For example, in the Book of Job, "he is an obedient servant, an angel sent by God to block or obstruct human activity," and then gradually becomes more malevolent, especially in the writings of first-century Jewish dissidents, many of whom used Satan to characterize their Jewish opponents (Greenwood pp). Among these sects were the Essenes, a group who "saw forces of evil in the world ... And also a battle that goes on in the human heart" (Greenwood pp). Thus, the followers of Jesus adopted this same view in describing the bitter conflict with their fellow Jews (Greenwood pp). According to a 2001 study, correlational analyses revealed that for the female participants, belief in an active Satan was directly related to intolerance toward lesbians and gay men and intolerance toward ethnic minorities, while for male participants, belief in an active Satan was directly related to intolerance toward lesbians and gay men...

Results of this research demonstrated that it is possible to meaningfully measure belief in an active Satan and that such beliefs may encourage intolerance toward others (Huff pp). The findings are consistent with Pagels' hypothesis that intolerance toward others, often evidenced by Christians today and throughout history, is related to some Christians' belief in a Satan actively combating God's will (Huff pp).
Work Cited

Greenwood, Kathryn F. "Wrestling with Satan: Elaine Pagels Sheds Light on a Dark Tradition in Christianity. Retrieved October 19, 2005 from:

http://www.princeton.edu/~paw/archive_old/PAW96-97/01-0911/0911feat.html

Huff, Jennifer L. "Scaling Satan." The Journal of Psychology. May 01, 2001.

Retrieved October 19, 2005 from HighBeam Research Library Web site.