Lucifer and Satan both have well estabilished connections in the bible in multiple verses if you are reading it as a whole. The modern church of satan seems to associate Baphomet close enough to satan to feature him prominently in their temples and imagery.
People who don't believe in satan as a deity but as some kinda allegorical representation of personal freedom, resistance to tyrannical power etc etc. None of it makes sense to me cause most satanic ideology is basically drawn from biblical narratives.
I don't see a tension because I view biblical narratives as allegorical and open to interpretation. I don't see the Bible as a unified whole either, pointing to Christ, as you do. I believe it is a collection of books containing both truth and myth.
I have always had difficultly seeing the consistancy in the figure of Satan throughout the Bible. I think the serpent, Satan in Job, Lucifer and the NT Satan are all different but related entities. But I agree there is a reasonable basis for the Christian view when taken as allegory.
But there is really no authoritative or universal understanding or meaning of what satanism actually is. It would seem that from the Christian perspective, any ideology or religion that excludes Jesus could be considered satanic. Buddhist monks could be seen essentially as satanists, for example, or the ancient Greek religions.
Then it's choose your own definition, and at the core, meaningless however you slice it, because according to that view it's a mix of truth and myth and each person is left to make of it what they will. That's basically protestantism which is the same self interpretation of scripture. "Dah holy spirit guided me". The self appointed bishop.
He's not a consistent figure. He's a deceiver, and a liar, so that is his natural M.O, so he can appear in a variety of forms. There's no scriptural mugshot of his form-appearance, only his behavior.
Correct on one hand, there is no official "satanism", it's all interpolated from scripture in the same self guided way protestantism is, minus Christ. I would assume some of the more devout practicioners (as well as exorcists) have received many personal revelations about him outside biblical and related sources. Some satanists believe in Christ but just reject those teachings. Even the demons believe in Christ.
I understand the objection, but that's just how I am able to best make sense of the Bible. I don't personally think the general claims that christians and some other groups make about the Bible stand to scrutiny. But that doesn't mean that some Christian claims couldn't still be true. Maybe there was an angelic rebellion and satan was the leader. Maybe he does exist and is trying to work for evil in the world. But I don't really believe in the simplistic good/evil and god/satan binaries either.
Which claims made by which Christians though. You're talking about a pretty wide ranging topic of discussion.
The simplest answer is usually the correct one. If you wanted complicated cosmologies then that is also waiting for you in the deeper study of scriptures, writings of the church fathers, demonology, and hebrew and greek languages. If I said "I don't really believe simplistic the wheels on the bus go round and round" stuff you'd say well, they do, That's the summation of all those complex parts, which can also be studied and understood to function in that way. Short answer/long answer. Take your pick.
The general claim that the scriptures are authoritative or uniquely inspired by God, for starters, and that they outline the true nature of man, God and so on. All Christian groups believe that much.
Looking at the world through a good/evil lens is a framework that I question. Whose idea of good and evil? I agree that without a God to set an objective standard, basically everything is open to subjective values, but that insight is not really an argument for the existence of a personal God.
Had not heard that. Got a reference per chance?
Sure, she worshipped and promoted the light of lucifer through Baphomet. Baphomet is a transgender being that is a manifeststion of the ultimate genderless synergy of man and woman.
I believe that male-female conception of gods and demigods in antiquity was common AFAIK... I was just recently listening to somebody discussing it, I'll see if I can find it.