samedi 26 avril 2008

The Recursive Devil

I have tried to show that belief in Devil leads to paradoxes. If the Devil is very smart, it surely tries to convince us that he/she is a divine being. Are we smarter than the Devil? Can we find out who is diabolic, who is divine? It's possible only if we are smarter. But are we? Maybe the Devil makes us
believe that we are? The theologians and preachers tell us that we can make the difference between God and the Devil thanks to the divine revelation given to us. But how can we be sure that this revelation is really divine? The best thing the Devil can do is to convince us that he/she is God, and to paint the divine as diabolical.

In Estonian folk lore the Devil is a kind of a small businessman, bargaining and scheming to get hold of human souls. He is terribly busy, has no leisure time. He drives in a carriage or even flies around with terrific speed. The description of such a devil reminds me of modern businessmen in my own country driving in their black BMWs or Hummers, talking incessantly with their mobile phone. Yes, the Devil had also a black carriage with black horses...

One more comparison: the missionaries, especially the Jehovist and Mormon ones who go from house to house in hope to find some more converts remind me of this folkloric Devil flying around and hunting human souls. Are the missionaries not envoys or agents of the Devil? Who can prove they are? Who can prove they are not? Who can prove religion is not an invention of Devil? Who can prove that this article is not inspired by Devil? Who can prove that the criticism of this article is not inspired by Devil? The belief in Devil leads us to an infinite recursive chain of arguments and counter-arguments, attacks and counter-attacks?

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