RE: The Devil just needs a character rewrite
February 10, 2022 at 7:55 pm
(This post was last modified: February 10, 2022 at 8:12 pm by Belacqua.)
(February 10, 2022 at 5:16 pm)The L Wrote: Little g gods don't count under monotheism. And the only big G God is the creator of the universe. I think that that is how it works but I could be wrong.
I'm pretty sure this is right.
In monotheism, by definition, there is only one creator, one ground of being, one actus purus. Some Christians believe[d] in different levels of beings on levels between humans and God -- angels, daemons, fallen angels, etc. But these are still infinitely lower than the one God.
It's a little confusing because the group of beliefs we call "Hindu" has a similar organization. The Brahman is the one creator ground of being, but the lower level individuals like Shiva are called "gods" in English.
(February 10, 2022 at 5:10 pm)Nachos_of_Nurgle Wrote: Is there any way to verify which version is the correct one?
Personally I don't think there is a correct version. There is no devil.
When used as a character, there are more intelligent, useful, and rich versions, and stupider versions. The writers I named earlier use the figure of the devil in ways that enrich our thinking. Versions in pop culture merely reinforce our cliches, because that's pretty much all pop culture does -- repeat cliches. And that makes people stupider.
Some new smart, creative person could give us a new take on the devil that might be very interesting to read. Is there a new Goethe out there somewhere, typing up a new book in obscurity?
As for the folk beliefs in Africa, with witches, etc. -- that's all kind of up to them. I'm not going to go do atheist missionary work in a foreign culture.
