Okay, I was generalising a bit too much. I did not mean to say that Satan does not exist, but I see now how it looked that way.
I shouldn't have said, "Satan decieved no-one". First of all I meant 'decieves' and second of all 'no-one' was WAY to general. I was speaking in reference to each seperate religious sect. As far as RELIGIOUS BELIEFS are concerned, do people decieve themselves or does Satan decieve them?
None of this was anyone else's fault... I just made the original message very unclear.
The point I am making is that people pointing the finger at so-called 'Satanic' beliefs is more Satanic than the beliefs supposedly are. It is wrong for people to literally demonize other people's opinions because it always leads to conflict. Jesus also taught when the adulterer was brought to him that only those without fault should throw the first stone. He is warning us not to throw stones; yet many people who proffess that they have absolute certainty in their pride continue to do it.
In short, Satan appears to make more of a killing from this name-calling than he does with these false belief systems.
Does SATAN inspire false doctrine, or do WE?
Satan
Gen 3:14-15 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Excerpt from Lake of Fire #10 (http://bible-truths.com/lake10.html):
SATAN DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD
"And the GREAT DRAGON was cast out, that OLD SERPENT, called THE DEVIL, and SATAN [Heb: Adversary], which DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD and he was cast out into THE EARTH, and his angels were cast out with him" (Rev. 12:9).
Hardly a person alive would admit to being deceived by Satan the devil, and yet God tells us that Satan, "deceives the WHOLE WORLD." The "whole world." Isn’t that just about everybody? Well, who pray tell, are NOT deceived? Answer: "The very elect" (Matt. 24:24). And how many is that? Answer: "Few" (Matt. 20:16). Who are the "Few?" Answer: "He that overcomes" (Rev. 3:21). Overcomes what? Answer: The same thing that Jesus overcame—"the world" (John 16:33). "The World?" Could you be a little more specific? Answer:
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is NOT in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is NOT of the Father, but is of the world" (I John 2:15:16).
And so it is that Satan always shows up when it’s dinnertime. But Satan is like a voracious lion who seem to never get enough to eat.
When Satan is not walking to and fro up and down in the earth, does he have a home, a throne of power, a seat, a workshop, a business address, a dwelling place? As a matter of fact, he does.
Satan’s sphere of influence is not that different than say the president of a great nation such as the United States. Our president’s ‘throne,’ if you will, is located in Washington D.C., although he is at home anywhere in America. But his influence doesn’t stop with Americans—he uses the power of our nation anywhere it is needed, as he has recognition, power, and influence all over the world. The same is true of Satan. Satan’s throne is at a specific location. From there he resides in a much larger arena of control and domain. And from that grant system of power, he influences the powers of the whole world.
Hope this helps,
Marques