The variety of beliefs among religious groups throughout history is only equaled by the diversity of these groups, even for those who claim to believe in the one true and unique God.
Not all religious groups assign a great deal of importance to Satan, created by God, as some of the modern day (since sometime in the 19th century) ones do.
Satan,[a]also known asthe Devil,is anentityin theAbrahamic religionsthat seduces humans into sin or falsehood. InChristianityandIslam, he is usually seen as either afallen angelor ajinn, who used to possess great piety and beauty, but rebelled againstGod, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host ofdemons. InJudaism, Satan is typically regarded as a metaphor for theyetzer hara, or "evil inclination", or as an agent subservient toGod.
Even within Christianity there is no consistency in the belief in Satan.
InChristianity, Satan is also known as theDeviland, although theBook of Genesisdoes not mention him, he is often identified as theserpent in the Garden of Eden. In theMiddle Ages, Satan played a minimal role inChristian theologyand was used as acomic relieffigure inmystery plays. During theearly modern period, Satan's significance greatly increased as beliefs such asdemonic possessionandwitchcraftbecame more prevalent. During theAge of Enlightenment, belief in the existence of Satan became harshly criticized. Nonetheless, belief in Satan has persisted, particularly in theAmericas. In theQuran,Shaitan, also known asIblis, is an entity made of fire who was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly-createdAdamand incites humans to sin by infecting their minds withwaswās("evil suggestions"). Although Satan is generally viewed as evil, some groups have very different beliefs
In Judaism.
Most Jews do not believe in the existence of a supernatural omnimalevolent figure.[48] Traditionalists and philosophers in medieval Judaism adhered to rational theology, rejecting any belief in rebel or fallen angels, and viewing evil as abstract.[49] The Rabbis usually interpreted the word satan as it is used in the Tanakh as referring strictly to human adversaries[50] and rejected all of the Enochian writings mentioning Satan as a literal, heavenly figure from the Biblical canon, making every attempt to root them out.[31] Nonetheless, the word satan has occasionally been metaphorically applied to evil influences,[51] such as the Jewish exegesis of the yetzer hara ("evil inclination") mentioned in Genesis 6:5.[52]
