that are destructive to respect for divine laws cannot have opportunity to be pounded by repetition into sensitive minds. Be alert to recognize entertainment that reflects the influence of Satan’s twisted thinking.

NATIONAL THINKING

How Satan’s evil thinking can permeate human reasoning on a national scale is seen in man’s willingness to justify the incinerating of whole cities in the name of war. After remarking that the human race is “predominantly insane,” Dr. Hugh Keenleyside, former Canadian diplomat, said: “We can accept without a qualm the idea of incinerating hundreds of thousands or millions of women and children whom under normal conditions we should be glad to cherish, and in whom we should find gentleness and delight. . . . Being insane, we have devised political and economic and religious reasons to justify burning them to death.” Similar devilish reasoning twisted the thinking of the Nazis to justify their infamous extermination camps.

The sinister power that is twisting the thinking of the nations to devise an atomic holocaust for one another is not interested in the welfare of mankind. “We have listened to the wisdom of the serpent,” says the New York Times. “We have brought Promethean fire down from heaven. But the fire consumes us rather than warms us.” Satan is determined to continue ruling or else to ruin mankind, and he uses nationalism to suit his nefarious ends. The Scriptures truthfully state: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”—1 John 5:19.

SAFEGUARDS

Since Satan’s deceptions are so clever and convincing that they almost mislead “the chosen ones” of God, you cannot afford to be careless or indifferent to them. (Matt. 24:24) You need safeguards. Two of the best safeguards are recognition of Satan’s existence and knowledge of God’s ways and principles. Recognition of Satan’s existence is essential to successful resistance to his bad influence on your thinking, and knowledge of God’s ways and principles is vital to detecting that influence. Whatever has Satan’s thinking in back of it will be out of harmony with God’s ways and principles.

Love for righteousness, faith in God’s Word and trust in him for salvation can serve as protective armor against the clever wiles of Satan. “Put on the complete suit of armor from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil.” (Eph. 6:11) Be wary of worldly thinking and its trend to justify what is wrong in the eyes of God. Do not underestimate Satan’s power and ability. Be alert! Be watchful! Resist Satan’s efforts to mold your thinking and to seduce you with his craftiness.—2 Cor. 11:3.

Mixed-up Moral Standard

“While the church pays lip service to the absolute moral demands of Jesus, the actual operative moral standard in the average Protestant church, the standard by which church members judge each other, is a curious and unholy mixture of pagan morality, primitive folk ways, and bourgeois middle-class respectability, seasoned by a few maxims drawn from the Bible.”—Quoted in The Theology of Evangelism by Taito Kantonen from The Apostolic Preaching.