This train of thought occured to me during the Alpha class I was in last night, in conjunction with that Harris Poll about what people believe in.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.
That’s a line from The Usual Suspects. But maybe the trick was greater than that.
I’ll preface this by saying that I have a lot of problems with the concept of the Devil. On the one hand, I believe that evil people exist. (Or do they? Or just people who do evil? Or is that a cop-out?) If so, then why not an evil metaphysical being?
But it complicates the whole Free Will/Omniscient God thing even further than it’s already muddied. I mean, if the Devil is there, whispering temptations in our ears, how responsible are we for the evils we do? Yeah, there are ways to argue around that, but it still feels uncomfortable.
Not that truth is necessarily comforable.
But, let’s pretend for a moment that there really is a Devil, in keeping with orthodox Christian theology. The Devil is out there, trying to tempt people away from a relationship with God, etc., etc. Let’s take that as a given, and move on from there.
What’s the best way to do that?
I mean, yeah, temptation is always a starter, but there’s this whole religion thing that teaches you to turn from temptation, that’s always issuing warnings about you, that offers a theological alternative.
Unacceptible.
So, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. If you can defeat the vision that Christianity (we’ll just stick with Christianity here for a moment) offers, then going toe-to-toe with it seems to be a losing proposition. But working from inside it …
Consider the temptation scene in Genesis. The serpent starts off his whole argument, not by denying God, or denying what God wants, but by focusing in on a single part of what God has told Adam and Eve: there’s this thing that you really, really want, and God says you can’t have it. Nothing about all the other zillion trees in the Garden that God has provided, and has given his blessing to eating. Just focusing in on that one prohibition, as if that’s all that matters, as if that’s all there is.
Accentuating the negative.
Why are people not churchgoers these days? While most people say they believe in God, and many claim alignment with a particular faith tradition, attendance at churches and active participation in religious community continues to decline. Why?
Well, think about your memories of church growing up, or even what “organized religion” seems like today.
Thou shallt not. Rules. Restrictions. Guilt. Shame. Focusing on sin, the power of the Devil, the wrath of God. Condemnation of those who are different, who have doubts, who don’t behave, who don’t act like everyone else. Fire and brimstone. Damnation. Hell.
Accentuating the negative.
If you look at Jesus’ message, he talked a heck of a lot more about what you should do than what you shouldn’t. He didn’t sound like Fred Phelps. Heck, he didn’t sound like Jerry Falwell. He spoke about all the Father offered, about life, about joy, all being given to those who ask.
How did the churches turn so far away from that? How did the perception of what church means turn so far away from that?
And what was the result? People turn away from the concept of sin, because it’s been used as a club, as a weapon, as a tool to suppress dissent and promote conformity and obedience. People turn away from Hell because it’s been used as a threat. People turn away from the idea of a Devil because he’s been used as a boogie man to keep the plebes in line.
And so people turn away from church, because that’s where those damned priests and evangelists keep harping on sin, Hell, and the Devil, right?
And we know all about those priests anyway, right? And about those evangelists, right?
And now, not only to people not believe in the Devil, but they look at those who do and talk about him as (a) ignorant, supersticious bumpkins, or (b) threatening fanatical zealots.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist … and that those who think he does need to be ignored, or locked away.
Like I said, I have my own problems with the idea of a Devil. The above is just an excercise in theological speculation.
But if I were the Devil, I’d sure be grinning widely these days.
Thought-provoking, Dave. The point you raise about what happened to accentuating the positive is something I’ve not thought about before. There’s a lot that modern mainline Christian religion could learn from that; Judaism never really let it go, and Islam has its own particular flavors to which it could or could not apply.
Much to chew on. Thanks.
Thank you. You just hit on one of my most discussed reasons for not going to church. You come at it from a slightly different angle, though. Very good stuff.
Oh, and kudos for putting one of my favorite movies and lines to great use.
Well I do believe in the Devil. The problem that exists is as cataloged in the book of Ephesians three reasons for falling into sin: the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Personal experience shows that cause number two is the strongest. That is, most temptation comes from inside of me. We don’t normally have the excuse as Flip Wilson’s Josephine character said, “The Devil made me do it.”
If the church was doing its job it would alongside the message of sin and the Devil note that for all of us it is a hopeless cause. None of us can stand on our own two feet in front of God. Thus, we need a substitute. The problem with this message is that you can’t control people with it. Jesus told the religious people of the day that by trying to control people by rules and claiming they were not slaves to sin that they were sons of the Devil. “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.” John 8:44a
So, Jesus believed in a Devil, but provided a solution for it, namely his atoning death and resurrection. The Devil wins in two ways people assuming there is no problem or providing a bogus solution: works righteousness. If the teaching of Jesus has any bearing it’s the latter work of the Devil that concerned him more. Many people think that by becoming religious that they are closer to the Kingdom of Heaven. It might be moving further away. As a seminary prof friend of mine once said, “The deepest pit of Hell is reserved for the theologians.”
Oh, BTW, the line from the Usual Suspects came from C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters.
Got it, read it, good book.
Ah. I had a niggling recollection that it came from elsewhere, but went with the source I knew.
If the Church were doing its job, it would acknowledge all the things you say, Rich, but … it would do so in the much greater context of the gifts of the Spirit … the freedom and joy that a relationship with God can bring, as Jesus taught (and which Paul, in his better moments, mentions as well)… the positive side of following Christ.
The overemphasis of (or singular focus on) YOU ARE DOOMED (unless you repent) is a useful tool the Devil can use, as it frightens people away, pushes folks into despair, or is exploited by those who seek power over others.
…On the other hand, it may just be that our perception of the world has changed since de Debbil was invented, and that a catalog or definition list of evils no longer covers what we (as we are lumped together) believe in. I notice, Dave, that above you say “the positive side of following Christ,” not “the spiritual necessity” or “the goodness.” Perhaps it the doomsayers aren’t nuts, only outdated: we’ve established that the categories of sin aren’t important anymore as such; it’s the hate, the despair, the damage that people inflict that’s bad. Who’s “evil,” in The Scarlet Letter? The people who view the world as “good vs. evil,” and the people that view the view that “good vs. evil” is the most important thing. We’ve changed–when evil happens, we ask “Why?” instead of “Why, God?” We want to know about the childhoods of serial killers, and believe that abuse as a kid explains (although does not justify) abuse as an adult. Does that mean that evil doesn’t exist? Or have we just not hit on a way to frame it?
Some people certainly want to believe that the devil “makes us do it.” I’ve never really believed that the devil was anywhere except inside us all. The devil is not a spirit or a thing; it is the opposite of god, but not a god. He or it, is everytime we turn away from god. If god is all powerful than no devil can have any real power.
Dave, you have many good points, and are definately a thinker. I think god wants us to think. I don’t think he gave us a book as a replecement for using our brains. Unfortunately I think too many people and religious groups try to make a rule book out of it, simply so they can stop thinking. I’m just wondering why more people don’t take the time to really puzzle over this stuff, and really understand it.
“Don’t be confused by surfaces, in the depths everything becomes law” ~Ranier Maria Rilke, Letters to a young poet.
Maybe this helps, but at any rate stick with it. There are plenty of people with good knowledge and advise. I don’t think your brainstewing will be in vein. thanks.