Saturday, March 31, 2007 Libre: The devil lives but won’t rule By Mel libre Seriously Now
AS early as in the ‘60s, rumors were spread that Procter and Gamble, the manufacturer of a wide-range of popular products, was an institution that was built by Satan. “Proof” was the logo of the company that showed a horned and bearded man facing thirteen stars.
Of course, the face was that of the devil and the stars formed the number of the beast 666. In the ‘80s, the rumor persisted and there were people in the Philippines who actually boycotted the products of the company. Its business must have been so affected that in 1985 the corporation dropped its controversial logo.
In a news item published a few days ago, a court in the United States ordered four men to pay US$19 million in damages for spreading a false story years ago that the president of the firm, in a TV interview, declared that the company gave money to Satanists.
It took twelve years of legal battle before the company obtained a favorable decision. It vindicated Procter and Gamble from claims about its alleged association with Lucifer. So it is alright after all to dry your child with Pampers, cleanse yourself with Safeguard, wash your clothes with Tide or shave yourself with Gillette.
If the multinational company did suffer from the black propaganda, it only proved that people do believe in the devil and would not want to support those associated with him.
But then, Satan seems to have transformed himself into a more accessible and more human form in these times. The devil has always been pictured as a horrifying creature with horns, hoofs and tail. He is associated with demons, monsters, witches and ghosts.
But he has been given a make-over in pop culture – Harvey Comic’s “Hot Stuff the Little Devil,” Elizabeth Hurley as the devil in “Bedazzled,” Al Pacino as a cool and calculating devil disguised as the top honcho of the world’s biggest law firm in “The Devil’s Advocate” and Merryl Streep playing the title role in “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Why should the devil have to look terrifying, ugly or sinister knowing that this scares people? He can simply do the opposite: be rich, famous and popular and get the youth and even mature individuals to embrace sin, worship money and live in the material world.
If we think the devil is just out there, think again. Satan is not a myth nor is he just a mere symbol. The devil lives among us. If he was bold enough to try to tempt Jesus Christ in the desert, for sure he will tempt each and everyone of us, especially when we let our guards down.
The Roman Catholic Church’s chief exorcist, Fr. Gabriele Amorth, said last year: “Of course the Devil exists, and he cannot only possess a single person but also groups and entire populations. That’s why we need to defend society from demons.”
Father Amorth was not talking off his head. You must know that he is said to have cast out 30,000 demons.
So beware: Satan lives. But Satan won’t rule, so long as we remain true to our faith even if Pringles (a Procter and Gamble product) happens to be your favorite snack item.
