As I have watched the Presidential campaigns, and, more importantly,
the reactions of the media, political leaders in our nation, and the people of
the United States, I have come to a rather startling conclusion. If the Devil
ran for office, he would be voted into the White House.
How could this be, you may ask. Well, regardless of the fact that we
live in a predominantly Christian nation, and have a fundamental belief
structure that is based on Judeo-Christian tenets, we do not, as a culture live
up to the ideals we claim to uphold. So I would like to lay out here my
reasoning behind my premise that Satan could be elected as POTUS.
Primarily, we need to examine both the personal character of the
candidate in relation to the inherent nature of the majority of voters in
America. To use the vernacular, it ain't pretty.
The Lesson of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve ate the fruit to gain knowledge. The first promise the
Devil makes is that if we vote for him, we will be better people. He warns us
that by voting for his opponent, we may be racist, or sexist, or that we want
to take away the rights of others. If we vote for him, we are smart, sensitive,
caring people who only want to help. Our culture right now obsesses with
looking good. You don't have to be good, simply look the part. Celebrities are
touting a myriad of good causes while running their personal lives into the
sewers. But as long as they sign their name to a charitable cause, or donate
money to starving children somewhere, and naturally get their photo-ops in the
process, then they must be good people.
Leaders and actors, politicians and activists all cheat, steal, spend
their time whoring or engaging in drug-induced debauchery. Then they turn right
back around and tell "normal" people that if we don't try to be like
them in their oh-so-enlightened crusades for the betterment of the human race,
that we are not being politically correct, and must, therefore, be stupid, or
unpopular, or both. Satan would have us believe that if we don't vote for him,
that we must be old-fashioned and outdated. Shame on us for not wanting to join
him in helping poor sick kids all over the world, because we are so selfish.
And unfortunately, that ever-present desire in our culture to be
popular and appear intelligent would mean that most Americans would check the
"Devil" box on the ballot. And probably vote straight "Hell
Party."
The Lesson of Cain and Abel
Most people do not want to kill their brother, but that is not what
Satan would tell them to do right off. Cain had two fundamental issues that
messed things up. First he was self-centered, and second, he thought he
deserved to have things just because he wanted them. Satan told him the very
thing he would tell voters: that if they would vote for him, he would give them
everything they want.
Mitt Romney was taken to task for something he said in what he thought
was a private conversation. He said that 47% of the people in America were out
of his reach. Why? Because they had bought into the idea that if they voted for
his opponent, things would continue to be handed to them, without any effort on
their part. Someone else suggested that Mr. Romney's number was low, and that
the actual percentage was closer to 49. I suggest that secretly that number is
far higher than anyone suspects.
As a culture, Americans are lazy and suffer from entitlement issues.
And each generation is worse than those that preceded it. If someone had
suggested, a hundred years ago, that women would be getting pregnant again and
again simply so their welfare checks could increase, our great-grandparents
would have thought it was a work of fiction from a twisted mind. They would
have laughed if someone had posited that entire communities could earn a living
without actually needing to work for their income. Yet now, in our age of
entitlement, people are living on government funds, while buying their designer
jeans and fancy smart phones. Tobacco and alcohol sales don't hurt when someone
doesn't have a job. In fact, they sometimes increase.
And the bootleggers of yesteryear have nothing on the drug dealers and
sex-sellers of modern times. But Satan would tell us that if it feels good,
then we must be happy, and if we are happy, then whatever it is must be okay.
Legalizing substances that cause harm to the body, mind, and community sounds
bad. He would simply tell us that if those things were legal, then fewer people
would be considered criminals. In one stroke he would cut the crime rate. Of
course, if you legalized fratricide, then Cain would have been just a good old
boy with one less brother nagging him.
The Lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah
God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by raining fire from heaven, because
they were too wicked to allow to continue. But before he did, he agreed that if
Abraham could find even 50 righteous men, he would spare the city. Abraham
bartered with the numbers but was unsuccessful in his search. When the people
in the city found out he was there, they wanted to kill him. Lot offered them
his two virgin daughters in an attempt to buy the cooperation of the mob. The
wicked men refused the offer, threatening death to Lot and his family when
angelic rescuers saved the day.
The devil does not compromise, but he will make you believe he will. He
will convince you to perform heinous acts under the belief that they are
preferable to a worse transgression. Satan will promise safety and security for
everyone, but only at his will, and only after paying a great price. Once he is
through with his argument, not only would most of our American culture make the
sacrifices he would ask, but they would thank him for making them commit to the
change. But that is only half of the lesson.
The other half of the lesson is that of the cities involved. The
American culture is quickly becoming one of debauchery and lasciviousness. Just
as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, we have created a modern culture of sexual
deviancy, and it has become such an inherent part of our society that it is no
longer seen as a choice but a birthright. Those choosing such lifestyles are
almost seen as a separate racial division. And to speak out against their choices
is to court accusations of discrimination and intolerance.
The devil will promise that any choice you make is perfectly fine,
regardless, or rather, in spite of previous claims of depravity. And the
American society is entirely willing to accept this lie, because of the issues
we not only maintain with entitlement, but also because it would give us the
perfect way to excuse our guilt. Satan would get the support of these voters
because he would offer them a way to blame someone else for their sins.
The Lesson of Temptation
When Jesus went into the mountain to pray, Satan came to tempt him.
Although Jesus never gave in to temptation, the devil continued his efforts,
offering food, riches, and power. Jesus understood that those things pale by
comparison to righteousness and the blessings of heaven. The continuation of
temptings came because although Satan understood those things as well, he also
understands human nature better than anyone. He failed because Jesus was more
than human. We are not.
Satan's next election promise would be that by electing him, we could
gain our deepest immediate pleasures. He would not promise happiness, for even
the devil knows that wickedness never was happiness. But he would offer us
pleasures. He would offer to appease our hungers and appetites.
Our American culture is obsessed with the pleasures of the flesh. We
glut ourselves in every base and vile perversion, while gorging ourselves to
the very edge of death. We believe that just because we want something, that
means we should have it, regardless of the cost, whether to us or someone else.
We do not want to hear that we should not have something, or do something. We
want to be told that we deserve whatever we want. Voters would choose Satan
because he would offer instant gratification and delayed cost, or no cost.
The Lesson of Credit
The devil would also win the election because he could convince us that
debt is good. People all across the nation, and even the world, believe that in
order to be a complete person, you must have debt, must have a good credit
rating, and must be making payments.
He would tell us that since we have no concept of trillions or even
billions of dollars, we should not worry about it. That it is not only
acceptable, but that it is to be expected. And in our culture, we would accept
his word, even if it be uncomfortably accepted. He would gain votes because
Americans don't want to believe that we can fail. Our national ego believes
that we are beyond reproach and above failure. That sort of thing only happens
in countries that are not as good as ours. Where people are not as good as us.
Satan would tell us that no level of debt could topple us. And our
conceit would convince us to trust him. Worse, some of us would maintain
disbelief, but would refuse to admit it, because we would not want to have
those who follow the devil mock us. This different type of conceit would keep
us silent.
The Lesson of 5th Grade
Satan lies. We know that. He hides his lies amidst truths and partial
truths. We know that also. Politicians lie. We know that. They hide things from
us all the time and tell us they do it for our protection, or some other such
lie. We know that as well as anything. But we still believe them. We ask
ourselves constantly why that could be. The answer is quite simple. People are
stupid.
None of us have all the answers. And we can't. Not even remotely. Even
politicians who claim to have all the answers don't have them. But we want to
believe they do. And more importantly, by expecting our leaders to be
all-knowing, we renounce the responsibility of knowing. Most Americans are
perfectly blissful in their ignorance. We don't want to become educated in some
matters, because knowledge adds duty. And the last thing most Americans want is
added duties and responsibilities.
Satan would tell us that we don't need to know anything. He would
promise to care for our needs as he sees fit, and that any information we gained
would be either incorrect, dishonest, or simply superfluous. And since we
really don't want to bother ourselves with the effort necessary for our
education, we will simply continue in our bliss.
The Lesson of Politics
The truth of the matter is, however, that the devil will never run for
political office. And there are several reasons why he won't. First, he doesn't
need to. So many politicians, in every city, county, state, and nation of the
world, are already doing his work, that there is no need for him to actually
take the reins himself.
Second, he accomplishes so much by being behind the scenes that he
would actually lose ground if he came into public view. Millions of people know
the devil seeks their souls, but they almost don't believe in him. Not really.
And this is because they can't see him. Plus, they already believe his lies. If
he became a politician, less people would listen to him. Less people would
succumb to his temptations.
Thirdly, to validate his own existence, he would in so doing, validate
the existence of God as well. The American people profess a belief in God. Many
of them actually do. But the media, including producers in Hollywood, would
have us believe that only fanatics believe in God. They show us in movie after
movie, show after show, that the villains are the religious people. Whether
knowingly or otherwise, they further Satan's lies by trying to indoctrinate the
youth of America in immorality, drug and tobacco abuse, and alcoholism. They
promote the lies that pleasure is happiness and that they are entitled to
everything with little or no effort on their part. If Satan ran for office, and
people could see him and hear him, they would start to wonder about God. And
that is the last thing he wants.
So the devil will never campaign for the presidency. He doesn't need
to, nor does he really want to. But with the state of things in America right
now, if he ran, he would win. Children would sing songs about him, Hollywood
would proclaim his greatness, and the power-hungry around the world would flock
to please him and ally themselves with him. And anyone who spoke out against
him would be touted as insane extremists. Nobody would take them seriously.
After all, if the American people elect a president, we couldn't possibly have
made a mistake. Admitting errors is not in our nature. Only committing them.
