EBOOK Devil: A Very Short Introduction

Why do the innocent suffer in a world created by a loving God? Does this mean that        God cannot prevent this suffering, despite His supposed omnipotence? Or is God not        loving after all? This in brief is 'the problem of evil'. The Devil provides one        solution to this problem: his rebellion against God and hatred of His works is        responsible for evil.The Christian Devil has fascinated writers and theologians        since the time of the New Testament, and inspired many dramatic and haunting works        of art. Today he remains a potent image in popular culture. The Devil: A Very Short        Introduction presents an introduction to the Devil in the history of ideas and the        lives of real people. Darren Oldridge shows us that he is a more important figure in        western history than is often appreciated, and also a richly complex and        contradictory one.Oldridge focuses on three main themes: the idea of the Devil being        integral to western thought from the early Middle Ages to the beginnings of        modernity; the principle of 'demonic inversion' (the idea that as the eternal leader        of the opposition, the Devil represents the mirror image of goodness); and the        multiplicity and instability of ideas about the Devil.While belief in the Devil has        declined, the idea of an abstract force of evil is still remarkably strong. Oldridge        concludes by exploring 'demonological' ways of thinking in our own time, including        allegations of 'satanic ritual abuse' and the on-going 'war on terror'.