In a reading group I belong to, we studied the first monksto go out into the Egyptian desert in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Weread of heroic men and women who performed supernatural feats --like Simeon Stylites who lived on a pillar for 37 years -- in aneffort to live lives of mortification and penance, thereby growingcloser to God. We read St. Athanasius' Life of Anthony, afascinating biography which described, among other things, thelegendary desert saint's physical struggles with the devil and hisdemons.
Reading of the battles with Satan fought by St. Anthonyand others, we pondered as to why Satan and his minions were soprevalent in such a desolate place, until we came to the conclusionthat the devil really needn't bother with highly populated areas,as we do his work very well without much prompting from him.Indeed, it is a testament to his genius that most folks who do hisbidding blissfully deny his very existence. After all, nobodyreally believes in that stuff, anymore; it's medieval!
Oddly enough though, some folks are paying attention toOld Nick. It seems that Hollywood -- temporarily interrupting itsfetish for vampires -- is releasing two flicks dealing with hisdoings: a mockudrama called The Last Exorcism, and themuch-ballyhooed, The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins andbased on a true story. Of course my favorite of all moviesconcerning attempts to separate Satan from a person with whom hehas chosen to dwell would be the 1990 comedy Repossessed,wherein Linda Blair is once again spewing pea soup until rescued byLeslie Nielsen.
Hollywood has demonstrated ad nauseam its desire topromote and please the powers of darkness. An unhappy coincidencerendered me a viewer of Sunday's awful Golden Globe awards, whichclosed with a voiceover -- possibly from the host, I don't know --saying "and thank you to God for making me an atheist."
So amongst the purveyors of entertainment in this country,God is made the butt of jokes while the Evil One is the subject ofmuch reverent attention. He is not only believed in, but stillworshiped by many who practice the dark arts, and even others whoare not rock musicians. Don't believe me? Just do a search on"wicca" or take a look at your child's textbooks that deal with theworld's "religions."
We're constantly looking for answers to violent crime,unless of course said crimes are committed by radical Islamists.Why did the Arizona killer strike? What inspired the hate in him?Well, as scripture says, Satan is a liar, and the father of alllies, and one of his favorites is when the evil which he introducesinto the world takes root in an unbalanced person who commitsheinous crimes, which then causes others to question God. And thefolks who question him most are very often those in highplaces.
Yes, it only takes a few leaders who have made the DarkAngel their guest to lead the rest -- who don't reallybelieve in him -- astray; especially when the anecdote to evil hasbeen virtually expunged from all aspects of public life; no prayerin schools or civic events, while in many churches, worship hasturned inward instead of upward. And all that's needed are a fewdupes willing to sell their souls in the name of Utopia to leadothers downward. C.S. Lewis brilliantly puts this explanation onthe lips of his favorite demon, Screwtape:
As the great sinners grow fewer, and the majority lose allindividuality, the great sinners become far more effective agentsfor us. Every dictator or even demagogue -- almost every film staror crooner -- can now draw tens of thousands of the human sheepwith him...There may come a time when we shall have no need tobother about individual temptation at all, except for thefew. Catch the bellwether, and his whole flock comes afterhim.
It was the French poet Baudelaire who wrote, "The greatesttrick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he didnot exist." So you can believe in the existence of personified evilor not; and many folks choose the latter. No, most people do notbelieve in the devil; but he believes in them.
Letter to the Editor
Lisa Fabrizio is a columnist who hails from Connecticut (mailbox@lisafab.com).
Let's not forget that Saul Alinsky dedicated his book, "RulesFor Radicals," to Lucifer, and the NEA put his book on theirrecommended list.
Alinsky said power is not only what you have, but what the enemythinks you have. God keeps Satan on a short leash (see Book ofJob), but that doesn't stop the father of all lies from goingaround roaring like a lion seeking whom he might devour.
What bears on me more and more is the lack of competition theDevil has today. It's a long time since General Booth of theSalvation Army said: "Why should the Devil have all the besttunes?" C. S. Lewis's Christian science-fiction and Christianstories for children are sui generis - There are plenty ofbelieving Chrisians in the world today, but where are theexplicitly Christian writers, artists, film-makers, even poets? Thesuccess of Lewis, Tolkien and a very few others shows the market isthere, but the "makers" seem in very short supply. I lose patiencewith the people who deplore the real evils of our culture yet failto create - or more culpably (since we can't all be creativeartists) to support - competing stories etc. of Christian values.The film of Lewis's "The Voyage of the Dawn Readaer", which I havejust this day seen, though it has some faults, is one example ofwhat might be done and one step in the right direction (My7-year-old grandson thought it weas "awesome" and we discusseddragons all the way home).
I think Walden Entertainment has done an overall decent jobalong these lines.
What many Gen-Xers don't get is press. The modernpraise-and-worship movement began with several talented leaders inthe late 90s/early 2000s; alas, what we've seen it turned into isthe entertainment-driven services in megachurches.
However, I HAVE seen it work.
Kevin Dunn:Have you read any of the works of Flannery O'Connor? If not, checkout her short stories, two novels (Wise Blood and The Violent BearIt Away), essays and letters. She is a brilliant and compellingChristian author who died of lupus at the age of 39, stillfaithfully composing in her hospital bed. She said that she wrotefor and about people struggling with Grace in a territory largelyheld by the Devil. Her wit and wisdom and gift for narrative powerand human insight are profoundly manifest in her superb shortstories and novels.
Sorry, that sdhould be "Dawn Treader", of course. A demon in mycomputer?
Satan promises us what we want; God promises us what we need.Very few people know the difference these days.
Satan promises us we can be in charge; God promises us He willbe in charge. In times when it seems that nobody is in charge andthe people who want to be in charge should be in the asylum,ignorant people find the *choice* easy.
Your thoughts are especially profound today.
Thank you. Read Luke Chapter 4 for further details (and in yourmind substitute Obama for Jesus and ponder which choice he madewhen the same deal was offered to him.)
Succinct, but true and very well said. thx.
Thank you for the article, Ms. Fabrizio. And the reference toC.S. Lewis 'Screwtape Letters.' This book and 'Mere Christianity'should be required reading.
You are quite correct; Satan seems to need little assistancethese days. Our decadent culture throughout the media (all forms ofit), all pop culture, our museums, and our academic institutionscry out that God is dead.
So many people decide to sleep in on Sunday mornings. And ourpolitical leaders jockey to be on some stupid Washington, D.C. TVtalk shows on those same Sunday mornings.
What? No time for church? No time for God?
This is why it is so difficult to achieve the good in evensimple undertakings. Or to simply argue why this or that should bedone away with for its immorality.
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