The Devil’s Trick

I love the line from The Usual Suspects, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist".

We remember the film, but the phrase is a riff on a 19th-century French quote by poet Charles Baudelaire: "La plus belle des ruses du Diable est de vous persuader qu'il n'existe pas."

I would offer a different interpretation. “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing humans that he was more powerful than he is.”  Humans give the Devil more credit than he deserves.

Consider for a moment what would happen in our world if we knew for certain that there was no Devil?

Who would we blame when things went wrong? For example, when someone lies or betrays us, without the Devil to blame, we would have to hold ourselves or others accountable. When a tragic event happens, like a natural disaster or an accident, we cannot point to an external evil. We would be left accepting that as human beings, we’re limited. Preachers would have to tighten up accountability in their sermons, focusing on human responsibility since they would no longer have a target for everything that makes them uncomfortable. Some sermons would end without a clear villain, leaving the congregation in limbo, requiring them to wrestle with the mystery of life and faith rather than offering a completely logical solution to life's challenges. We would have to grapple with the truth that events will occur beyond our control. And we would have to confront our own selfishness.

For clarity, I do believe there is a malevolent force in the universe that stands in opposition to peace. I also believe this force is highly efficient and crafty, like a strategist who lets others do most of the work once a plan is set in motion. For example, the Devil pushes emotional 'buttons'—such as envy, fear, or anger—and then lets humans act on those feelings. There are some whose theology requires a strong Satan to support a number of their beliefs. I remember once sitting in a sermon at a church camp as a young adult and thinking to myself, “Wow, it’s like we believe that Jesus and Satan are in an arm wrestling match, and every time the Liberals win an election, we preach like Jesus is losing the match. These guys preach as if they believe Satan’s ripped!” Cultures often need an enemy and someone to blame to rally people. The best way to rally people together against others is to somehow photoshop the Devil onto the image of the other. Actually, in the modern day, AI-powered algorithms can accomplish the same feat by amplifying fear or hate on social media and painting opponents as evil.

This tendency has real-life implications in today’s politics. An interesting study was once done that revealed that 75% of liberals ranked Hitler as right-wing as possible, and 50% of conservatives ranked him as left-wing as possible.* Human beings are remarkably good at imagining evil in others outside of their tribe. We are prone to see the worst in others.

The devil stands in front of other humans, insults us, intimidates us, frightens us, and waits for us to launch an attack. The moment we pull the trigger, he vanishes, allowing our attack to pierce the heart of another human being.

It’s sad and tragic. All he had to do was push a few buttons to trigger our contempt.

Once those buttons are pushed, you and I still have the opportunity to make a choice. To see the worst, or believe the best about each other. The answer to this devil tactic is perhaps humanity's greatest talent. The ability to imagine better. The moments when I felt like I’ve truly learned from God are the ones when I’ve doubted my clarity of mind just long enough to take a good, long second look at the other and see a human being, not the devil. The challenge for you and me is to use that God-given talent to see the best and nurture the potential for peace. Don’t be fooled, most people are good. Have the eyes to see them that way.

Thanks for reading, friend!

Notes: *Outrage, Gray Kurt Pantheon books, New York 2025 pg. 197