I quoted the Bible directly. The Bible is the document Christians use for their dogma, and Christians consider the serpent and the devil (Satan) one and the same. To me, as an atheist, the entire book is “Christian inaccuracies,” so I don’t see any point in splitting hairs. How Christians use this document today, in the here and now, is far more relevant to me than suppositions of who believed what before the Middle Ages.

Incidentally, the Koran attributes this act to Satan by name. I guess you would say this is both a Christian and a Muslim inaccuracy? Regardless of your opinion, some 4.2 billion people around the world adhere to either Christianity or Islam, and almost all of those 4.2 billion people view Satan as the villain in the story of the Garden of Eden.

The event I cited is known as the original sin, the sin of disobedience to authority. I believe it is a virtue to disobey authority when that authority is unjust, and especially when that authority is demanding ignorance. This is why I’m a Satanist.

You are welcome to believe whatever you want.