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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2014 0:15:17 GMT -6
If I Were the Devil
If I were the Prince of Darkness I would want to engulf the whole earth in darkness.
I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree.
So I should set about however necessary, to take over the United States.
I would begin with a campaign of whispers.
With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whispers to you as I whispered to Eve, " Do as you please."
To the young I would whisper " The Bible is a myth" I would convince them that " man created God" instead of the other way around. I would confide that " what is bad is good and what is good is square."
In the ears of the young married I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be " extreme" in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct.
And the old I would teach to pray- say after me- " Our father which are in Washington."
Then I'd get organized.
I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull, uninteresting.
I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies, and vice-versa.
I'd infiltrate unions and urge more loafing, less work. Idle hands usually work for me.
I'd peddle 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 would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions, let those run wild.
I'd designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts and I'd get preachers to say, " She's right"
With flattery and promises of power I would get the courts to vote against God and in favor of pornography.
Thus I would evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, then from the Houses of Congress.
Then in his own churches I'd substitute psychology for religion and deify science.
If I were Satan I'd make the symbol 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 wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. Then my police state would force everybody back to work.
Then I would separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave-labor camps.
If I were Satan I'd just keep doing what I'm doing and the whole world would go to hell as sure as the Devil.
Paul Harvey
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2014 5:34:56 GMT -6
I wonder what would be the reasoning behind all this? I know man is the object of God's effection.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2014 14:45:17 GMT -6
That was the 1964 version. The 1996 newspaper is different. The concept and structure was the same but the content evolved quite a bit.
If I were the prince of darkness, I would want to engulf the whole world in darkness.
I'd have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree- thee.
So, I would set about however necessary to take over the United States.
I'd subvert the churches first, and I would 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 the children that man created God instead of the other way around. I'd 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 are in Washington..."
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 peddle 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 at 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 intellect but neglect to discipline emotions. I'd tell teachers to let those students run wild. And before you knew it you'd have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.
With a decade, I'd have prisons overflowing and judges promoting pornography. Soon, I would evict God from the courthouse and from the schoolhouse, and them from the houses of Congress.
In his own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I'd lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls with church money.
If I were the devil, I'd take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.
What'll you bet I couldn't get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich?
I'd convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun and that what you see on television is the way to be.
And thus, I could undress you in public and lure you into bed with diseases for which there are no cures.
In other words, if I were the devil, I'd just keep right on doing what he's doing.
Paul Harvey
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2014 14:49:38 GMT -6
I wonder what would be the reasoning behind all this? I know man is the object of God's effection. I don't know. A warning ? It is certainly thought provoking. What do you think?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2014 19:42:28 GMT -6
I wonder what would be the reasoning behind all this? I know man is the object of God's effection. I don't know. A warning ? It is certainly thought provoking. What do you think? You're right, evil does exist. From what I've read Adam and Eve didn't know what evil was until Cane killed Able. They didn't know man could die. Sounds strange but Christian, Jewish and Muslim Scholars all agree on this point.
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Post by rdlb on Jan 25, 2014 15:22:40 GMT -6
Paul Harvey and thought provoking.
As to Adam and Eve's beginning issue? Beguiled by the serpent. The rest comes from that including Cain and Able. Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; of the glory: Strong's greek 1391, δόξα, doxa-- opinion, judgment, view--From the base word Strong's greek 1380 dokeō-- to be of opinion, think, supposeGenesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 3:9-11 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? Naked has to do with innocence and after the encounter with the serpent and eating of the tree their innocence was no longer there. They became short of the glory of God, they longer thought as God thought...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2014 23:14:41 GMT -6
I like Paul Harvey. You said that they became short of the glory of God, they no longer thought as God thought... isn't that what Paul Harvey is saying, yet in a different way? Is his essay not revealing the results of us no longer thinking as God does? A warning? Please clarify.
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Post by rdlb on Jan 26, 2014 9:46:29 GMT -6
I like Paul Harvey. You said that they became short of the glory of God, they no longer thought as God thought... isn't that what Paul Harvey is saying, yet in a different way? Is his essay not revealing the results of us no longer thinking as God does? A warning? Please clarify. I have always liked Paul Harvey from the days of my youth. Many are the results of not thinking like God thinks, Paul Harvey encapsulates much of that in "If I were the Devil". My other comments were directed towards the comment: As Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they at that moment knew what evil was Genesis 3:22.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2014 14:22:23 GMT -6
I like Paul Harvey. You said that they became short of the glory of God, they no longer thought as God thought... isn't that what Paul Harvey is saying, yet in a different way? Is his essay not revealing the results of us no longer thinking as God does? A warning? Please clarify. I have always liked Paul Harvey from the days of my youth. Many are the results of not thinking like God thinks, Paul Harvey encapsulates much of that in "If I were the Devil". My other comments were directed towards the comment: As Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they at that moment knew what evil was Genesis 3:22. I said wrong didn't I. What I meant to say was that until the death of Able they didn't know they were mortal.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2014 17:58:07 GMT -6
I have always wondered exactly what DID happen to Adam and Eve when they realized what evil was? Must of been quite a shock. Mentally, physically and emotionally. Did it change their appearance, besides putting on fig leaves, or did it happen gradually? To go from being completely innocent to comprehending what evil was in minutes, that must of been shocking. We are aware of it most of our lives, and often find it nearly unbearable, to have it suddenly thrust upon you seems like it would be quite a blow to you in all ways.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2014 18:22:17 GMT -6
As a child I went to Catholic School, They taught us that the forbidden fruit was sex. Not an actual fruit like an apple.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2014 19:35:42 GMT -6
Glad I didn't go to a Catholic School.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2014 12:42:33 GMT -6
As a child I went to Catholic School, They taught us that the forbidden fruit was sex. Not an actual fruit like an apple. Hummm. Since Adam and Eve were supposedly the only two people around at the time, then just how were they supposed to procreate without having sex aka 'The forbidden fruit'? ? But then I've never understood what or where 'The Land of Nod' originated' Does this mean that we are to take things solely on faith and not question the collateral stuff ?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2014 13:20:58 GMT -6
I don't understand it either. After Cane killed Able God put a mark on Cane so no one would kill him. Adam, Eve and Seth were suppose to be the only ones alive, so who were these other people. There had to be other people. Cane's mother and father and little brother would have recognized Cane without a mark.
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Post by matador on Jan 27, 2014 15:15:28 GMT -6
As a child I went to Catholic School, They taught us that the forbidden fruit was sex. Not an actual fruit like an apple. Hummm. Since Adam and Eve were supposedly the only two people around at the time, then just how were they supposed to procreate without having sex aka 'The forbidden fruit'? ? But then I've never understood what or where 'The Land of Nod' originated' Does this mean that we are to take things solely on faith and not question the collateral stuff ? Maybe this might help, the Bible is really a genealogical history of one family, there is no doubt that other families existed or advanced on their own. If you go by the literal translation of the bible it does not explain how a lot of people suddenly appeared out of the blue over the time span of the Bible. Remember there were giants who also existed on the planet, no explanation of where they came from, but David sure had an easy victory over one.
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