AN ARTICLE ON "THE DEVIL MADE ME DO SO"

QUESTION: “The devil made me do so”. Discuss the role of evil spirit in evil acts people commit.

Many times we attribute all undesirable events in our lives to the devil and evil forces; which in some cases resulted from bad actions we do. But it appears usually men do not want to take responsibility for the actions deliberately done and would want to blame others.

In this piece, I seek to contend with the realities of life and events that befall men; where wrong attributions are made and where sometimes blames seem rightfully placed. Much emphasis is not placed on the devil and evil spirits but the problem is discussed from philosophical and psychological point of view. I also seek to provide real life situation of existing men who have publicly spoken or commented on situation that befell them. Finally, I looked at the issue of blame game and its result in institutional and industrial performances or outcomes. Let us start this way.

“You know you did it.  We all do.  Who wants to take responsibility for the bad stuff we do, the mistakes we make, the yucky feelings inside?  It's so much easier to pass them off onto someone else.  It wasn't me; it was the other guy.  Or we can always call upon the old standby:  the devil made me do it!”

- People see in other people the very things they do not want to see in themselves.  What makes this crafty little defense work is that we are able to see these shameful aspects of ourselves in other people because, in unconscious fantasy, we put them there. - Jennifer Kunst, Ph.D.

Thanks to the cleverness of the unconscious mind, we are able to manipulate our picture of reality and see it as we wish to see it—usually in a way that initially makes us feel more comfortable.  Here is the origin of the idea that "the devil made me do it."  Perhaps you remember the scene in the Garden of Eden.  The story goes that God said Adam and Eve could eat of any fruit in the Garden except for the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  And, of course, that's the fruit that they found irresistible. Now, a lot could be said about this story, but I am lifting up just one aspect to help make my point.  Adam and Eve — being the symbolic representatives of all of us human beings — felt they could only be satisfied if they ate the only fruit that was off-limits.  Call it curiosity, greed, envy, rebelliousness, individuation —call it what you will, we just can't help ourselves.  So when God asks them what they have done, they do what humans tend to do.  They blamed the other guy; they passed the buck.  Adam says Eve made him do it; Eve says the devil made her do it. I think if God had proceeded to ask the devil why he did that, the devil would have had someone else to blame. The point is, from the fall of man, blame game was born. Amazingly, it was not only the devil who was blamed but God as well.

From his years of experience consulting to leading companies, psychologist Ben Dattner has discovered that at the root of the worst problems we confront at work is the skewed allocation of blame and credit. In so many workplaces, people feel they’re playing a high-stakes game of “blame or be blamed,” which can be disastrous for the individuals who get caught up in it and can sink teams and afflict whole companies. Dattner presents compelling evidence that whether we fall into the trap of playing the blame game or learn to avoid the pitfalls is a major determinant of how successful we will be.

The problem is that so many workplaces foster a blaming culture. Maybe you have a constantly blaming boss, or a colleague who is always taking credit for others’ work. All too often, individuals are scapegoated, teams fall apart, projects get derailed, and people become disengaged because fear and resentment have taken root. And what’s worse, the more emotionally charged a workplace is — maybe our jobs are threatened or we’re facing a particularly difficult challenge — the more emphatically people play the game, just when trust and collaboration are most needed. What can we do? We can learn to understand the hidden dynamics of human psychology that lead to this bad behaviour so that we can inoculate ourselves against it and defuse the tensions in our own workplace.

Consider when bad events befall a Christian and people ask, “Why did God allow this?”

Pastor Benny Hinn’s one time experience provides a clue on how people commit an evil or bad act and blame deities for the consequences of such actions. According to him, his father when alive was smoking about two to three packs of cigarette per day before he converted to be a Christian. This excessive smoking resulted in blood cancer which led to his death. The family started blaming God for allowing such a sickness and death. The family asked Benny to preach during the burial and memorial service for his late father. As he began ministering the word of God, suddenly the Holy Spirit enlightened him about the complaint, “why did God allow this?” He declared, “My father, God did not kill him. Cancer killed him. He smoked all his life and the natural result of smoking that much is blood and lung cancer. God has nothing to do with his death. He asked the people in attendance, “was it is God’s responsibility to come and pull the cigarette from his mouth?” He added, “My father made his own decision to smoke. God did not interfere with his will and decision to smoke all his life. Do not blame God or evil spirits for a decision that manmade”

One Pastor Brook lost his son in the USA through a car accident. The son was going to school and so boarded a taxi. The taxi driver was drunk and so drove the car into a ditch which resulted in the untimely death of Pastor Brook’s son. Many people started attributing this event to the devil and some blaming God for allowing the accident to happen. Some men of God in an attempt to console him said God has taken the child because of impending danger. As I was pondering over this, I realized that deities are blamed in this case without cause. One, both God and the devil did not provide alcohol for the driver. Two, the driver made his decision to drink and became drunk. No matter what informed or influenced his decision to drink, he is responsible for his action. Three, there were many taxis but the boy decided to pick the one driven by a drunk driver. The conclusion then is that, God and the devil had nothing to do with this. The boy made a wrong choice of car and that what happen happened. No deity is to be blamed.

Some people have the view that all actions are predetermined by forces outside the agent through whom such actions are performed. This reflects some group of philosophers (moral determinists) whose view are presented here in brief. Moral determinism is the idea that all human decisions, choices and behaviour are caused by forces beyond man’s control. In such a situation mankind or the moral agent must not be blamed for making wrong decisions since that is the only way they could behave, being under the influence of forces they cannot control. In that case human beings should neither be praised for positive outstanding behaviour since that may also be caused by external forces.

 As I carefully considered this moral determinism philosophy, I realized that if all men accept this idea, then no one would be responsible for any action and decision he or she takes. The world would be in chaos.

Another position to consider is that, the cause of all evil actions is caused by evil spirits.

Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.

(NKJV)

John 13:2 And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him.

It is true that satan and his allied forces can put an evil thought in people to tempt them and entice them to sin. He tempted Adam and Eve by deceiving them to eat the forbidden tree. They could not stand but sin for which reason they were driven from Eden the original abode of man.

He tempted Jesus Christ but this time Jesus, the second Adam overcame. The lesson is that, the evil spirit or the devil can provide tempting moments. He can drop the idea into the person but cannot be blamed for executing the idea. Man need to exercise self control and, discern to know the consequence of that idea and action.

What conclusion can we draw from all these discussions? First, the devil can be the cause of temptations and trials as he found way into Judas and used him for his plans. He found way into Peter but for Jesus’ intercession, Peter would have been sifted like grain. The ultimate truth is that satan can be the originator of an evil idea but the actions are executed by humans who allow themselves. The devil tempts believers, but he doesn’t make us sin. The devil can be blamed but the human agent would be responsible for the action. Second, Man’s action through wrong choices can result in bad consequences which they normally attribute to the devil because they don’t want to take responsibility. Third, there are natural phenomena which at times are unfavourable to people but that does not need to be blamed on evil spirits. Finally, James tells us that God isn’t to be blamed either: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13). He is good and holy.

I end with the following quotes.  

James says, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (James 1:14). Just as a fisherman uses bait to lure his prey, so our own evil, unchecked desires lead to giving in to temptation and sin. —D. De Haan

When we disobey God by sinning, let’s not shift the blame or justify our actions with the faulty “the devil made me do it” theology. Instead, let’s take full responsibility for our actions, confess our sins to a gracious and forgiving Father, and pursue right living again.

References

1.      Feinberg S.John & Paul D. Feinberg  Ethics for a Brave New World. (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1993)

2.      Geisler L. Norman      Christian Ethics: Options and Issues. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 17^th reprint, 2005)

3.      Neil E. Farber M.D, The blame game: the complete Guide to blaming: How to play and how to quit. (Bascom Hill Publishing Group, Nov. 1, 2010)

4.      Onyinah, Opoku. “Spiritual warfare: A Fresh Insight into the Nature of the Warfare, identification of Strongholds, and Exposition on the Weapons”, Accra: Advocate Publishing Ltd.2008.

5.      Onyinah, Opoku. Pentecostal Exorcism: Witchcraft and Demonology in Ghana (Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplement Series), UK: Deo Publishing. 2011.

6.      Ben, Dattner. The Blame Game: How the Hidden Rules of Credit of Credit and Blame Determine Our Success or failure.

www.barnesandnoble.com/…/blame-game-ben-dattner/

7.      Jennifer, Kunst.Projection 101: The Devil Made Me Do It!  

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/headshrinkers-guide-the-galaxy/201110/projection-101-th...

Published on October 18, 2011 by Jennifer Kunst, Ph.D. in A Headshrinker's Guide ... concept of projection (or projective identification).

8.       Hinn, Benny. Do not blame God for a decision man made. A video tape taken from training of ministry conference held in 2010 at ICC Conference centre, USA.