A reader writes, asking: Can you tell me if the devil is real; and is it true that if you believe in God the Father, you have to believe in the other one?
If I were a politician, I would provide a very vague response. To paraphrase the judge (Miracle on 34th Street), Opinions vary, and arguments either way can be made, and so I will keep an open mind on this matter.
I don’t need to pussy-foot, however. I will offer my perspective on the place of evil in the world: it exists.
I believe there’s evil in the world because I see evidence of it in history, in current events, and in our own families and neighborhoods. Bad things happen, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
The ancient Greeks gave Poseidon credit for the destruction and wondered what they did to deserve it. People often make irrational connections between random acts of nature and things they’ve done. They look for ways to appease the gods, making sacrifices; or going on witch-hunts, looking for people to blame and kill for their troubles.
Scientists describe what happens in terms of seismic shifts, plate tectonics, and the forces of nature; but poets and theologians describe the same events using very different language – utilizing words that evoke powerful feelings and emotions; words that allow us to enter into the pain and sorrow of those who have suffered (and are suffering) great loss.
We say “evil has befallen Japan,” not because nature is evil, but because bad things have happened. Nature isn’t evil; it’s neutral. The Bible reminds us, “Rain falls alike on the just and the unjust, the righteous and the unrighteous.”
In theology, the study of things pertaining to God, we use a kind of language we call “metaphor.” The name Satan, for instance, means “adversary.”
When Simon confessed Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus named him Peter – the Rock; the Solid one. Jesus didn’t turn him into stone; he simply gave him a new name, a nickname, a term of endearment: Rocky!
Moments later Peter told Jesus NOT to go to Jerusalem to die (a reasonable suggestion, if you ask me). Jesus responded, “Get behind me Satan, for you’re looking at it all wrong, and not the way God sees it.” Jesus didn’t mean that some fellow with red tights, pointy tail and horns had invaded Peter’s body or soul. He was simply saying, “Back off; you’ve gone from Ally to Adversary.”
The question for me isn’t whether or not there is a personal devil or anti-god named Satan (or Lucifer) running around the cosmos making trouble for God or the world. The critical point is: There is evil in the world; bad things happen in nature; people do bad things to one another; and I sometimes do things I shouldn’t (and fail to do things I should); so what can I do about it? What is my job, when it comes to evil?
What I know is that if I put the blame for bad things on someone else, I risk not taking responsibility for making things better. I am very good at fixing blame, but I think God would have me work at fixing problems and finding solutions.
World starvation is a terrible thing, and I certainly can’t feed the world – not on my income. But I can support organizations that feed the hungry; that build wells and develop farms; that teach people how to organize and work together for the common good.
The devastation of natural disasters is a terrible thing, and I certainly can’t fly over to Japan and remove all the debris – not with my bad back and all. But I can certainly contribute to organizations that provide emergency aid and pastoral care.
Maybe there is a devil and maybe there isn’t; does it really matter? What matters most is what I am doing (and what we are doing) to comfort the afflicted. What matters most is facing evil when we see it and asking what we are doing to change it, fix it, or improve things so that those bad things don’t continue to haunt us or bedevil us.
Our task is to be good and to do good. The devil’s in the details – lets tend to those in this, our valley, and let God tend to Satan.
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