If I Were the Devil

I read something very interesting today. Here, I will show you. 

(Go ahead and read it. It's not bad. And I have a point to make after.) 

IF I WERE THE DEVIL 

by Paul Harvey

If I were the prince of darkness, 

I'd want to engulf the whole world in darkness.

and I would have a third of its real estate

and four-fifths of its population, 

but I wouldn't be happy until I had seized 

the ripest apple on the tree. 

So, I'd set about however necessary 

to take over the United States. 

I'd subvert the churches first. 

I'd begin with a campaign of whispers, 

with the wisdom of a serpent. 

I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve, 

"Do as you please." 

To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. 

I would convince them that man created God

instead of the other way around. 

I would confide that what is bad is good, 

and what is good is "square." 

And to the old, I would teach to pray after me, 

"Our Father, which art in Washington." 

And then, I'd get organized. 

I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting

so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. 

I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. 

I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could. 

I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. 

I'd tranquilize the rest with pills. 

If I were the devil, 

I'd soon have families at war with themselves, 

churches at war with themselves, 

and nations at war with themselves

until each in its turn was consumed. 

And with promises of higher ratings, 

I'd have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. 

I would caution against extremes

in hard work, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

I would convince the young that your marriage is old fashioned, 

that swinging is more fun, 

that what you see on TV is the way to be. 

And thus, I would undress you in public and I could lure you into bed 

with diseases for which there is no cure. 

In other words, if I were the devil, 

I'd just keep right on doing what he's doing. 

***

This was written by Paul Harvey in 1965. 

But if I did not know better, this rings so true in the modern day. 

In a world where we are so confused to what is right and wrong, we need to reflect on the reality of things. And just as it is said by Paul Harvey, the devil is at work right now, and he's pretty successful at it. But don't you think we should resist? Or better yet, don't you think we should move in the right direction, God's direction? 

We are repeatedly told through the media that believing in God is "square." 

We are told that morals are overrated. 

We are living in a world where normal is not normal anymore. 

What used to appall us before is shrugged off with a, "Oh well, it happens." 

Just the other day, I heard someone say, 

"If you lust after children, watch child porn. It will help you to stave off the desire to rape kids." 

What?! Since when was lusting after children okay? Or raping children? Or even putting kids in pornography? 

The way the devil works is that he lures us to darkness, not by turning off the light, but by dimming the light. Everything is a gradual process. 

First it is, sex with a stranger is okay. Then, porn is okay. Then, having multiple relations before marriage is wisest. How else will you know if you are sexually compatible, right? Then, five year gap is fine, ten year gap is fine, then having sex with a minor is okay, she is almost 18. Then, the age criteria gets lower and lower. 15 is okay, they have already gone through puberty. Then 12 is okay, love is not bound by age. 

I know that I might have hit some nerve to whoever is reading. But I wanted to make a point that we are unable to recognize how far we have gone on the wrong path. One misstep and it leads to two, three, and so on. 

I have a rule of thumb to help us stay on the straight and narrow. 

At the first sign you see a double standard, you can know that your morals have gone askew. 

No wonder Jesus always called out, "You hypocrites!" 

A man (or woman) can rape a kid, but when it is done to their own, they will go on a killing spree. 

One can enjoy porn, if the person in that porn is someone you love, there will be a jealous outrage. 

We feel bullied when insults are thrown at us but do not hesitate to hurl insults to others. 

I am not saying I am perfect. What I am saying is that we need to be aware of the gradual steps we are taking towards the devil's darkness. 

Oh, and let me also point out, be careful what you see and hear on TV, the news, and the social media. Behind the digital glam, there are imperfect people with thoughts and agendas of their own. 

Always be wary of information that is fed to you. 

I think like this, if you were able to take in the information without much effort, you did not put thought into it. I wish all of you the discernment to judge what is right or wrong, and what is best for yourself, family, nation, humanity, and God. 

Whether you believe in God or not, there is such a thing as karma. What goes around comes around. 

What one would say is karma, I would say it is God who created everything to be fair; I mean so mathematically, scientifically, and accurately fair, that even without having to do anything, what we do is like the exact amount inserted into a vending machine to get the drink or snack we selected. 

Have a good day, y'all.

#God #devil #paulharvey #karma