IS THE DEVIL A MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURE?
Recent surveys of the American public reveal that over 60% believe Satan is only a symbol of evil and not a living being. Less than half who classify themselves as evangelical or “born again” believe the devil is a real being. Persons who believe in a real devil are thought to be out of touch with reality, intellectually limited, crazy, or fools.
Given the history of human thought and practice concerning evil spirits, and the rise of scientific investigation, it is easy for people of this present age to conclude that there is no such being as the devil. Note the following examples: primitive cultures, ignorant of how things really worked, attributed all evils to supernatural spirits. Now viewed as superstition, ancient religions of the world believed in evil spirits or demons which were always fighting in opposition to their gods. Christian art portrayed the devil as a red creature with horns and pitchfork. Medieval Christianity used the devil as a weapon to control people, threatening hell on those who did not follow the teachings of the church. The church was out to destroy people they believed were of the devil. Puritans in the 17th century connected the devil with witchcraft and hanged 35 persons they thought to be witches. With such a varying array of ideas and practices concerning the devil and demons, it is understandable that most people of the modern age write them off as mythological.
The onset of the scientific age moved people to replace the supernatural with the natural. The world can now be explained by mechanistic causes discovered by science. Thus, moderns have outgrown the need to explain the world using these kinds of spirit-being causes. When asked how evil is to be explained, the answer is that it is the product of human choice. Human nature has two sides, the good and the bad. Evil results when the bad side is exercised. Evil is a product of social and psychological conditions. To overcome evil we must change our social structure or help people to a healthy mental condition. Evils in nature, such as floods and earthquakes, are a product of the earth’s natural activities.
In the face of current thought, why do I choose to believe there is a real and personal devil? Since I accept the Biblical gospel records as an accurate record of the words of Jesus, I believe in a devil because Jesus believed in a devil. He stated in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar, a murderer, and there is no truth in him. If Jesus said there was a devil, there must be. I know some theologians claim that Jesus was only “playing along” with the beliefs of that day, or was himself a product of the beliefs of that day, but this makes him either deluded or ignorant. These options do not fit the picture of Jesus seen portrayed in the gospels.
Belief in a devil is tied to belief in the accuracy of Scripture. If one denies a devil, much of the Bible must also be denied, or seen as primitive untruth. The devil was the tempter of the persons God created in the beginning. The devil was the tempter of Jesus before his earthly ministry began. The devil is mentioned by Jesus as a real being, and many references in the New Testament warn of the devil's prowess.
Given existing evidences for the existence of God, it certainly is a possibility that there is a God who created this world. If there is a creator God who cares to communicate with His creatures, it certainly is possible that He revealed Himself in a written word. If this is so, it is certainly possible that His word is inerrant. I choose to believe the Bible. Why must I, or anyone else, be made to feel outdated or limited intellectually for believing such things? Following where the evidence leads is proper. Writing off such possibilities because of belief in a naturalistic world view does not automatically negate the superhuman.
Some persons fear that if those who believe in the Bible and a devil are allowed to have influence in society, they would repeat the same atrocities and abuses that have been done in the past. Unhappily, perhaps some would. Therefore, down with conservative, Bible-believing Christians. I am sorry the church has made it so that such fear exists. The church is to blame for many misrepresentations of Satan and these must be corrected by Biblical accuracy. The church has too often, even unknowingly, allowed satanic activities within its own ranks. The devil has often been blamed for evils when personal responsibility needed to be taken. Members of the church have used the devil for power in order to control other people. It is understandable that people have legitimate fears that Christians would use their religion to get rid of people who they say are of the devil. Actually, in light of a proper knowledge of what the Bible says concerning Satan, there is little foundation for some of the church’s past beliefs and practices. The true teaching of Scripture is for believers to love others, do good for them, share the message of Christ’s death and resurrection, and leave any judgment and elimination of people to God.
There is one issue I wrestle with as a believer in superhuman spirits. How do they communicate with human minds? How do I distinguish my thoughts, or conscience, from thoughts put there by God or the devil? I am still working on that one.
Another reason I do believe in a devil is that I have had experiences with persons who claimed contact with evil spirits. I was once in the same room with a person while contact was made. There was a reality present which is more than human produced. The occult gives evidence to such powers. One can choose to explain them in a natural way, or to say they are supernatural. I choose the latter. Why not? Evidence for it is there.
Overall, a study of what the Bible reveals about superhuman beings makes a lot of sense in a world like ours. Evil does not seem to be overcome, in spite of modern minds who keep working at creating a civil world.
However, as Christ-followers, we have the hope of victory in the end, for God promises a world where Satan no longer will have influence. This cannot be said with the naturalistic views of many in the so-called modern world. A future world of peace with all evil eliminated is not something that is for certain attainable by human effort. Perhaps that is why some who want peace would rid the world of religion, because that is where a lot of evil seems to be coming from. Never mind the evil that comes from all the non-religious people.
I like a statement made by C.S. Lewis in his book, “The Screwtape Letters”, page 3. “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”
