Sympathy for the Devil
Is it possible to revive the Satan/Lucifer/Devil myth, in a form that might today be taken seriously? Discuss! ;) XidiouX (who is still scared of the dark, but more because of potential burglars than nasty supernatural entities, which partly motivates my question.)

Well, I personally wasn't that intrigued by the Exorcism of Emily Rose, so i don't know. Possibly given the right director, but I doubt we'll see anything like The Exorcist anytime soon. Lucifer makes a surprisingly horrifying character for a symbol of religion.

Lucifer makes a surprisingly horrifying character for a symbol of religion. But I think now most people, even those of a religious inclination, understand evil in terms of freely taken bad human decisions rather than it having anything to do with some malign external influence. I don't know anyone who believes that the Devil is a necessary, logical counterpoint to God, at least, not anyone who believes that anymore. For atheists and believers alike, it seems that we are the source of some good and all evil. Nasty things that we are not directly responsible for, and which aren't evil, like disease for example, are ultimately consequences of other peoples' (unintentionally) harmful acts and the amoral laws of physics. There isn't really any room or need for a Devil here. XidiouX

You could read the Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. It portrays satan as not only a mere symbol of evil, but as a god who helps those of his kind in some strange ways, thereby giving his existence more profile. If there is some way to evoke the belief in this figure once more, it might be this one.

I have always been fascinated by the figure of the morning star. As children, my little brother would be so frightened that God did not exist. I used to comfort him with this little chestnut: Why is it so easy for us to believe that Satan exists, but our belief in God can be so gossamer? To revive the myth of Satan, one merely needs to tap the vein of humanity's concept of evil. Consider that Milton's Satan was infinitely more interesting than God. Tony Soprano is a celebrated figure in contemporary fiction. Being evil gives one power where empowerment no longer really exists in society. Being good or righteous (truly righteous--not SELF-righteous) requires a deep strength because it is about the forfeiture of power and strength. "The meek shall inherit the earth"? Not if you read the headlines. So the task of reviving the myth of Satan would not be difficult. The most important thing is that Satan, in his most prominent depictions, must be beautiful, attractive, seductive. A glammer, if you will. A shiny coin at the bottom of a deep pool. The coin the passerby can't help but dive into the pool to retrieve, only to learn, upon grasping the treasure, that they are in too deep to return to the surface. The diver drowns, yet the coin remains to tempt the next passerby.

Yes, but I don't know, there's something about the devil being just this amoral insane serial killer that seems to be so menacing as a horror movie monster, a more complex one at least.