Mankind's progress has been driven by actions which many have seen as evil, in their time.
It is the very traits which have been seen as "of the devil" that have taken us
from stone-age man to internet users and explorers in space.
It is those who have bucked the system
who have move the system on.

The world of Jesus and of Medieval man was infested by such demons,
tempting people to stray beyond the fixed boundaries of convention.
Much of the Evangelical church today follows the same path.
It is in these backroads that Satan reigns.

There is scarcely a culture, tribe, or society to be found
that does not have some concept or fear of an invisible evil power
which threatens the well-being, security or eternal destiny of mankind.
Yet we may also see Satan as a metaphor for the evil inclinations within the human psyche,
meaning that Satan's reality is psychological and moral, not a corporeal being lurking in the unseen world.

The great fear in denying Satan's reality is that, if he exists, he has already undermined our defences.
It is a fear exploited by those churches with a commitment to eternal spiritual warfare.
It is a fear that can cripple the joy and wonder of our existence,
focussed on fear of the spiritual unknown.

Jesus is said to have said "get thee behind me Satan", in his, unwitnessed, temptations discourse,
and this is often taken as a proof text of his belief in the Devil.
Yet Satanic influence remains merely an excuse for
the unhelpful or evil ways of this world.

The tools of Satan, of evil, remain those exposed in Matthew Chapter 4:
Financial wealth, Miracle working, and Earthly rule.
These are temptations that still lead us from the Godly path to fulfill our own desires,
but have a very human origin, not one of any personalised evil.