Sir, – Eamonn McCann laments the fact that these days the Devil hardly ever gets a look in and that even church leaders are coy when talking about him ("Why do we rarely give the Devil his due?", Opinion & Analysis, May 22nd).
The reason of course is that to all intents and purposes the Devil is practically redundant.
When the Devil summons his chief operating officers to a meeting and instructs them to institute devilry and mayhem here on Earth, the invariable reply is that they have been too slow off the mark and that the major (and minor) world religions have cornered the market in warfare, murder, torture, sexual violence and general repression in God’s name, leaving the poor old Devil to wonder at his role and place in society.
For as long as we have organised sectarian and bigoted and intolerant religions flourishing on Earth, the Devil will have time on his hands. – Yours, etc,
HUGH PIERCE,
Newtown Road,
Celbridge,
Co Kildare.
A chara, – Eamonn McCann wonders why folk rarely “give the devil his due”. Let us consider why that might be – for those who believe in him he is the “father of lies”, incapable of any good because he is the antithesis of it, a monster who seeks the damnation of all humanity, and is therefore to be abhorred; for those who do not, he is imaginary and irrelevant. In either case, he has nothing “due” to him. The devil, if you’ll pardon the expression, is in the detail on this one, Mr McCann! – Is mise,
Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer,
Co Kilkenny.
Sir, – “Has there ever been a suggestion of soldiers being told before going over the top not to worry, you have the Devil on your side? No”. I’m afraid Eamon is not quite right. What about the Connaught Rangers (“The Devil’s Own”)? – Yours, etc,
TOM McCLELLAND,
Elton Court,
Leixlip,
Co Kildare.