Welcome to Fast Food Horror. This week, we have a tale from the
devil's point of view that you may be very very well familiar with. In
a tale entitled A Plan from Scratch by E. J. Miller, they
say the greatest trick I ever pulled was convincing the world I do not exist.
To that, I reply, ha, ha ha. You are not
looking at the whole board. You are looking at but one piece. You
are looking at but one move. You are so focused on that one thing,
You simple creatures, you fail to see everything else, all the other
seemingly random moves that have gotten us, And there are a lot of us
closer to my goals. To paraphrase your beloved Bard, you can't even see
the forest for the trees. I admit convincing you creatures that I did not
exist was a very nice play on my part. I know that's a prideful
statement, and pride is a sin. But look who you're talking to.
The very notion that I exist drove so many into my adversaries camp for hundreds
of years fear of the torment they would face in the next life, an
eternity in Hell, a very real place, by the way, for their
sins and misdeeds kept so many to be good and penitent. I had to
change it up, making you creatures believe I don't exist. Well, that
definitely increased the numbers down here, but it is one of many moves I
have made. I am here to play the long game. I am waging
a war on many fronts, so many battles you aren't even aware I'm behind.
Let me give you some examples. Because of theology and science, I
was able to not only convince you that I do not exist, but that
my adversary doesn't exist either. The rise in atheism these last hundred years,
oh me turning away so many from my adversaries embrace, Oh makes me smile.
Or if you do not believe in Me and Hell, and you do
not believe in Him and his kingdom up there, then there are no wards
or consequences for your actions in the next life, or that there is no
next life. Therefore, you can do as you please. Hear, indulge
in anything without fear of judgment or consequence. Steal, adultery, lie,
cheat, abuse, lust, envy, greed, sloth, gluttony, pornography,
prostitution, it's all there without consequence. I went in another way too.
I planted the idea, the thought that my adversary doesn't even care,
what kind of God would allow terrible things to happen, and that it is
his fault for all the pain in this world, all the war, plagues,
famine, and sickness that happened to you, creatures. Not only does
he allow it to happen, he doesn't even stop it from happening, stop
it from occurring. What kind of all powerful God would allow that to happen
or not love you enough to stop it from occurring. That separated so many
from his flock because they were angry, frustrated, because they hated and blamed
him. I am most proud, though, of my most recent move social
media. Ah, you gobbled that up right away, didn't you. You
were told and sold that you would be more connected, more together, to
share ideas and thoughts, become a one world community, converse, solve big
problems, have information at your fingertips. And now, oh, you creatures
are so much more easily manipulated on a broader scale and so distracted because of
this little invention. You're not even paying attention to the world around you,
a world that you are in theory more connected to because of that social network
that you are so addicted to. Because each of you lives in your own
little world, you are more divided than you ever were put into your own
tribes and camps by your own doing, turning on family and friends for their
beliefs or politics. You resort to name calling, judging, canceling, and
bullying at the drop of a hat, without even confirming the facts or trying
to understand another's point of view. And it has become the place you go
to for answers as well, for the littlest or biggest of questions, answers
you previously would have gotten. Direction, you previously would have gotten from him,
guidance and answers from your shepherd whom you've wandered from. Don't believe me
that that little device means so much to you At your next family gathering,
at your next group of friends you meet with Hell, just open up your
eyes the next time you're in any social setting, be at a store,
a mall, a local fair, or a little league baseball game. Look
around. You'll be the only one looking around that is. Meanwhile, everyone
else is looking at that device in their hand. They could be with their
spouse or their children, pushing their elderly grandmother or grandfather in a wheelchair,
or working at that counter where they sell coffees or treats. They're more still
wrapped up in that device in their hand than they are with the actual creature
that's right in front of them, that loved one, that friend. They
could be about to be hit by a car in the street, and you'll
see more of you creatures raise their phone up to record to get that viral
video, then run out or call out to save that creature about to be
struck, if they even take the time to look up and even notice,
which brings us to you. Dear Johnny, you still have that look of
confusion on your face since you've arrived. Let me illuminate you. As I
have said, I have been waging a war on you creatures from many affront
and I've always been prepared to play the long game to get what I want,
which is to tempt every single soul I can get my hands on and
increase my numbers and deplete is. Yes, they wrote a song about our
little fiddle battle, and yes you did win that fiddle made of gold,
which is good because you're going to be playing that for me for an eternity.
You see, I've waited fifty years since our little contest. My goal
was never to win your soul in that little game, as I said,
I played a long game. It was to see if you could condemn yourself
here by making one statement, and you did over and over again. Don't
you remember they immortalized it in that song by that Daniel's creature. It's the
last line, How did it go? Devil? Just come on back if
you ever want to try again. I told you once, you son of
a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been. I'm the best that's ever
been. You've repeated that line over and over as you've bragged on and on
about our little encounter, and those words, I am the best that's ever
been our words of pride. Pride is a sin, a deadly sin,
and sins do have their consequences, don't they. I just had to wait
until your time on Earth ran out, and here you are, And here
you are now, dear Johnny, start playing, and you will keep playing
and playing until your fingers bleed, until your flesh wears a way down to
the very bone. And then you will play some more, we have all
the time in the world. We have an eternity here