Hi, dear Hivers
Today I want to talk about a series I have been watching in the last years. This is not exactly a review; it’s more like my own rambling resulting from thinking about what the series Lucifer’s ultimate message might be.
This series, starring Tom Ellis, has run for 5 seasons already. It is based on the DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg. This modern devil runs a club in Los Angeles (of all angelic places) and works as a LAPD consultant.
I think that one of the messages from the series is that we need to take responsibility for our actions and stop blaming a devilish entity for our mistakes or bad actions.
Some branches of Christianity have planted the idea from early childhood that if we do something bad it is because the Devil made us do it. They also established the image of the devil, Lucifer, or whatever other names he gets, as an evil doer.
So, we sin because we succumb to the temptations of the devil.
The Lucifer from the series, though, is not a tempter but a punisher. Whatever evil you do is of your own making and he is there to punish you for that.
A killer does not become one because one morning the devil got in his/her head and made them become one. There are not valid environmental excuses either. Some people from “good” families can turn into bad people; similarly, good people come out of “bad” families.
Every situation is different but it takes personal decision to sin and people need to take responsibility for their actions. It is very easy to play the insanity card and say that a crime was not your fault, the devil made you do it. In that respect, some religions have encouraged irresponsibility by promising heaven after repentance. Most criminals do not feel regret, they just say what people want to hear.
We rarely see genuine regret and atonement for past sins, especially when it comes to crimes.
Choosing to do good or evil is as simple as choosing pancakes or eggs for breakfast.
The Lucifer of the series tries to change the religious image of a destroyer, an entity that wants to ruin God’s creation. It also debunks the caricature image of the little creature murmuring on people’s ears making them break bad.
We have free will. We can decide.
I think we become our own devil in the religious sense of the word every time our curiosity or arrogance make us rebel against parental or social authority. Our guilt can be our own torture and punishment. Those who choose to do evil knowingly never experience remorse or guilt. They deserve all the punishment, earthly or divine, but they know that, like the TV show or the biblical story, that is an illusion designed to make us be content with the possibility of justice.
