The Psychology of The Devil

The Devil goes by many names: Satan, Lucifer, The Great Beast, Beelzebub, The Prince of Darkness. He is the adversary, the accuser, the tempter, the deceiver, and the one who divides from God. The Devil is incredibly wicked and evil, but also intelligent and witty – he is the father of all tricksters – that is what makes him so dangerous. The English word “devil” derives from the Greek diábolos (“the one who divides”). Diabolic is the term in contemporary English. The Greek verb dia-bollein literally means to tear apart. These divisions occur in almost every facet of our lives: race, sex, religion, politics, and economics. The demonic is an inversion of order. Temptation is the ordinary activity of the devil. It is a real thing for us in each and every day. It begins with deception, buying into the lies of the devil, who promises good, only to deliver evil. The goal of this is to create division or inner conflict in ourselves. In despair, we numb ourselves with pleasure or diversion, which can le