WHAT IS “THE DEVIL’S DUE?”

By Edwin Cooney

Okay, perhaps there is no such personage or spirit named Satan or, more popularly, the “Devil.” Still, there’s a sense in most of us that evil is real and part of evil’s reality is the existence of its power. There are elements of truth in evil. If there weren’t, evil wouldn’t have the power to tempt humanity. So, this week I address “the Devil” and consider giving the Devil his (or even her) due. This just occurred to me: I’ve often heard modern feminists suggest that God might be a woman, but I’ve never heard a feminist insist that the “Devil” might be a woman, have you?

Even secularists who, for the most part, are agnostic or even atheists, contribute to the popular significance of the Devil. Of course, the Devil generally appears in human form. For millions of Americans, the Devil exists in the personage of President Donald John Trump — but wait a minute! There are a couple of discomforting flaws here! For some fundamentalist Christians, DJT is quite the opposite of a devil. He’s a moral savior, especially for the Right to Life Movement. In addition, the concept of devilry in the Bible casts confusion on the very nature of who the devil is.

In the book of Job, we read that God gives Satan permission to harass Job even to the extent that he may kill Job’s sons and all their cattle as long as Satan doesn’t kill Job himself. It is difficult for many of us, this observer included, not to wonder if God doesn’t find evil pretty useful now and then. There’s the distinct possibility, even the likelihood, that what God considers evil may dramatically differ from what humans consider evil. When one really presses knowledgable and thoughtful Christians, they seemingly wiggle out of any possibility that God participates in evil by declaring that if God does something, it just isn’t evil. God is incapable of evil. (Amazing! I’ve always been taught that God is capable of everything!)  Does even God, from time to time, give the Devil his due? If so, what constitutes “the Devil’s due?”

In the case of President Trump, one of my current Devils, his “due” is unwavering loyalty and personal approval. Even more, as far as he’s concerned, his re-election in 2020 is the very least his fellow Americans can do for him..

His decision last Tuesday to withdraw from the agreement with Iran could result in sufficient chaos to bring about the overthrow of Iran’s Islamic government. It could possibly be replaced by a “strong man” who might be more sympathetic to American foreign policy. As unlikely as that is, that would be a significant change in the status quo.

As for what’s likely to come out of the President’s meeting with Kim Jong Un on June 12th in Singapore, it could really be good for both North Korea and the rest of humanity and earn both Trump and Kim the Nobel Peace prize. (Wouldn’t the Republicans just love to see their hero recognized and legitimized along with Kim Jong Un with an honor issued by a bunch of “left wing” European intellectuals for whom Conservatives possess consistent contempt!) 

A successful negotiation with Kim would accomplish two things. It would stabilize a longtime international danger and force many reluctant Americans to give the Devil his due — broad approval.

As for the current economic circumstance, most Americans love their money so much that the Devil may well get another due: votes for re-election in 2020. Keep in mind, however, that even six months is a generation in American politics, so there’s lots of time for all kinds of domestic and foreign circumstances to go south!

As for we “nasty Democrats” who can’t bear to wish the “Trump Devil” well, we may well be disappointed even if Robert Mueller discovers that there was collusion between President Trump’s 2016 campaign and Vladimir Putin’s gangster government. Even if he were impeached, President Trump wouldn’t be succeeded by a more enlightened leader such as Nancy Pelosi. Mike Pence is in the way!

The unvarnished reality remains that the world is such that in order to keep our sanity, we must give the Devil his due in the form of a healthy tolerance. As for why that should be, the fact is that we have lived in the world of denunciation for so long and practiced denunciation so readily that it has become a political and social expectation. If you don’t criticize someone, people wonder if you stand for anything. If it is only your friends who possess credibility or genuineness, be aware that you’re standing on sand rather than rock.

Here’s my question for the week: who is your Devil? What due — or even set of dues —do you owe him or her?

I have a number of “Devils.” One is institutional racial and gender injustice. The thing I must remember, however, is that such injustice has yet to be the absolute goal of any society. 

Another is the death penalty, especially when administered by the self-righteous. The factor I must keep in mind about that is the emotional jolt suffered by the victims of outrageous crime. Also, there is the instinctive desire to kill in order to survive.

A third is the increasing lack of political civility throughout Twenty-first Century America. What I must remember about that is that many Americans still follow the old Vince Lombardi creed that is especially popular in sports: “winning is everything.”

The fourth is the consistent lack of willingness to learn from history. (Of course, that “devil” invariably brings up the question: whose history?  Whose story is it to my best advantage to believe?)

I remain deeply concerned about the fate of the world and all humanity since President Trump took office. However, if he succeeds in calming our anxiety regarding North Korea, aren’t we at least obligated to thank him even as we look forward to his 2020 replacement?

Oh, there’s one more —  well, maybe 29 more — Devils to be conquered. There’s the Boston Red Sox. After all, the New York Yankees haven’t been World Champions since 2009!

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,

EDWIN COONEY