The devil as a literary construct.

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Anyone agree that it is? Kind of like a fictitious boogeyman created by mankind refusing to own and acknowledge it's darker impulses, so it creates a devil.
Ever hear of sympathy for the devil?
Evil isn't a force outside ourselves contained in a supernatural entity, rather, it resides in every human and is capable of rearing it's ugly head when the circumstances present itself. It is a product of the human condition and humans can rigorously examine their own psyches in order to come to terms with evil they do.
It's not a matter of visiting a pastor or priest, just deciding something is evil and ceasing it through the exercise of the will.
The devil is this literary scapegoat created to appease men of their failures and shortcomings and to make excuses because it's just easier to be ignorant and stupid than it is to learn.

At first it might of been simply to provide an antagonist in man-made religious stories. For example ...

The first instance of “the devil made me do it” was used as an excuse was in the Garden of Eden. Eve says, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13).

Ah, poor EVE, it wasn't her fault.




Now people actually believe these religious stories to be true.

So, if a man cheats on his wife, or visits prostitutes, then he can later confess at his church that the devil tempted him, and he gave into the temptation. So, yeah, it is a scapegoat to shield the psyche from self-awareness of the failures/"sins"/"evils" done.

Eve story is tremendously sexist implying women are more susceptible to evil than men. Who on earth would believe it?