My sons wanted to tell spooky stories last night. Isaiah went first, then Matthew, then me. I was just making my story up as I went along. And they were editing my story whenever they wanted to add a plot twist. So because of an unexpected plot twist, I said that a character named Johnny must have been possessed by a demon. And Isaiah asked me what does possessed mean and what does demon mean. And so I said that demons are evil creatures sent by the devil. And he asked me who was the devil. And I said he’s the one behind all the evil in the world. And then he said but the devil’s not real, right?
Usually when we’re telling spooky stories, that’s the point where I offer the reassurance that no, the bogeyman or the chupacabra or the abominable snowman are just pretend. It’s kind of a ritual. He asks if the creature is real and I say no of course not, this is just a story. I guess if I were a good progressive Christian, I would probably say, “No, of course the devil’s not real. We live in a world that is scientific. We don’t believe in ghosts or demons or fairies or devils. When evil happens in the world, there’s always a biological or sociological explanation.” But I didn’t say that. I said yeah, he’s real. And then Isaiah said he was scared of the devil. And I said it’s okay to be scared of the devil.
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