Speak of the Devil: A Conversation With a Trickster

We use our religious studies and drama backgrounds to produce thought provoking answers from someone who claims to be more than a man.

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

A Conversation with a Trickster

By: John Cibotti and Emanuel Iral

 

The following is part of a collection of written records posthumously recovered from American reporter Daniel Vecke. Vecke was investigating mysterious events in the northeast region of Libya in the Summer of 2009. To date, the cause of death remaines undisclosed. This single interview with an unnamed vagrant is regarded to be the last contact Vecke had with anyone in the area.

 

THE INTERVIEW

 

Interviewer: Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions.

-I see that you are limited to English, pity

Interviewer: Yes, my apologies. How many languages do you speak?

-All of them

Interviewer: Interesting. Okay, so who are you?

-Ah, the straightforward approach. As you wish: I am that I am

Interviewer: You are what?

- Funny, Moshe didn't question that answer

Interviewer: Moshe?

-oh excuse me, 'Moses'

Interviewer: Ah, from the bible. Do you read the bible?

-that would be a bit egotistical, don't you think?

Interviewer: And why is that?

-Because I'm in it

Interviewer: So you do believe that you’re the devil, I take it?

-eh, devil, Mara, Iblis, Satan, Lucifer, etc. etc.- of course Lucifer means 'bearer of light' in the Bible, and Satan means 'truth' in Sanskrit- but I won’t rehash multilingual semantics.

Interviewer: So you think the devil�" you�"got a bad rap?

-bad job title

Interviewer: But accurate, I mean you are the cause of all the bad things that go on in the world, right?

-am I? What’s so bad about me? Christians- The serpent gave Eve knowledge; Greeks- Prometheus gave man fire and skill of metalwork in spite of ALL the other Gods refusing; Egyptians- Set was the antagonist of Ra, yet he was employed by Ra to destroy an evil serpent and save the world. The devil [points to himself] in all reality has given mankind more than God ever did.

Interviewer: Genocide, rape, hate, etc.?

-hate, violence, murder, and so on and so forth.  Let us not forget the seven deadly sins were created by God, as was karma, judgement, punishment, the list goes on and on. In fact, any “evil” tragedy the world has seen was only ever done in the name of God, not me! The Third Reich, 9/11, The Inquisition, Crusades, Salem Witch Trials, the Babri demolition, all done in the name of God-fearing people. Where were they getting their answers from?

Interviewer: Yes but those tragedies were based off of interpretations of holy books, not God himself. The world believes YOU corrupt people’s judgement.

- [smiles] ah yes, I am the one who whispers in everyone’s ear. Did I whisper in Hitler’s ear? What is a whisper compared to God’s book? If the word of God is so unclear it leads to tragedy, of what use is his word, anyway?

Interviewer: Ten let’s cut to the chase, what then DO you preach?

-well I did write a book a long time ago, and it only took the monk to whom I narrated it two days to complete it. Of course, it took your Moses forty days to write his book, Muhammad [mockingly recites “salallahu alayhi wa’ salam”] received messages for over twenty years and four people had to write Jesus’ story to get it right�"and my book is larger. But I’m wrong, God’s still right, I guess.

Interviewer: So you’re the good guy? You’re the holy one and God is evil?

-Who has oppressed more of man’s desires than him [points up]? If Hegelian philosophy is correct and history is just the progression of freedom for man, who should receive more credit? Man only thinks because I gave him the power to, according to Christian logic. Religion itself only exists because of ME!

Interviewer: Because of you? How do you figure?

-Read any religious book and you tell me. Yehoshua, forgive me, Jesus only accepted his purpose after he came to the desert to meet ME. Buddha was just sitting there until I came along and talked to him, then he reached enlightenment. In fact, any religious story only ever came to be after the “terrible evil” came along and pushed the envelope.

Interviewer: That’s interesting. So what you are saying is that you are god? Am I right?

-Well who else? What, you people think because you go to a building to pray you’re “God’s children”? You make funny gestures and sing a couple of hymns for an hour and you’re convinced. But what are you doing the other 23 hours of the day?

Interviewer: What are we doing?

-I’ll tell you. You chase the knowledge, power, fame, women and money�"all things I give you. The other 23 hours of the day you worship ME.

Interviewer: Does that mean knowledge is evil?

-Why would it be? And if it is, how is that any fault of mine?

Interviewer: Well you gave us knowledge.

-Now we are focusing on the ol’ Abrahamics, but either way I did not give you knowledge. I only gave you the opportunity to obtain knowledge. Did I create the atom bomb, the Smith and Wesson, chemical warfare, political unrest, etc. etc.?

Interviewer: So maybe God was right in keeping us ignorant?

-Difference of opinion. He believes that “ignorance is bliss”; I believe that “knowledge is power.” Just two different three-word mottos I suppose. But I did not create weapons of mass destruction, just as I am not responsible for Nazi Germany. Humans did that. Perhaps God’s children are the evil ones.

Interviewer: So I am, in your theory, a Satanist? I mean I’m educated, concerned with my personal finances, I have carnal desires, all things you say are yours.

-Are you referring to the Cartesian, Kantian, Hume or Locke idea of “I”?

Interviewer: Don’t play games, how about just the plain old “I”? My conscious, religious self; I am a Satanist, right?

-Conscious, interesting. Are you conscious? What do you know, apperception? Mathematics? History? A rudimentary understanding of science? Primitive and limiting Hermeneutics of time and space, my friend. Only those two are conscious: time and space. I am time and space. I’ve existed in more people’s minds in more parts of the world throughout more periods of time than the gods would ever want to admit. You see, my friend? You’re not my disciple, because I am you.

 

-END