In 1965, Paul Harvey wrote about America’s decay. Fifty years later, almost everything he said has, in some way or other, come about in our day. The devil is very active in the affairs of men. Make no mistake about it. “Like a roaring lion,” St. Peter says, “the devil prowls about..seeking whom he may devour” 1 Peter 5 : 8.

The following is a cautionary tale that is worth heeding in our day.

“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 a campaign of whispers.

“With the wisdom of a serpent, I’d whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” To the young, I’d whisper that the Bible is a myth. I’d convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I’d confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square”. And the old, I’d teach to pray after me: “Our Father, who art in Washington.”

“And then, I’d get organized. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull an 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’d encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions-just let those run wild, until before you know 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’d substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I’d lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls and church money. If I was the devil, 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 I’d give to those who wanted until I had killed all incentive to earn on your own. 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, in moral conduct. I would convince the young that Marriage is old-fashioned that swinging is more fun, that what you see on TV is the way to be.

“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 right on doing what he is doing.