Who is Lucifer? Ask anyone this question--Christian or otherwise--and you'll almost assuredly get a quick response: The devil; Satan; a once beautiful and powerful angel who, for abundance of ambition and hubris was cast down by the Hebrew God to reign for eternity as the Author of All Lies in a fiery fortress of brimstone (or ice, depending on who you ask), tasked with the torture of all sinners come and gone, or at the very least, a micro-manager of such tasks as carried out by devilish minions. But is he really? In fact does Lucifer even exist? Ask a non-believer and the answer is simple: no, he does not exist. But pose the same question to many a Christian and you may find yourself in for a detailed lecture on the whys and ways of Lucifer, the devil. In fact, in 2001, a poll by Barna Research showed that of believing Christian denominations, 34 to 59% of believing Christians (Mormons representing the highest numbers at 59%, with Baptists being the lowest at 34%) believe that the Devil is an actual personhood of evil. Within those numbers a great many believe in the Lucifer backstory. Though there is no hard research proving one way or another, I have found through conversations with Christians as well as my own beliefs that indeed many many people subscribe to the "Lucifer Story" as the official origin story of Satan.
Such a widely held belief must be backed pretty heavily by biblical scripture, right? I mean, most Christians have a better understanding of the origins of Lucifer than the harsh laws of say, Leviticus. Surely such a tale of such widespread acceptance would be mentioned several times in the bible. Right?
Try not even once. In fact, the name Lucifer is mentioned in the bible one and only one time in the Old Testament, specifically the book of Isaiah, chapter 14 verse 12:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
Wait. That's it? But what about all the rebellion stuff and war in heaven and the transformation of Lucifer from angel to devil?
Sorry, it's not there. In fact the idea of Lucifer the fallen angel (much like the tradition of Christmas) is a relatively new invention. The passage above is about, get ready, a man!
That's right, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah refers to a Babylonian king who was know to have persecuted many a Hebrew in his time and used the word Lucifer as a poetic term to describe the king of Babylon in a time when criticizing kings by name in print was about as common as women's rights.
But wait, that's not even true! The original text reads: heleyl, ben shachar" which can be literally translated "shining one, son of dawn". In fact the word Lucifer does not appear at all in the Hebrew texts and was instead added by Christian scholars looking for an additive translation for morning star. And guess what the word for morning star was in old roman Latin? You guessed it: Larcmarcaduc. Just kidding, it was Lucifer. Oh and guess what "star" is referred to as the morning star in those days, as well as today: Venus.
"So that means women are the devil?" Not quite. In fact, a certain central religious figure was also described as the morning star. Any clues? His name rhymes with "Please us of Jazz, er, Meth."
"Wait, so JESUS is the devil???" Um, maybe? Wait, I'm being told no. No he is not.
No, the devil as a tragic and romantic figure of olden Greece proportions comes predominantly from the mind of this twisted fruit, er, I mean, genius: John Milton. In his literary masterpiece-of-sh*t, Paradise Lost, Douche-nozzle Milton implanted in the minds of every fanciful believer the story of Satan as a fallen angel, rebuked for his ambition and sentenced to an eternity as a horrific monster tormentor / shapeshifting trickster.
In the end, it's not terribly surprising that people believe so readily in the Lucifer myth. For one, it is a fairly classic story in that it deals with classical subjects such as loyalty, ambitions, betrayal and downfall. It's the type of story people want to believe in, the idea that there was a point and time when everything was good and pure, even the devil. Secondly it lends credence to the notion of the Devil as a real and personable entity, thus relieving Christians of having to view their deity as having a dualistic nature, or in simpler terms: creating both good and evil. Without the Lucifer story or the belief in the devil in general, the Abrahamic God that Christians, Jews and Muslims worship would be responsible for some of the more reprehensible aspects of life on earth. And this would make the idea of worshiping such a deity harder to swallow. Lastly, Christians believe many things that are not supported by the bible, but are instead later inventions or additions by lone wolf renegades or stodgy old Nicaean councils such as the Rapture.
In a 2005 Newsweek study polls showed that 55% of American (not just Christians, but Americans in general) believed in the Rapture, even though the word is not mentioned once in the original texts. The notion of the taking up of souls or people is a vaguely-alluded-to idea in Thessalonians that, for me, is not convincing enough to declare a doctrinal truth from. Read it yourself. I know it says something, but how do you get from that to Left Behind: The Movie?
Which brings us, at last, to the point. Whatever you believe, be you an atheist, Christian, Muslim, or Jew, it is important to know what it is that you believe and more importantly why you believe it. The goal is not to eradicate beliefs of others that I do not share, but to make clear what those beliefs are and where they come from. I think most of us would be surprised at the origins of some of our most treasured ideas and traditions. Which brings us to our next topic.: Circumcision.
As most of 50% of Americans can attest, circum---wait, I don't have time for this. Maybe next week. Play 'em out Jay-Z...
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