When many Christians talk about demons, it often seems as if they believe demons are all powerful, that when a demon can and sometimes will take absolute control over the lives of those they prey upon. This has often led many Christians to suggest that when someone does evil, if is often not their fault, that a demon made them act as they did. This is a sentiment which the desert fathers and mothers not only rejected, but believed their religious profession was, in part, meant to show the victory which can be had over the demonic powers in the world. They knew, and showed with their lives, that demons had only a limited amount a power. This is not to say they believed demons were entirely powerless. They said demons certainly can influence our thoughts, and inspire us to act in ways which we know we should not, but in general, that is the extent of their power – they can be resisted, and ultimately, everything we choose to do is on us, not the demons. They made it clear that demons should never be used as scapegoats for our moral failures. If we give in to their influence, it is on us, which is a point Abba Pambo made when giving spiritual direction to another monk:
A brother asked Abba Pambo, “Why do the demons hinder me from doing good to my neighbor?” The elder said to him, “Do not speak like that, or you make God a liar. Say rather, ‘I am totally unwilling to be merciful.’ In anticipation of which God has said, ‘I have given you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy” [Luke. 10:19].[1]
While some Christians have taken Jesus’ words about having power over serpents and scorpions in an extremely literal fashion, others (and probably, those representing the most dominant theological tradition) have suggested that the serpents and scorpions are allegorical, that is, they are metaphors representing demonic powers trying to poison us with their evil desires for us. This is why Abba Pambo’s application of Luke 10:19 is not an unusual take. It is not that they believed that some might not be saved from literal poison, but they did not think people should tempt God and risk it.
Therefore, when Pambo was asked by a monk why demons madee it impossible for him to follow God’s will, said that the monk was wrong to think this. Demons cannot prevent him from making a choice to serve his neighbor, to show goodwill to everyone. If he doesn’t do so, it is on him. God’s command to love his neighbor is something which he could fulfill, if he chose to do so. Yes, he might have to fight against his worst instincts, and demonic powers might, in some way, encourage him to do what he knew was wrong, but in the end, it is on him and his choice.
This is why, if we find ourselves excusing ourselves and our bad actions by saying we did what we did under demonic influence, the desert fathers and mothers would warn us that we are trying to avoid our own responsibility, that we can and should fight against those demonic influences, and if we did, they would not be able to compel us to do what we know is wrong. The fault lies with us when we give up the fight. We end up denying our own free agency, a gift given to us by God. It is important for us to consider the good of our neighbor; we must not let any excuse get in the way of doing so. We certainly must not lay the blame on demons, saying they make it impossible for us to treat them as we should. Nor must we say something similar, like saying the law does not allow us to treat them with the love and care they deserve. If the law tells us to abuse them, to treat them poorly, to denigrate their humanity and their natural human dignity, we can and should disobey the law. We cannot justify ourselves by saying we were just following the law, just following orders. We have a will of our own. We have a conscience. We can see what is being done and know it is wrong. An unjust law is no law, meaning, we are not bound to follow it – indeed, due to its injustice, we must resist it. Thus, the fight we have against demonic powers can be seen to continue in and with the world system, that is, as a fight against the systemic structures of sin which have been put in place and reinforced by the rule of law, just as Paul explained: “For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12 RSV).
Christians have all kinds of tools to help them, to help inform their conscience, and make sure they continue to fight off all their bad impulses or all the attempts to deny themselves their own agency. They have the teachings of Christ. They have graces given to them at their baptism and when they receive other sacraments, graces which, if embraced, will help them in their fight against their worst inclinations, and all the evil thoughts which might come across their minds. By being given much more, much more is expected of them, which is why it is even worse for them to give in to the evil trying to take control of (and ultimately destroy) the world.
God always makes room for our agency. We cannot just shrug off our responsibility, which sadly is what happens when people give demonic forces too much power; they might be a challenge, indeed, they are, not just within our lives, but in society at large – but they are not invincible, and if we resist, we can be victorious and change things for the better, both in ourselves, and in the world at large. This is exactly what many of the desert fathers and mothers intended to do when they went out into the desert. But as we take on that fight, we must remember what it is which we are trying to do, which is, to be good, to follow the path which God set up, the path which is founded upon the principle of love. We are to love God; in and through that love of God, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. We must be merciful, showing mercy to others even as we would like to be shown mercy for the times when we have not done as we should. We must recognize our neighbor to be someone like ourselves, someone with their own thoughts and desires, their own hopes and dreams, which like us, sometimes leads them astray. We must be empathic with them, for it is in and with such empathy, we can better love them, and in and through such love, confront the powers that be and be victorious against them.
[1] The Book of Elders. Sayings of the Desert Fathers. The Systematic Collection. trans. John Wortley (Collegeville, MN: Cistercian Publications, 2012), 166 [N 383].
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