Whatever Happened to the Devil?

This may seem like an odd subject for this blog, but given the state of conflict in the world, it is very relevant.  Read on and see why.

There is no question that the Devil has gone missing in most religious teaching.  It's a common observation.  The only explanation I've seen is that modern man is not receptive to talk about demons and squirms when the subject matter is raised.  Instead, in modern theology and preaching, the emphasis is on doing good, on following the word of God.  There is little mention of the Devil's influence in people's lives.

Yet given the seemingly endemic nature of conflict and violence in the world, whether in the home or between nations, we have dismissed the Devil from spiritually-correct discussion at our peril.  Anyone with an open mind can observe the Devil at work everywhere around us; the devil is alive and well.

Why do people squirm when someone talks about the Devil?  Is it really because they are modern and don't believe this talk about supernatural or dark forces?  Given the odd things that modern man believes in, I doubt this is the case.  I think it's more likely that they have had experience with dark forces and they squirm because they are in denial and don't want to admit that that is what they have had contact with.

Before going any further, I should make clear what I am talking about when I used the word "Devil."  Just like when I talk about God, I am talking about the divinity within us, not the bearded guy in the sky who controls everything (see my post, "God Is Not Dead, We Just Look for God in the Wrong Places"), when I talk about the Devil, I am talking about the devil within us, not the being with the pointed tail.

In my previous writing, I have said that man's insecurity is behind all violence and conflict in the world, whether in the home or between nations.  How does that square with what I'm saying now?

There are two things to distinguish:  the devil influencing people and someone becoming the devil incarnate, a dark force.  When someone reacts to something with insecurity, that is certainly not the guidance of God, but it is the guidance of the Devil because insecurity makes man weak, and weakness is fertile ground for the Devil.  So to say that insecurity is the cause of all violence and conflict in the world is the same as saying that the devil is the cause; the devil can only work through man.

In the other case—when someone becomes the devil incarnate, a dark force—he or she has sold his soul to the devil.  This person is no longer human.  He is a fallen man who lives his hell on earth.  He rejoices in torturing people, in causing them to suffer.  Such a person is not acting out of insecurity but out of malevolence.  And unfortunately, it has been my experience that such dark forces are around in large numbers.

When I talk to people about my experience of dark forces, their eyes typically glaze over and view me like a kook.  Most often if they know the person, they defend him as a good person.  The devil is a master con man; he has turned such people into enablers by convincing them that the person is good. If they don't know him or her, they say that maybe the person does bad things but they're not the Devil or a dark force.  That doesn't exist in their world view.

The religious establishments have done their flock, man, a disservice by catering to this "modern" sensibility regarding the Devil because the Devil or dark force is very real and without question is the force that tempts people to do bad or inhumane things to others. We see this truth even in cartoons that show an angel sitting on one shoulder given a person advice while the devil is sitting on the other shoulder trying to convince the person to do something bad or mischievous.

There is too much emphasis on supporting/growing the religious establishment, and thus of not doing things that upset the flock and turn them away,  The role of religion is to set man on the right path—both for himself and those around him—to lead him away from the devil, from the emotions, fears, and anxieties of his ego-mind.  Man has never wanted to hear such preaching, but it is necessary.  That is the role of religion.

In many posts, I have talked about the inhumanity of man and how to get man back on the right track ... the track to humanity.  The suggestions I have made in those posts all have merit.  But we will not be able to achieve any of those spiritual goals if we are not willing to recognize that the Devil is in our presence and he does not wish us well.  

I have written that the ego-mind is the source of our emotions, fears, and anxieties, which is the truth. But behind our psychological reflexes is the Devil.  That is why it is so hard for us to get past what our ego-mind tells us to do.

Here again, we must go back to the future.  We must go back to an understanding that there are forces at work in the universe which are supernatural.  We are not the all-powerful, independent person that we want to think man is.  Our only way back to peace and happiness is to realize that we cannot be in control of our destiny unless we stand up to the Devil.  Flip Wilson may have gotten a laugh when his character, Ernestine, said, "The Devil made me do it!"  But it is no laughing matter.