The Bible does not support the traditional Christian concept of The Devil/Satan.

Affirmed: The Bible does not support the traditional Christian concept of The Devil/Satan. By the Bible I mean the books included in the biblical canon of Protestants and Catholics including the New and Old Testaments but not the apocrypha or any additional texts not authorised by most churches. Different English translations from the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek Septuagint, The King James or any other more modern translations should be allowed but debaters should of course be allowed to post counter-translations and question different interpretations and their sources. By "The traditional Christian concept of The Devil/Satan" I mean how this figure or entity is standardly perceived by most Church authorities and individual Christians, including but not limited to the beliefs or theories described below. Here is a brief list of some of the the 'facts' that most Christians believe about Satan/The Devil that are not supported by or described in the Bible. 1. Satan was the Serpent who tempted Eve and caused the 'fall of man'. 2. Satan was an angel called Lucifer. 3. He sinned against God and was cast out of heaven. 4. He is completely evil, as bad as God is good. 5. He lives in Hell where he tortures sinners. There are many other examples including trivial ones like he had a beard or horns. My point is that the Bible doesn't prove or even logically suggest any of these conclusions even assuming you accept it as the infallible word of God. My opponent should attempt to prove if and where the Bible does provide evidence for this conjecture. --- If you look at certain passages carefully some interesting facts ARE presented and suggested by the Bible,which contrast sharply with traditional conceptions: 1. He is a loyal servant of God. Job 1:12 "The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger. " Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. " 2. God encourages and facilitates his tempting and testing of people. Job again is the best example of this but there are others. 3. God appointed him ruler of the world. Luke 4:6-7 (New International Version) 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours. " Who but God could have given him this power? 4. He is, like Jesus, a son of God. Job again. Job 1:6-12 (King James Version). 6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. . .. "The first sentence of this episode can be paraphrased to say, "One of the Sons of God who served as a satan came before Yahweh," . http://books.google.co.uk... 5. Lucifer (light bringer or morning star)is never identified with Satan or the Devil but with the king of Babylonia and also with Jesus. Revelation 22:16 (New International Version) 16"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star. " That is all for now, I hope this topic sparks some interesting debate. Thankyou.