Satan wasn't bad

Here's an excerpt from a poem written by Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve:


"Father!" the voice like music fell,
Clear as the murmuring flow
Of mountain streamlet trickling down
From heights of virgin snow,
"Father," it said, "since One must die,
Thy children to redeem
From worlds of all formless now and void,
Where myriad life shall teem;

"And mighty Michael foremost fall
That mortal man may be;
And chosen Savior yet must send,
Lo, here am I -- send me!
I ask, I seek no recompense,
Save that which then were mine;
Mine be the willing sacrifice,
The endless glory Thine!"

Still rang that voice, when sudden rose
Aloft a towering Form,
Proudly erect as lowering peak
'Lumed by the gathering storm;
A presence bright and beautiful,
With eye of flashing fire,
A lip whose haughty curl bespoke
A sense of inward ire.

"Send me!" -- coiled 'neath his courtly smile
A scarce-concealed disdain --
"And none shall hence, from Heaven to Earth,
That shall not rise again.
My saving plan exception scorns.
Man's will? -- nay, mine alone.
As recompense, I claim the right
To sit on yonder Throne!"

I'm not really buying this version of what happened. I believe Satan was a very beloved son of Heavenly Father's. He was pretty high up on the totem pole, so to speak. I don't think he had disdain for Michael's idea. I think he was probably a bit jealous over not being the favorite son & wanted some of that power & light, but I don't think he was initially a bad spirit. He's certainly proved himself to be the opposite of his brother since his idea (& in essence him) being rejected.

I don't invite anything in that would help me gain a better understanding of Satan & why he does the things he does. Why he's chosen the path he's chosen. Maybe it was something he was meant to do, just as Christ was foreordained to be our Savior. Something to think about.....