Belief in the Devil—What Difference Does It Make?
THERE has been an explosion of interest in the Devil in recent years. And this has been happening not just among poorer, less educated people, or among very religious ones.
Outright worship of Satan, along with a wave of interest in occult practices such as astrology, fortune-telling, witchcraft, magic and séances, also has captured the interest of many well-educated people. Strangely, persons who do not even believe in God have become convinced that there is a Devil.
On the other hand, many other persons balk at the suggestion of the Devil’s existence. They feel that it makes no difference one way or the other. Atheists and agnostics conduct their lives as if there were no supernatural influence whatsoever, good or evil. Even many who believe in God deny the reality of the Devil. Others feel that questions about the supernatural do not touch their personal lives. But is the reasoning of these people sound?
Some Puzzling Questions
Persons who hastily reject the thought of any evil influence from the supernatural may not realize that this brings them face to face with a number of puzzling questions. Why, for example, has human history been so filled with evil? Why have hatred, violence and war plagued man for the millenniums of his history? What is responsible for the inhuman treatment perpetrated by certain nations against others, such as the genocide practiced by Hitler’s Nazis?
Of course, some try to skirt these questions by blaming the whole thing on man or, as they say, “the evil in man.” But do you really believe that that is where the full blame lies? What about the good in man? Do not the majority of people want to live in peace, and have they not made strenuous efforts to achieve this goal? Have not modern times afforded unprecedented educational advantages for mankind to learn the folly of oppression and violence?
But in spite of repeated efforts to solve the world’s problems, things keep moving in the wrong direction. Outstanding human efforts for peace such as the League of Nations and the United Nations have failed to eradicate war and the threat of nuclear destruction. Hunger plagues vast areas of the earth. Government programs, however sincere, have proved powerless to stem the rising tide of drug addiction, thefts, rapes, murders and the shocking inhumanity of crimes committed by youth, which make city life throughout the world a nightmare. The evil that mankind experiences is away out of proportion to the malice of the people involved. Why?
Predicaments for Believers in God
The predicament gets even worse if you believe in God yet reject the possibility of there being a Devil. How so? Because doubtless you have been taught that the Creator is a God of love, mercy and tender compassion. (Ex. 34:6; Luke 1:78) Yet wickedness and suffering continue to afflict the human family. Could a loving God be responsible for that?
Even further difficulties arise when people who profess to accept the Bible as the Word of God deny that there is a Devil. If the Bible’s references to the Devil are not true, how can one be sure that other parts of it are true? Rejection of any part of the Bible renders suspect all its other teachings, including the accounts about Jesus Christ.
Whether you are religious or not, some form of evil affects you, your family, your friends and the community in which you live. If there is an ultimate source of these woes, would not pinpointing it make an important difference to you? On the other hand, turning your back on this question leaves the problems mentioned above unsolved, leading to frustration and bitterness.
But why is it that so many have doubts about the reality of the Devil?