Why do humans believe in a dark power such as the devil?

When we make a mistake we might jokingly say, “The devil made me do it!” That may be a true statement considering that the word “devil” is referred to by the ancients as ego, free will or choice.

The ancients did not personify or assign deity status to the terms “god” and “devil.” They were symbols which represented choice or free will. Without the ability to choose, we have no power at all!

Evil or devil is simply a shadow side of ourselves that we have been taught to hide because we consider certain behaviors or character traits unacceptable. The Bible teaches that there is no condemnation in Christ and that we should not judge, yet we spend a lot of time and energy trying to repress or get rid of something that is a vital part of us.

Humans assign value to things, situations and one another by passing judgment or rendering an opinion. For example, our society believes it is wrong to be angry and that crying is a sign of weakness; yet psychologists have shown that repressing our emotions is dangerous and causes depression and other mental illness. We can find ways to express our frustration and allow our shadow side to have a voice without harming ourselves or others.

I suppose it is harmless to conclude that the vastness of “God” or Divine Infinite Intelligence contains both light and dark. You certainly can’t have shadows without light. Everything in the Universe is a manifestation of God in some way. Even the most negative energy is able to teach us a lesson.

People like Adolph Hitler had purpose in life; they just operated totally out of their ego or dark side rather than from their spirit or light side. Sylvia Browne in her book, Past Lives, Future Healing, says there are dark entities or spirits who are estranged from God’s unconditional love and are remorseless, manipulative, often charming and seductive. They are completely without conscious and attempt to draw people away from God by destroying their faith, self-respect, and peace of mind. They have no angel or spirit guide to direct them on their life’s journey, and have no desire to progress spiritually. They do not go to a place of joy when they die; instead, they go to a hollow, bottomless void called the Left Door and return to earth in utero. They continue this cycle for centuries until a rescuer from the Other Side embraces them and brings them into God’s light. Note that they do not have a “between” life time and therefore are not the ghosts or apparitions many people see.