Paul Harvey: If I Were The Devil

On April 30th, I created a post titled, "The Republic Is Lost"
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Later on in that thread, I posted this video of Paul Harvey that, although originally presented long ago, seems almost prophetic today and diserves remembering and re-broadcast to the entire nation on every radio station across this nation, repeatedly.

May God's wrath be upon the people that are destroying this nation.

I've always loved this. It's nice to pull it up for a refresher on occasion.

Transcript:

“If I were the devil … If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — Thee. So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first — I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please.’

To the young, I would whisper that ‘The Bible is a myth.’ I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is ‘square.’ And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington…

And then I’d get organized. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions — just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography — soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money. If I were the devil I’d make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

And what do you bet I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? I would caution against extremes and hard work in Patriotism, in moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the way to be. And thus, I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure. In other words, if I were the devil I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.”

a reply to: CharlesT

Another one to remember from way back when, creepy stuff for kids.... The Adventures of Mark Twain



Cheers - Dave

a reply to: CharlesT

That broadcast's title should be changed to "Paul Harvey - Spoiler Alert".

a reply to: CharlesT

That's a great one! Another one, Paul Harvey: WE THE PEOPLE

Speaking of classics, this seems to be an appropriate place for the following:

The Paradox of Our Time

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology has brought this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, or to just hit delete...

a reply to: CharlesT

"In other words, if I were the devil I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.”

Smart guy that Paul Harvey.

And that's the rest of the story...

If I were God, and I observed that society had built cities and governments, literature and science, poetry and music, and that all of these crafts were threatening to put them permanently on a road that would only lead further away from me, if I observed that their dependence and my relevance were growing lesser by the decade, if I feared that one day my name would be an obscure word chiseled in a broken temple less revered as a sanctuary and more studied as a curiosity, I would throw on a dark cloak and hood. I would prowl the streets and give bad advice, I would approach leaders in taverns at late hours and tell them all the secrets they fear most. I would plant the seeds of controversy and conspiracy, I would spread rumor of misinformation and misanthropy, I would invest in businesses of villainy and vulgar indulgence, I would confuse their officials on the difference between tea and bathwater, I would overturn the scales of justice and leak the recipe for terror and hatred. I would write the blueprints for engines of war in the diaries of desperate scientists, I would send feverish nightmares of devils and corruption to already unstable politicians, I would inspire mad men and patriots to increasingly violent depravities. I would remove myself from education and workplaces, to make room for the creeping insecurities and hostilities that I would gradually feed into their economy and families. I would take turns playing both the conscience and the egos of respected teachers, bosses, coaches, senators, rabbis, waitresses, officers, journalists, scientists and more. I would blur the lines between holy and unholy, civilized and uncivilized, natural and unnatural. I would not encourage peace or wisdom, I would gently and carefully prompt those in possession of such qualities to put them in the wrong places to create further imbalance and discord in a ship that's already listing in a sea filled with sharks I created to stir the murky waters. I would disguise growth as decay and horror as joy. And then, in their most pitiful hour at the edge of implosion and collapse, I would remove my hood and show them my mercy. I would confront the demon I created and give them proof of my benevolence and superiority. I would defeat the shadows I built by pulling the threads I engineered and dismantling the illusions I conjured, and the world will love me and worship me for rescuing them from all the most sinister influences at my disposal. If I were God, I would never disclose my methods because civilization doesn't need to know how I saved them. They don't need to know that I invented Satan to chase them back into the shelter of my embrace, because they would never understand what I do. There will always be an acceptable degree of evil as long as it serves the necessary leverage to keep my children safe at home, under my perfect everlasting control. They were never going to be happy or successful without me and that's all they ever need to know.

But I'm not God, so there's no reason to panic.

🍻 😉

originally posted by: TzarChasm
If I were God, and I observed that society had built cities and governments, literature and science, poetry and music, and that all of these crafts were threatening to put them permanently on a road that would only lead further away from me, if I observed that their dependence and my relevance were growing lesser by the decade, if I feared that one day my name would be an obscure word chiseled in a broken temple less revered as a sanctuary and more studied as a curiosity, I would throw on a dark cloak and hood. I would prowl the streets and give bad advice, I would approach leaders in taverns at late hours and tell them all the secrets they fear most. I would plant the seeds of controversy and conspiracy, I would spread rumor of misinformation and misanthropy, I would invest in businesses of villainy and vulgar indulgence, I would confuse their officials on the difference between tea and bathwater, I would overturn the scales of justice and leak the recipe for terror and hatred. I would write the blueprints for engines of war in the diaries of desperate scientists, I would send feverish nightmares of devils and corruption to already unstable politicians, I would inspire mad men and patriots to increasingly violent depravities. I would remove myself from education and workplaces, to make room for the creeping insecurities and hostilities that I would gradually feed into their economy and families. I would take turns playing both the conscience and the egos of respected teachers, bosses, coaches, senators, rabbis, waitresses, officers, journalists, scientists and more. I would blur the lines between holy and unholy, civilized and uncivilized, natural and unnatural. I would not encourage peace or wisdom, I would gently and carefully prompt those in possession of such qualities to put them in the wrong places to create further imbalance and discord in a ship that's already listing in a sea filled with sharks I created to stir the murky waters. I would disguise growth as decay and horror as joy. And then, in their most pitiful hour at the edge of implosion and collapse, I would remove my hood and show them my mercy. I would confront the demon I created and give them proof of my benevolence and superiority. I would defeat the shadows I built by pulling the threads I engineered and dismantling the illusions I conjured, and the world will love me and worship me for rescuing them from all the most sinister influences at my disposal. If I were God, I would never disclose my methods because civilization doesn't need to know how I saved them. They don't need to know that I invented Satan to chase them back into the shelter of my embrace, because they would never understand what I do. There will always be an acceptable degree of evil as long as it serves the necessary leverage to keep my children safe at home, under my perfect everlasting control. They were never going to be happy or successful without me and that's all they ever need to know.

But I'm not God, so there's no reason to panic.

🍻 😉

I'm guessing you're one of those that constantly ask "Why doesn't God do this or that, why does God allow bad things to happen?"...

Freewill. If God intervened and never allowed bad things to happen then we'd lose Freewill, and Freewill was the main point of our Creation.

I'm glad I can celebrate God through good times and bad times, imagine an adult that runs to mommy and daddy every time their feelz were hurt or someone said or did something they disagreed with... I'm guessing that actually DOES happen, I'm sure lots of college brats text mommy and daddy constantly complaining because someone wore a MAGA hat or voiced a complaint regarding Joek Biden's incompetence...

😭

1965
Did he know he was a prophet!

a reply to: EdisonintheFM

I'm a critic with a sense of humor, and the Paul Harvey commentary inspired me to reimagine god as a toxic helicopter parent who is simultaneously unsympathetic and controlling to the point that he plays Spy vs Spy with himself just to maintain his essential and heroic reputation. Much like a stolen election, you can't prove a negative.

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: EdisonintheFM

I'm a critic with a sense of humor, and the Paul Harvey commentary inspired me to reimagine god as a toxic helicopter parent who is simultaneously unsympathetic and controlling to the point that he plays Spy vs Spy with himself just to maintain his essential and heroic reputation. Much like a stolen election, you can't prove a negative.

I think it is much more likely you inspired yourself.

a reply to: SeaWorthy

Is there something you want to elaborate about, or just expressing your disappointment?

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: EdisonintheFM

I'm a critic with a sense of humor, and the Paul Harvey commentary inspired me to reimagine god as a toxic helicopter parent who is simultaneously unsympathetic and controlling to the point that he plays Spy vs Spy with himself just to maintain his essential and heroic reputation. Much like a stolen election, you can't prove a negative.

You can't prove anything when evidence is tampered with.....my election reference.

a reply to: CharlesT

Yeah, that's hitting way to close to what we have today. Scary.

originally posted by: EdisonintheFM

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: EdisonintheFM

I'm a critic with a sense of humor, and the Paul Harvey commentary inspired me to reimagine god as a toxic helicopter parent who is simultaneously unsympathetic and controlling to the point that he plays Spy vs Spy with himself just to maintain his essential and heroic reputation. Much like a stolen election, you can't prove a negative.

You can't prove anything when evidence is tampered with.....my election reference.

You can prove when the election has been tampered with, but that's been minimized and dismissed in typical sheeple fashion.

originally posted by: TzarChasm

originally posted by: EdisonintheFM

originally posted by: TzarChasm
a reply to: EdisonintheFM

I'm a critic with a sense of humor, and the Paul Harvey commentary inspired me to reimagine god as a toxic helicopter parent who is simultaneously unsympathetic and controlling to the point that he plays Spy vs Spy with himself just to maintain his essential and heroic reputation. Much like a stolen election, you can't prove a negative.

You can't prove anything when evidence is tampered with.....my election reference.

You can prove when the election has been tampered with, but that's been minimized and dismissed in typical sheeple fashion.

I'll remain skeptical since it's now been proven there was no "Insurrection".

Just a matter of time before facts come out. Thing is, the ones capable of finding facts withhold them until it's convenient for them, to be used as a distraction.

So much going on at once the feds are being forced to come forth with facts, so like I said, any day now they'll confirm the election was rigged, just the DNC nomination was.

a reply to: CharlesT

One of the greatest voices in radio history.