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Satan is the original and most clear example of a Narcissist / One with insolent pride. (See here for an explanation on why Satan was the original narcissist). By understanding Satan’s insolent pride and his narcissistic traits, we can get another glimpse into the characteristics of narcissists. Here is a partial list of Satan’s narcissistic traits:
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“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
Isaiah 14:12-14
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The above passage is well-known as referring to satan, the devil, lucifer, beelzebub, or one of the other names used for one of God’s top angels who out of pride thought he could be be like God. To be in such close proximity to God, to see His power and glory, and to think that you could be like God — and then attempt to do it – was the height of arrogance. (See here for how according to the Bible, narcissism = insolent pride.)
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And the devil said to Him [Jesus], “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
Luke 4:6-8
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Satan also showed his true nature when one of the 3 temptations he presented to Jesus was designed to force Jesus to worship him. Satan could have offered any other temptation, but was was so proud, arrogant, and haughty that he took the moment of Jesus’ physical weakness from fasting to take a shot at getting what he really wanted – to be the #1 being. He wanted somehow to be above God. Narcissists will NEVER stop trying to exalt themselves until they are #1 in “their world”, with some even attempting to be “king of the world”. They will use whatever opportunities they are presented with to continue working toward that goal.
Notice in the above passage that Satan claimed the earth was his to give. This was a deluded and arrogant lie, as the earth was definitely not his to give. Satan knew Psalm 24:1 – that the earth and world belonged to God, not him.
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The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it..Psalm 24:1.
You (Pharisees) are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He (satan, the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44
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* Narcissist is the modern colloquial term for what the Bible calls “insolent pride” please see here for an explanation
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Click here for initial steps on how to know God personally
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Please see A Biblical Perspective On “Narcissistic Projection” for Part 1
To recap Part 1*, scoffers are hypocritical judges who accuse others of the very things of which they are guilty. This action is the Biblical equivalent of what the secular world calls “projection”. From Wikipedia:
“Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others. For example, a person who is habitually rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude. It incorporates blame shifting.”
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An example of this is in Mark 3: Continue reading
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Gaslighting. You hear this pop-psychology term-du-jour a lot lately. It is kind of cringeworthy, often making me wonder, “what do they really mean”?
The term “gaslighting” originated from the British play Gas Light (1938), and its 1940 and 1944 film adaptations. It is now used in clinical psychological literature, as well as in political commentary and philosophy.
The name of a play / movie is used to describe behavior. This is similar to the origin of the psychological term “narcissism” which uses a character from Greek mythology in the “science” of psychology. Hmmm…..
Here’s how Wikipedia defines it.
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Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgement. It may evoke changes in them such as cognitive dissonance or low self-esteem, rendering the victim additionally dependent on the gaslighter for emotional support and validation. Using denial, misdirection, contradiction and disinformation, Gaslighting involves attempts to destabilize the victim and delegitimize the victim’s beliefs.
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A shorthand way to get your mind around it is to think of gaslighting as “deceptive manipulation”. It is a particularly subtle, underhanded, tricky, manipulative form of lying. Lying is very difficult to detect and guard against. This “deceptive manipulation” form of lying is even more difficult to detect and guard against.
Of course, the Bible is way ahead on this as well as “narcissism”. There is nothing new under the sun.
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Satan is the original liar…
You (Pharisees) are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He (Satan, the devil) was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44
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…. and the original practitioner of “deceptive manipulation”.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness…. 2 Corinthians 11:3.
Since deception is one of the primary tools of the narcissist, “gaslighting” or more precisely “deceptive manipulation” can be one of the tools in their toolbox. Prudently guarding against it is foundational. We cannot prevent them from lying to us and attempting to deceive us. They will speak according to their internal nature, and God will hold them accountable for their lies. However, there are things we can do.
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How can we defeat lies? With truth.
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Click here for initial steps on how to know God personally
As you might imagine, I have a strong bias toward using Biblical terms rather than the popular secular term of the moment.
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