By Theresa Anthony, author of My 13th Station
For most of us, our introduction to the concept of the devil was probably a cheesy red costume complete with pitchfork and a horned mask that we saw parading around the neighborhood on Halloween. Some kid chose the devil costume instead of Batman.
In Sunday school or CCD classes, kids were taught about the forces of good (God) and evil (Satan) and these lessons were clearly designed to nudge us toward the right side of that coin. We learned that the devil was a constant nemesis, a force to be reckoned with. He was God’s timeless foe - still mad about being kicked out of heaven - who sought perpetual revenge by tempting unsuspecting souls off their pathway to heaven and rerouting them to hell.
As children, our consciences were formed through the diligent efforts of parents, teachers, and pastors. A well-formed conscience would act as a inner barometer, guiding us toward goodness by zapping us with feelings of guilt and remorse when we strayed off course. Eventually, we'd figure out (if we’re smart) how to mind our conscience in order to avoid making devastating mistakes in life.
I realize that a lot of highly intelligent people totally blow off the idea of the devil or hell, proclaiming it a figment of Dante’s vivid imagination. Our current culture is hell-bent, pardon the pun, to dismiss all things religious, and sadly, even God Himself. But then I wonder, if so many people discount the existence of an evil force in the world, then why do so many people get totally freaked out when they watch scary movies about such topics? The Amityville Horror, Rosemary's Baby, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose come to mind.
Consider the mid-70s. People went to see such thrillers as The Exorcist and The Omen and left their teeth on the floor they were so frightened. During those years, when I was 18 or 20 years old, I was very lukewarm about God stuff. I had stopped going to church because I “didn’t need no stinkin’ church to tell me how to live my life.” While in college, I willingly morphed into an avowed secular humanist, aligning myself with the hip new post-Christian culture.
Even though I had left my Catholic roots behind, I was absolutely terrified when I saw those two movies. I mean, I was afraid to even enter my dark house - with my parents right there down the hall - after seeing them. So, I now ponder the question: Why was I, a newly enlightened person who'd freed herself from the constraints of religion, so impacted by those particular films?
Food for thought.
I now believe the reason that millions of us who identified as non-religious types were so frightened by The Exorcist and The Omen was because on some deep subconscious level we knew that evil does truly exist. As a baptized Catholic, those movies provoked the Holy Spirit inside to wake me the heck up. Sadly, it would be many years before I'd finally act on the prompts of the Holy Spirit.
Admittedly, the devil is not the most uplifting topic to write about, but it is an important one…to me, anyway. Why? Because I have firsthand knowledge of how the devil and his ugly little minions - those demons that seek to stealthily inflict harm on souls - operate. No,
I have never personally ventured down into the fire and brimstone, however I do have a very compelling story to tell about the workings of demons in our world based on my own personal observations.
My 13th Station is a memoir about my son and his anguished and sorrowful final six years of life. Woven throughout is a sub-story about the paranormal activity that occurred in our section of the neighborhood. While it would be much easier to attribute these disturbing events to ancient Indian burial grounds, the fact is we discovered that the woman living
R I G H T N E X T D O O R was practicing some form of sorcery or witchcraft . Amid all the chaos that ensued, three people committed suicide on our street, including my precious son.
The paranormal events that our family and neighbors experienced were real, and they were terrifying. Eventually, I summoned a priest to come exorcise our home. My story is not for the feint of heart, I will warn you, but it is a compelling read for not only believers, but also for the curious.
So, the next time someone rolls their eyes about the "backwards beliefs" of Christians—those old fashioned fools who still believe in God and a devil—just pass my book on to them. My guess is they might have to open up their minds to the disturbing possibility that those Sunday school teachers were right all along.
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