If he does exist why has he not been destroyed? If he is a living entity who can impact events why hasn’t someone destroyed him? If not holy water surely extreme heat, cold, or force could destroy him. And if he is real and as powerful as as you say than why does he manipulate and dabble with occult toys or weak human souls? Why wouldn’t he manifest himself?
I don’t know the answers to those questions. Honestly. I do believe satan exists, and I think there’s ample evidence in the evil we see around us everyday and from a historical perspective. There are lots of questions regarding religion that we simply don’t know the answers to, and probably won’t until we die. That doesn’t mean that the devil (or God for that matter) doesn’t exist.
Some things have to be taken in faith, and if you don’t have that, then nothing will convince you anyway.
Frankly, because it isn’t time yet for him to be destroyed.
He was the highest of the Archangels and stood daily in the presense of God Himself before he fell. Do you really think that he can be destroyed by mortal means? As it is written, we are made a little lower than the angels, yet you expect us to be able to destroy the Chief of all the Angels?
Bluntly put, he manipulates humans because he desires to destroy them, not just physically but spiritually as well. The occult is just one of many avenues that he uses to further this goal and, frankly, it’s one of his most productive. Your attitude, that this is just some kind of human subconscious defense mechanism, is another of his greatest ploys. Mankind’s two greatest weaknesses are either they don’t pay enough attention to Lucifer and dismiss him as a figment of our collective imagination, or they pay too much attention to him and worship him. You yourself admitted that you went from one extreme to the other, so you prove this to be the case.
As for the driving rage behind Lucifer’s hatred of Man is pride. God showed love to mankind and Lucifer, because of his own pride, hated it and was determined to destroy the object of God’s love. Ultimately Lucifer will eventually manifest himself in human form, but it won’t be to dominate humans, it will be to challenge God’s authority to rule.
Choose very carefully which side you pick. There’s only two sides and a selection of neutral will automatically put you in Lucifer’s camp.
He has and does on a daily basis. You, along with so many other poor souls, lack the acumen to realize that.
As Father Lucas Trevant(Anthony Hopkins) tells Deacon Michael Kovak(Colin O'Donoghue) in The Rite:
"Just because you think the devil doesn't exist, doesn't mean he doesn't."