Rabbi Rachel Timoner Breath of Life: God as Spirit in Judaism Paraclete Press 2011; ISBN 978-1-557-25899-1 Wray, T. J. and Gregory Mobley. The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots (2005) excerpt and text search Atheistic Satanism, as practiced by the Satanic Temple and by followers of LaVeyan Satanism, holds that Satan does not exist as a literal anthropomorphic entity, but rather as a symbol of a cosmos which Satanists perceive to be permeated and motivated by a force that has been given many names by humans over the course of time. In this religion, "Satan" is not viewed or depicted as a hubristic, irrational, and fraudulent creature, but rather is revered with Prometheus-like attributes, symbolizing liberty and individual empowerment. To adherents, he also serves as a conceptual framework and an external metaphorical projection of the Satanist's highest personal potential. [235] In his essay "Satanism: The Feared Religion", the current High Priest of the Church of Satan, Peter H. Gilmore, further expounds that "...Satan is a symbol of Man living as his prideful, carnal nature dictates. The reality behind Satan is simply the dark evolutionary force of entropy that permeates all of nature and provides the drive for survival and propagation inherent in all living things. Satan is not a conscious entity to be worshiped, rather a reservoir of power inside each human to be tapped at will". [236] The Arabic equivalent of the word Satan is Shaitan (شيطان, from the triliteral root š-ṭ-n شطن). The word itself is an adjective (meaning "astray" or "distant", sometimes translated as "devil") that can be applied to both man ("al-ins", الإنس) and al-jinn (الجن), but it is also used in reference to Satan in particular. In the Quran, Satan's name is Iblis ( Arabic pronunciation: [ˈibliːs]), probably a derivative of the Greek word diabolos. [186] Muslims do not regard Satan as the cause of evil, but as a tempter, who takes advantage of humans' inclinations toward self-centeredness. [187] Quran Illustration from a manuscript of Abu Ali Bal'ami's Persian translation of the Annals of al-Tabari, showing Satan ( Iblis) refusing to prostrate before the newly created man ( Adam)

Satanism and Demonology, by Lionel & Patricia Fanthorpe, Dundurn Press, 2011, p. 74, "If, as theistic Satanists believe, the devil is an intelligent, self-aware entity..." "Theistic Satanism then becomes explicable in terms of Lucifer's ambition to be the supreme god and his rebellion against Yahweh. [...] This simplistic, controntational view is modified by other theistic Satanists who do not regard their hero as evil: far from it. For them he is a freedom fighter..." From a religious perspective, opinions on Halloween vary widely. Some Christian denominations view Halloween as a harmless secular celebration, while others express reservations about its pagan and supernatural associations. The perception of Halloween as the Devil’s birthday falls into the latter category, but this interpretation is not widely accepted within the theological community. Moh, Catharina (2 October 2014). "Cerro Rico: Devil worship on the man-eating mountain". BBC News . Retrieved 23 August 2023. Bahá (1982) [1912], The Promulgation of Universal Peace, Wilmette, IL: Baháʼí Publishing Trust, pp.294–295, ISBN 0-87743-172-8Russell, Jeffrey Burton. The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History (1992) excerpt and text search

a b Encyclopedia of Urban Legends, Updated and Expanded Edition, by Jan Harold Brunvand, ABC-CLIO, 31 Jul 2012 pp. 694–695 Although the Book of Genesis does not mention him, Christians often identify the serpent in the Garden of Eden as Satan. In the Synoptic Gospels, Satan tempts Jesus in the desert and is identified as the cause of illness and temptation. In the Book of Revelation, Satan appears as a Great Red Dragon, who is defeated by Michael the Archangel and cast down from Heaven. He is later bound for one thousand years, but is briefly set free before being ultimately defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire. Even so, throughout history, the Devil’s reputation as an evildoer hasn’t changed much. Most Christians still believe he’s literally transformed the world and is responsible for much of the world’s corruption and chaos. Lewis, John (2011-06-15). "Robert Johnson sells his souls to the devil". The Guardian . Retrieved 2018-01-03. Jude 9 refers to a dispute between Michael the Archangel and the Devil over the body of Moses. [94] [95] [96] Some interpreters understand this reference to be an allusion to the events described in Zechariah 3:1–2. [95] [96] The classical theologian Origen attributes this reference to the non-canonical Assumption of Moses. [97] [98] According to James H. Charlesworth, there is no evidence the surviving book of this name ever contained any such content. [99] Others believe it to be in the lost ending of the book. [99] [100] The second chapter of the pseudepigraphical Second Epistle of Peter [101] copies much of the content of the Epistle of Jude, [101] but omits the specifics of the example regarding Michael and Satan, with 2 Peter 2:10–11 instead mentioning only an ambiguous dispute between "Angels" and "Glories". [101] Throughout the New Testament, Satan is referred to as a "tempter" ( Matthew 4:3), [8] "the ruler of the demons" ( Matthew 12:24), [102] [8] "the God of this Age" ( 2 Corinthians 4:4), [103] "the evil one" ( 1 John 5:18), [8] and "a roaring lion" ( 1 Peter 5:8). [102] Book of Revelation St. Michael Vanquishing Satan (1518) by Raphael, depicting Satan being cast out of heaven by Michael the Archangel, as described in Revelation 12:7–8Coogan, Michael D.; A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: The Hebrew Bible in Its Context, Oxford University Press, 2009

The ancient Celtic holiday Samhain is the inspiration for the modern-day Halloween celebration. The Celts, who inhabited what is now the island of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France some 2,000 years ago, marked the beginning of the year on November 1. It was at this time that the gloomy, chilly winter had begun, signaling the end of summer and the crop.

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Bryson, Michael (2004), The Tyranny of Heaven: Milton's Rejection of God as King, Cranbury, New Jersey; London, and Mississauga, Ontario: Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corp., ISBN 0-87413-859-0

Historical development Hebrew Bible Balaam and the Angel (1836) by Gustav Jäger. The angel in this incident is referred to as a "satan". [6]Names for the Devil are numerous: Besides Lucifer, he may be referred to as the Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, Baphomet, Lord of the Flies, the Antichrist, Father of Lies, Moloch or simply Satan. Hebrew: שָּׂטָן, romanized: sāṭān, lit. 'adversary'; [1] Ancient Greek: ὁ σατανᾶς or σατάν, ho satanas/satan; [2] Arabic: الشَّيطان ash-shayṭān, lit. 'astray', 'distant', or sometimes 'devil' Campo, Juan Eduardo (2009), "Satan", Encyclopedia of Islam, New York City: Infobase Publishing, pp.603–604, ISBN 978-0-8160-5454-1