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Does the Devil Exist? A Review of “The Rite” (2011)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 0 Blog, Modern Culture, Movie Reviews, Theology , , , , Permalink

As a theology student/ex-Christian I'm practically required to watch movies about exorcisms, God, Satan, and Christianity. And usually they suck. So it was refreshing to watch "The Rite" (2011) and be entertained. The Rite is a brilliantly complex movie, with stunning special effects, moments of panic and macabre, and of course, world-class acting (Anthony Hopkins , Colin O'Donoghue , Alice Braga). That said, there are certain pitfalls. The plot revolves around an American seminary student, who joined priest-training ...

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Satan’s Moral Development: making sense of Milton’s Paradise Lost through the lens of modern theory

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 0 Blog, Theology , , , , Permalink

ABSTRACT: Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost (1667), was originally interpreted as in line with traditional Christian themes; a moral piece of literature with the final conclusion that Satan (and man) must submit to the absolute authority of God. Near the end of the 18th century, William Blake challenged this view, relating Milton’s personification of Satan to Prometheus as a creature of nobility, righteously seeking justice and freedom. Later humanists followed Blake in claiming that Milton, ...

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A brief exoneration of Satan: The inverse morality of Christianity and the restorative ethics of Alan Badiou

Wednesday, March 2, 2011 0 Theology , , , Permalink

(This was a project for my PHD studies.) Introduction: While Zizek’s radical postmodern Marxist-atheism openly discusses, criticizes and invokes the Christian tradition, Badiou’s treatment of religiousity is more subtle – and yet there can be no doubt that Badiou’s philosophy is heavily influenced by Christianity: he continuously refers to St. Paul’s experience of the Christ-Event as a primary example of the value of fidelity to an event (even though he denies that such an ...

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Santa is Satan: God’s Devious Tyranny, the Meaning of Christmas and the True History of Santa Claus

Friday, December 24, 2010 3 Modern Culture, Theology , , Permalink

You may have heard the claim "Santa Claus is Satanic" before from fundamentalist Christians seeking to preserve the true meaning of Christmas (i.e. "Jesus is the Reason for the Season"), who view Christmas as a celebration of Jesus Christ's birthdays and can't figure out for the life of them why we focus more on a fat guy in a red suit and white beard, who flies around the world on magical sleigh pulled by flying ...

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God’s First Mistake: Faulty Programming Leads to Satan’s Rebellion

Monday, October 15, 2007 4 Bible Blasphemy , Permalink

Although those who haven't actually read the Bible might assume it is full of dust-grovelling men and women of faith, nothing could be farther from the truth. Over and over again, the Bible shows us independent, free-thinkers whose natural impulse towards self-preservation conflicts with God's omnipotence. Hoping to trace the development of this phenomenon, I cannot but help to begin with Satan. What you know about Satan is probably something like this: "Led a revolt against ...

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Satan is a Cookie

Wednesday, August 23, 2006 3 Featured Articles , Permalink

Satan (aka Lucifer/the Devil) is a fascinating literary character whose evolution sheds light into the shift of values that took place with the rise of Christianity. Original 'Satanic' characters are surprisingly the heroes and champions of earlier cultures! Prometheus, for example, stole fire from the gods and was chained and tortured forever (by the gods - who didn't want to share with humans). Similar traditions are told in Native American mythology (coyote steals the fire) ...

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