Satan as the insular adversary

Hey all,

I was thinking about how people always blame the devil for improper behavior, and I always think that they should take responsibility for their actions. However, they can't be responsible for their behavior, so, instead, it's saying their sorry and a trip to some sort of re-education camp where they learn how to be straight, sober, or whatever with a little bit of help from Jesus. However, here's the problem with this whole Satan argument. According to Christianity, God is all powerful, and it created Satan/Lucifer as an angel. This angel turned against it and started a war, so God banished this angel to hell where he(?) remains to this day. So, here's the problem. God has to be more powerful than Satan, so Satan has to be operating under the jurisdiction of God. However, I would argue that there is, in fact, no Satan. Or, at least, not the isolated enemy that we've been told about. It doesn't seem like a very loving God who would actively tempt people to sin and stray away from it. Due to the omnipotence of God, Satan can't be fully isolated like we've been lead to believe. Now, why would God need an enemy? Especially when it is all powerful. If God knows everything, including our thoughts, then why tempt us? Logically, this does not make sense. So, it's a better possibility that people who espouse these beliefs and fail to follow them are not tempted at all, except by themselves. They are hiding something, but they think that God will pass them by if they put on a good enough show. Then, perhaps, the temptation becomes too great or they realize that they can't fool God and give in, asking for forgiveness after the fact. This seems like a much more plausible solution to me, and I think it's time that people take responsibility or walk the walk. What do you think?