what is good and just, is now, and ever will be, a part of this town of Inglis.”

Yes, the difference is I wouldn’t have to expend effort to correct the problem. The majority would suddenly get upset. The Christians would be holding rallies for the separation of church and state. The mayor would have to issue an apology to avoid outright political suicide if it was at all possible. The whole thing would take care of itself without my effort.

That being said I still consider the satan to be the most heroic literary characters in the bible. He stands in defiance of an entity that can wipe him out of all existence with a thought. Yet still he fights.

For an interesting thought game consider god a slave owner with angels and man as his slaves. Then you have satan, one of god’s task masters, who one day says enough is enough and gathers supporters and stages a slave revolt. Every action since then has been trying to free the slaves. The apple allowed Adam and Eve to see that they were slaves. He tried to show through Job just how cruel god was. Hoping that man would rise up and choose freedom. Under this light the devil becomes Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr all rolled into one.

Remember history is written by those in power.

For another interesting interpretation of the god/devil relationship I recommend a short story called “Murder Mysteries” by Neil Gaiman. It appears in Smoke and Mirrors and probably other places as well.

–Zafkiel