THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SATANIC CULT INVOLVEMENT: AN ...

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In the New Testament, Satan's identity evolved and hardened unequivocally into the
following characteristics (Russell, 1977): (1) he is the unambiguous personification of
evil; (2) he harms humans by attacking or possessing them; (3) he tempts people to sin,
either to see them destroyed or to recruit them in his war against God; (4) he accuses and
punishes sinners; (5) he commands subordinate evil spirits, fallen angels, and demons; (6)
he has assimilated most of the destructive qualities of the pagan gods and spirits; (7) he
is the ruler of the material world until the triumphant return of God; (8) he is locked in
perpetual warfare with God; and (9) his destiny is defeat by God at the end ofthe world.
It is evident that the Christian Devil is a complex historical composition, comprising the
physical and temperamental aspects of a number ofpagan deities and spirits. Christianity
is unique, however, in that no other religious tradition has assigned a mythological
adversary such power and importance. The singular importance of Satan in Christianity
becomes evident when, in the following section, the Christian and Islamic perceptions of
the Devil are compared.
1.7 The comparative power of the Devil in Christian and Islamic theology
Judeao-Christian religion fostered a personalised principle of evil, without which
Satanism could obviously not exist. It was noted earlier that all cultures acknowledge a
dimension of evil which adversely affects people's lives, and which is attributed to alien
influences. Only two contemporary major religious traditions, however, personify these
destructive forces in the form of a being who is unambiguously bad, in opposition to a
deity who is unambiguously good. These two religions are Islam and Christianity.
However, in Islam, Satan emerged as a less threatening figure, and the Koran states that
he will be forgiven on the Last Day (Armstrong, 1993). The Islamic conception of the
Devil is closely related to that of Judaism and Christianity as all three religions are
monotheistic, insisting on one omnipotent God. As with Judaism and Christianity, evil is
also considered a reality intrinsic to Islamic doctrine. All monotheistic religions are
forced to account for the presence of evil in a world where everything is created by God.