The Devil

[AClark]

I was wondering whether the Church says devil is a literal being or not. I was wondering because I have run into people who think that the devil is a metaphor or symbol.

 

[dove51]

The devil is most certainly a literal being. 391 from the Catechism says:

391 Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called “Satan” or the “devil”. The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.

 

[Eucharisted]

The devil is real. People only consider him a symbol or metaphor because we call him “evil personified”, a title that basically just means he’s personification of evil. And others consider him a myth because they foolishly regard all religions as superstition.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

AClark,

Here are some relevant portions of the Catechism:

**391 **Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called “Satan” or the “devil”.The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: “The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.”

Regarding the petition “deliver us from evil” in the Our Father:

2851 In this petition, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (dia-bolos) is the one who “throws himself across” God’s plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ.

But I can’t conclude without noting this beautiful passage:

395 The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. . .

VC

 

[AClark]

The Catechism said that Satan was a person, and then it said he was an angel. Are they the same thing? I thought that angels were created by God to do His Will and thus did not have any free will of their own. If this is the case how can Satan be an angel? (I am just curious, I am not trying to question the Church’s teaching.)

 

[Wintersdemise]

The Catechism said that Satan was a person, and then it said he was an angel. Are they the same thing?

They also explain the Holy Trinity as being three persons. The word “person” is not describing a human being but an individual being.

 

[Eucharisted]

The Catechism said that Satan was a person, and then it said he was an angel. Are they the same thing? I thought that angels were created by God to do His Will and thus did not have any free will of their own. If this is the case how can Satan be an angel? (I am just curious, I am not trying to question the Church’s teaching.)

“person” means reality. In calling Satan a person, the Catechism stresses his reality as a being.

 

[latinmasslover]

The Catechism said that Satan was a person, and then it said he was an angel. Are they the same thing? I thought that angels were created by God to do His Will and thus did not have any free will of their own. If this is the case how can Satan be an angel? (I am just curious, I am not trying to question the Church’s teaching.)

The angels have free will, just like us. One of several differences between us and them is that they have a more complete understanding of Who God is, and that is why their *one *rejection of Him damned them (angels, now devils).

 

[NeedImprovement]

There are a few more answers to that at this CAF thread… 15 posts total I think.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=3837505

Deacon Ed B always has some helpful answers

I believe it was St. Theresa of Avila who said about the devil being real [paraphrase] “What better camouflage could an enemy ask for than the very denial of his existence?”