imported_StructureCop

It's interesting that you mention this. The marginal commentary in the New Oxford Annotated Bible for Genesis 3:1-24 states:Though this story is often taken by Christians as an account of "original sin," the word "sin" never occurs in it. Instead, it describes how the maturing of humans into civilized life involved damage of connection established in 2.4-25 between the LORD God, man, woman, and earth. 1: This characterization (Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made) of the snake emphasizes his wise craftiness (Heb "'arum"), a characteristic that contrasts with the innocent nakedness ("'arum") of the man and woman. Snakes were a symbol in the ancient world of wisdom, fertility, and immortality. Only later was the snake in this story seen as the devil. The woman sees that the pleasant fruit of the tree is desirable to make one wise; she eats it and shares it with her husband. The result is enlightenment, the eyes of both were opened. Such wisdom takes them from the unashamed nakedness of before (2.25) to clothing, a mark of civilization in nonbiblical primeval narratives.

It's interesting to see how little our understanding of evil and the adversary is based on scriptural accounts but is more based on anecdotal or fictional evidence.

First, a portrayal of Satan clearly influenced by medieval, not 6th or 7th century Israelite or early Christian beliefs. Same with the BoM descriptions of hell, which is inconsistent with the Hebrew concept of Sheol or the Greek Hades.

Fair enough. I do think the BoM tends to contain 19th century Christian folklore.

I've never seen any scriptural evidence indicating that Satan wishes people to think he doesn't exist.

We are mostly benign. Unless you get on our bad side, that is...

Secret Society of Cavernous Evil. While its name may be public, its activities are not.

Also, this thread is claimed in the name of the SSCE.

Ron Beron's research has spurred me to question the traditional role of Satan as the consummate "bad guy." If God's plan requires opposition in all things, isn't "Satan" (Heb: Adversary) a requisite (and equally important) part of that plan? Must it also be that Satan (in some form or another) must exist and must have always existed, even in the afterlife? Does every planet have a Satan, or every universe, or what?