Devil, according to many religions, is an evil spirit that opposes God or
good spirits. Devils are supposed to tempt people to be wicked. The chief
tempter is called the Devil and may command many lesser devils. In Judaism and
Christianity, the Devil is also known as Satan. In Islam, the religion
of the Muslims, the Devil is known as Iblis.
Sometimes
the religious belief in devils is combined with folklore about ghosts and
demons. Most Oriental religions do not accept a single supreme Devil, such as
Satan or Iblis. These religions teach that countless devils of equal rank try
to harm human beings.
In
the Old Testament, the Devil is a shatan, a Hebrew word that means opponent.
The Devil serves as a kind of accuser or prosecutor in God's heavenly court. In
the Book of Job, which dates from about the 600's to the 40ffs B.C., God
permits the Devil to test the faith of Job by overwhelming the man with
misfortunes. Through the centuries, the Devil became an increasingly evil figure.
By the time of the New Testament, he had become the opponent of God and had
been expelled from heaven because of his rebellious pride. Since then, the
Devil has spitefully tempted humanity to turn against God. In Christianity, the
Devil also rules hell, where he and his followers punish the damned.
In
many works of art and literature, Satan and other devils are portrayed with
animal features, particularly bat's wings, split hooves, and a barbed tail.
These features probably symbolize the beastly lust and passion that the Devil
represents. Many modern theologians consider the Devil to be a symbol of the
power of evil, of the worst qualities of human nature, or of the destructive
forces in the universe. See
also Beelzebub; Devil worship; Exorcism; Lucifer; Mephistopheles; Witchcraft.
Devil worship is the practice of worshipping demons or
other evil spirits. Only a few groups actually worship devils or other beings
they consider evil. Members of a Brazilian religious group worship evil spirits
called Exus, who they believe will harm their enemies. An anti-
Christian movement called Satanism has a small number of followers in
Europe and North America. Satanism involves elements of magic and witchcraft.
Its chief ceremony is the Black Mass, a distorted version of a Christian
church service in which the worshippers praise Satan and ridicule God.
The
term devil worship is sometimes used by people to describe a religion
other than their own. Individuals who consider their religion the only true one
may regard the gods of others as devils—especially if the gods are portrayed
as fierce. People also may use the term devil worship for practices they
misinterpret. For example, some groups offer gifts to evil spirits to calm the
spirits' anger. Such offerings may seem like devil worship to other people.
A
Middle Eastern religious group called the Yazidis acquired the name devil
worshippers through a misunderstanding. Like early Christians, the Yazidis
believe the Devil was once the chief angel but was expelled from heaven because
of his rebellious pride. According to the Yazidis, however, the Devil repented
and was restored to his former position by God. The Yazidis worship the Devil
as the chief angel, who rules the world on behalf of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment