My Introduction to the Devil

      "Satan is most dangerous when he is pleasant." Dad remarked.
      I was raised in a Roman Catholic family. Dad believed in a real supernatural
      evil that is called the Devil in the Bible.
      Dad was an English teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.
      He also taught Latin. We would have discussions about the existence of
      the Devil and the meaning of evil ..
      It got to me on very basic levels in my tender youth.
      Dad had audio cassette tapes of Archbishop Fulton Sheen's sermons
      on the subtle "Kenosis of demonic possession." which he played for me.
      The Devil can hypnotize people with obscene music and sexualized
      TV entertainment, according to the bishop.

      Well it didn't take long before I started to think the Devil was a cool guy,
      especially while I was reading Playboy and Hustler magazines.
      I hid the porn under the loose floor boards of my closet.
      There was a crucifix over my bed.  Try reading porn under that!
      The Beatles were my rebel rock band, I liked Simon&Garfunkle too;
      Kansas and Chicago came later. I didn't notice anything Satanic about them.
      I just liked the melody. Dad saw a demonic drug culture in Rock&Roll.
      It did not have that severe an effect on me.

      "Why is God good?" I queried my father.
      "Goodness is our God." he explained.
      "If God is all powerful, then why is there evil?" I continued.
      "God wants us to choose to be good." dad answered.
      "Does God need us?" I pressed on.
      "God needs no one, but God must create." Dad answered.
      "Are we God?" I stated.
      "There can only be one God.
        We live in the mind of God." Dad said firmly.

        Now, I had a trippy thought that I was living in God's dream.
        Maybe, I could work miracles!
        Dad put his hands on my shoulders and said~
        "Only Jesus and His Apostles and Saints can work miracles."
        The question was obvious, "How can I be a Saint?"
        Dad explained the austere lives of the Saints and how they were martyred.
        This did not seem fair to me, "Why would God allow it?"
        Dad explained it was all a test of faith.+

        True evil my father believed was anyone, who could not love God
        and by doing so could not love life.
        My dad was educated by the Jesuits of Boston College.
        That's where he got his teaching degree ...
        Consequently,the Devil was and is a constant threat to humanity,
        because he hates God and life.
        "Why does the Devil hate God?" I asked.
        "Because the Devil wants to be God." dad replied.
       
        Okay, let's fast forward to Satanism in our supermarket culture.
        Satan sells! People like shocking videos and violence.
        So what?  Everybody hears about crime related to Satanism.
        However, there are few actual cases and convictions of Satanic Cults.
        Is Lady GAGA a Satanist? She likes to pretend she is in her videos.
        Although, she is also active in many charities for AIDS victims and
        homeless gay teenagers and breast cancer research .
        These are not the actions of a hateful person. Satanist do not
        believe in charity, because it perpetuates weakness.

        The Satanist I have spoken with are atheist in their philosophy, but
        they still believe in the paranormal. I guess that's agnostic.
        Gnostics believed that Jesus was a man and not a God and that
        the Origin of creation came from chaos. God was jealous of Jesus popularity
        and caused his crucifixion, according Gnosticism. It was Wisdom's daughter
        Zoe, who gave Jesus the power to perform miracles.
        Gnosticism is not Satanic, but they believe the Devil brought knowledge to
        Adam and Eve to free them from the Origin's slavery.

        I think the Devil is a lot like a lawyer.
        He wants to win his argument, even if it isn't true.
        The Devil is called Har Satar in Hebrew, "the accuser."
        He is the prosecutor in the Old Testament of Job.
        "Job loves you not, but what you give him." the Devil said to God.
        And Job proved him wrong after the Devil took everything from him.

        And so..
        passes the glories of this world.


        ~~~
            <^>