>The man in black could very well be God. Jacob could very well be Satan. Keep in mind that the original Satan wasn't some horrible evil-doer; he was just an angel that questioned authority.<

A rather grand scope and ambition, if so, but LOST could be aiming toward this outcome if God is "God" and Satan is "Satan" in this treatment. That is, if there is eventually some sort of Mystery Tales #40 or Roger Zelazny-like mechanism presented explaining how Jacob and his dark twin ended up described in ancient-Egyptian-cum-Judeo-Christian myth as "Satan" and "God" via their wonking around with time and technology. So, dark twin (or Nemesis or whatever his name is) ends up conflated in Egyptian myth with Set and in Judeo-Christian myth with Yahweh whereas Jacob is swirled together with Horus and Lucifer (Angel of the Light), aka Satan, though they started out as something completely different (such as Aaron and lil Charlie-boy) but subsequently flew too high with their wings of technology and fell back not only to Earth but back in time as well, stuck in a loop, becoming part of the narrative of ancient civilizations in the process.

>Keep in mind that the original Satan wasn't some horrible evil-doer; he was just an angel that questioned authority.<

This reminds me so strongly of a figure from (if I am remembering correctly) a Roger Zelazny story or novel I read long ago. There was a very sympathetic figure in there who had been cast down for opposing tyranny, defending humans, and toward the end of the tale one discovered who was who and that the fallen angel was actually the good guy relative to the interests of ordinary mortals. If anyone knows the name of this story or novel then please speak up and mention what it is, as I am not spotting it via browsing online. [Philip Pullman, btw, later did something in a way similar --though nowhere nearly as emotionally movingly so-- in His Dark Materials.]

I did spot some other interesting tidbits, though, while looking in vain to find the lost Zelazny tale about a pro-mortals chained fallen angel. Creatures of Light and Darkness has already been discussed quite a bit relative to LOST so I'll omit further mention of that one here, but for the possible interest of the LOST tribe here are some other choice morsels I just stumbled across on Zelazny and his work which may enrich the experience of being even more thoroughly LOST.

Wiki on Zelazny: "Roger Zelazny usually portrayed familiar-seeming worlds with plausible magic systems and casually supernatural beings. His novels and short stories often involved characters from myth, depicted in the modern world. The descriptions of the nuts and bolts of magical workings set his fantasy and science-fiction writing apart from otherwise similar authors. He was also apt to include familiar present-day elements, such as cigarette-smoking and references to various literary classics, into his fantasy worlds....Many of his characters can speak French to some extent. Another notable trademark of Zelazny's is the recurring motif of an "absent father" (or father-figure)." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Zelazny

Moreover...

In the 1960s, Roger Zelazny dazzled the SF world with what seemed to be inexhaustible talent and inventiveness. Lord of Light, his third novel, is his finest book: a science fantasy in which the intricate, colorful mechanisms of Hindu religion, capricious gods, and repeated reincarnations are wittily underpinned by technology. "For six days he had offered many kilowatts of prayer, but the static kept him from being heard On High." The gods are a starship crew who subdued a colony world; developed godlike--though often machine-enhanced--powers during successive lifetimes of mind transfer to new, cloned bodies; and now lord it over descendants of the ship's mere passengers. Their tyranny is opposed by retired god Sam, who mocks the Celestial City, introduces Buddhism to subvert Hindu dogma, allies himself with the planet's native "demons" against Heaven, fights pyrotechnic battles with bizarre troops and weapons, plays dirty with politics and poison, and dies horribly but won't stay dead. It's a huge, lumbering, magical story, told largely in flashback, full of wonderfully ornate language (and one unforgivable pun) that builds up the luminous myth of trickster Sam, Lord of Light. Essential SF reading. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk www.amazon.ca/Lord-Light-...p/0380014033

and

Humanity defeats the native "energy" beings that populated the orb and establishes a colony on the planet with a Hindu like societal order. Using advanced technology, the crew of the ship transfers their minds into a new body when theirs is near death. They also develop other advances that enable them to form a pantheon with god-like powers. Beneath them are the colonists and even further below in this pyramid of power are the natives. No one bucks the leadership as not only can they technology reincarnate they can convert others into animals.

One of these techno-Gods, preferring to be called Sam rather than Mahasamatman, feels that the mistreatment of others is morally wrong. He thinks that he and his peers should share their technology with the lower strata. His peers insist those beneath them are incapable of dealing with godlike powers and need their hand to guide them. Sam never claimed the mantle and though he hates what he feels he must do, this "fallen angel" leads a revolt against his ruling brothers and sisters as he wants to establish a different world order.

This is a deep science fiction novel with religious and social overtones. The story line is loaded with action, but also takes its time to defend critical arguments set forth by author Roger Zelazny. The cast fosters the concepts of the plot so that development is targeted more towards an idea than a character. Still with all that this is a cerebral tale that will have readers pondering a host of subjects from comparative religions to white man's burden to fostering American style democracy in Iraq, etc. in a clever novel that will require concentration or one will miss a point.

Harriet Klausner www.amazon.ca/Lord-Light-...p/0060567236

plus

This "new" Roger Zelazny work was finished posthumously with the help of his coauthor and friend, Jane Lindskold. Unlike some after-the-fact "collaborations," this one has Zelazny written all over it. It's a typical tale from one of science fiction's greats, a world-spanning story that deals heavily with mythology and the ability to cross between two realities. In this case the realities are the real world, Verité, and the virtual world, Virtù. When Donnerjack--one of the architects of Virtù--loses his lover Ayradyss, he makes a pact with Death to return her from the dead. In return, Death demands their first-born child, who will be the first baby born from a Verité/Virtù union, and a force to be reckoned with in both worlds.
www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/z/ro...k.htm

...and just for fun: www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/z/ro...d.htm

> We all know, even us non-believers, that God supposedly sent his only son down to earth as a test of faith.

Umm...I'm not sure about every sect of Christianity, but most Christians believe Jesus was sent to die for our sins. It's more of a replacement sacrifice thing, rather than a test of faith thing. And most Christians believe it turned out just exactly as it was supposed to turn out.