(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Papa was a Rollin' Stone: Why I have Sympathy for the DEVIL. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-28 Does this well-groomed gentleman appear as if he could do you any harm? Disclaimer: The following text is - although meant satirically - suitable for offending the religious feelings of someone who believes in supernatural forces. These individuals are advised not to continue reading below the line. Anyone else who is wondering what the strange title is about: You should stay and read to the end, if you are already here. And don't forget to leave a like and hit the notification bell at the end. (No, forget that. That must have been a different platform.) It's quite a bit of text, but nobody is forcing you to stay here if you don't feel like it and in the end it’s my own diary where I can be as long-winded as I want to. Now for the title: Since I wanted to write a few words about a supernatural being that is among many other names also known as ”Satan”, "The Prince of Hell" or "Beelzebub," I found the title of the famous song performed by the Rolling Stones quite fitting. And even if the two songs referenced in the headline belong to completely different musical genres, they both share their iconic intros, which makes them instantly recognizable after the first few cords. As I always feel a certain temptation to play with words and the subtle art of temptation is one of the specialties of the horned protagonist of this story, my twisted mind clicked into action and the link was established. For those who are still in the dark: Devil -> Temptation Temptation(s) -> Papa was a Rollin' Stone Rollin' Stone -> Rolling Stones Rolling Stones -> Sympathy for the Devil and the circle is closed again. Okay, it may sound a bit silly I’ll admit it, but that's just how I tick. But how did I actually come up with this strange topic? It all started with a comment on a diary in which the author satirically described how there is now whining in hell because Tucker Carson is no longer on Fox's payroll and Satan now has lost his most important ally. That prompted me to reply as follows: Okay, I understand that you meant what you wrote satirically. I get it. If I skim through your other journals, that's your thing. But I believe that you've clearly crossed the line here. This borders on malicious defamation and isn't worth publishing on a liberal platform. Where will we end up if anyone can defame anyone else with impunity, especially when the victim is unable to defend themselves? As you are a relatively new member I will refrain from flagging, but I want you to keep in mind, that there are rules, that we all have agreed to follow. Recognize and avoid microaggressions. Microaggressions are subtle slights, comments, gestures, and behaviors that convey implicit biases against marginalized groups and people. in connection with Use bigoted language in stories or comments. This includes but is not limited to slurs, stereotypes, and demeaning insults regarding race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexuality, religion, age, class, locality, country or culture of origin, physical appearance, and physical or mental ability. (Emph. mine) Violation of those rules can easily get you either your privileges revoked for a certain time or lead to a permanent ban (called bojo). Although those Rules of the Road were only violated in jest, let me make it clear once and for all: Satan would n e v e r stoop so low as to use a despicable slimeball like Tucker as his mouthpiece. Even in Hell, there are certain limits. But seriously, how does it come about that we speak and think so poorly of Satan, someone whom most of us have probably never personally met? As an avowed atheist, I'm not so well-versed in the organizational structures of heaven, and there was no organizational chart from that time to be found, but apparently he was on a pretty high management level before his dismissal from heaven, comparable to some kind of Senior Executive Vice President. You don't get there without having certain qualities that are valued by the management. The religious sources on this topic are not entirely clear, but rumors have it that there was a confrontation between him and the Archangel Michael — one of his former co-workers and probably the head of a competing division — and his followers. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. Revelation — Michael and the Dragon (12:7–12) Whether it was about who gets to occupy the corner office with the good view on the top floor, or about another perk that each of us knows from our own workplace when it comes to dealing with envious colleagues, unfortunately, it’s not described in more detail. In the desolate depths of a perilous place the bogeyman lurks, with a snarl on his face. Never dare, never dare to approach his dark lair for he's waiting . . . just waiting . . . to get you. (© 1976 by Jack Prelutsky) Remember that even back then, history was written by the victors. That's probably why his appearance is described so unfavorably, mostly horned and goat-legged. They have even managed to slap a name on him that contains one of his supposedly most salient characteristics. Devil. Just ask yourself what would have happened if Satan had won? Would people today slaughter each other for trivial reasons? Would children starve to death because nobody cared a rats ass about their well-being? Would we thoughtlessly destroy our environment and treat the earth as if we were a horde of ruthless squatters? Oh, wait... Others say it was the BOSS himself who threw him out. Congregationalist theologian Jonathan Edwards — one of America's most important and original philosophical theologians — states in his sermon Wisdom Displayed in Salvation: Satan and his angels rebelled against God in heaven, and proudly presumed to try their strength with his. And when God, by his almighty power, overcame the strength of Satan, and sent him like lightning from heaven to hell with all his army; Satan still hoped to get the victory by subtlety. (Emph. mine) What I find rather puzzling but highly interesting about this statement is that there must have already been a hell before Satan got to move in permanently! But who lived there then? Was it already heated, or did the fires have to be slowly stoked? But I’ll rather try not to get distracted, so I'll dive into this rabbit hole another time. In any case, the fact is that he subsequently founded his own not-so-unsuccessful franchise. And since his former employer had already secured all the rights to "G(o)od," he had no choice but to find his own niche and to exclusively serve "(D)Evil." This is a normal consequence of competition in any industry, and whether someone is successful is regulated mostly by supply and demand. And it’s certainly true without a shadow of doubt that most of his ventures are highly successful. After all, his company has been around for eons now (“I’ve been around for a long long year”) and he seems not to have trouble acquiring new customers. In fact, we should all pay him licensing fees because we like to blame him for all the bad things that happen in the world. It's like saying, "The dog ate my homework." "The devil made me do it!" What a convenient excuse not to take responsibility ourselves. And he can't even defend himself and file a defamation suit against humanity. Who would he even go to? His former employer is happy to have a scapegoat to blame for anything that didn't go as well as humanity wanted from a God. Plagues? Floods? Mass deaths? Sorry, not my department. Please contact the devil. The almighty certainly couldn't have found a more perfect scapegoat. Probably now you might understand why I thought it was time to break a lance for this much maligned and slandered former creature from heaven. So in the future if you catch yourself doing something bad again, don't blame it on Satan right away, but have a little Sympathy for the Devil. 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