LEARNING
DAILY
I was
visiting family in Iowa recently and my nephew gave me this article written by
Paul Harvey; it was printed in 1965. It certainly reads like a game plan that
has been implemented very efficiently by the devil. I will let you read it and
make a comment or two at the end.
If I were the devil … If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want
to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d 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 — Thee. 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’s bad is good, and
what’s good is ‘square.’ And 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 pedal 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 that 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.
If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but
neglect to discipline emotions — just let those run wild, until before you knew
it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every
schoolhouse door.
“Within a decade I’d have
prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography — soon I could evict
God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of
Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion,
and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and
girls, and church money. If I were the devil I’d make the symbols of Easter an
egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.
“If I were the devil I’d
take from those who have, and give to those who want until I had killed the
incentive of the ambitious.
And what do you bet I could
get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? I would caution
against extremes and hard work in Patriotism, in moral conduct. I would
convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun,
that what you see on the TV is the way to be. And thus, I could 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.
There are
many tricks the devil has done over the years to deceive, to disrupt and to
discourage people. The situation this country finds itself in has not been
sudden in its change. It has been 59 years since Paul Harvey penned these
thoughts and the devil has used every one of them. I wonder how much longer God
will allow this to go on! “You better stay ready, so you don’t have to get
ready!” (Pastor Ed Newton).
