Paul Harvey: If I Were The Devil

Paul Harvey, originally did this commentary in 1965 (I believe.) Over the years he tweaked it a bit but if you were to read the original version, you will see that it did not change too much. Prophetic? To me it sounds like someone that had read the Bible. If you know your Bible, you realize that a lot of the turmoil we see today was  foretold in the Bible. For myself, that along with many other passages I’ve read within it’s text confirms that the Holy Bible is real and not some fairy tale.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
New American Standard Bible

I cannot possibly understand everything within its pages, but that’s where faith comes in, right?

But back to Paul Harvey…

I can’t post the video, since embedding is disabled.

Occasionally, a few of my friends who ask me if God was loving, why does he allow bad things to happen.? While, I was originally planning on including that within this post, I thought it deserved a post of it’s own. There’s really no ‘easy’ answer to that, but I’ll post my response scheduled for later this week.

For some reason his commentary made me think of the verse below.

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

II Chronicles 7:14
New American Standard Bible

If I Were The Devil

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 is bad is
good, and what is good is “square.”

And the old, I would teach to pray
after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington.”

And then, I would 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 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 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, and 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
symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the devil, I would take from
those who have and I would give to those who wanted,
until I had killed the
incentive of the ambitions.

And what will you bet I couldn’t get
whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich.

I would caution against extremes in
hard work, in patriotism, and moral conduct.

I would convince the young that
marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, and that what you see on
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 on doing what he’s doing.