And on and on we go, demonizing whoever scares or threatens us. We demonize our political opposition, world leaders, social forces, and people we don’t like ad nauseum. We don’t want to see the humanity in our enemies, and so we turn them into monsters and devils so we can hate them, attack them, and even kill them, all the while feeling righteous. Worst of all, we do this to people made in God’s image and sometimes fellow followers of Jesus whom we should treat like family (even if estranged family).

Do you know who loves it when we turn everyone into the devil? The Devil. Who loves it when we demonize fellow humans? Demons.

Here is the reality according to scripture.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” - Eph. 6:12

The color of evil is not white, black, yellow, or brown. Evil doesn’t have a color.

America is not uniquely good or evil. It is a country of humans like all others with strengths and weaknesses. The same is true for Russia, China, or any other nation. Asian hate in response to COVID-19 makes no sense. It is lunacy to blame an entire ethnic group or continent of people just because something bad started there. Do you know who is suffering from the evil forces controlling Russia’s war on Ukraine? Ukrainians and Russians. Every country our staff at MRN visits is filled with wonderful people, many of whom have said to us, “Please don’t blame us for what our government does and we won’t blame you for what your government does.”

The devil is not any country, culture, race, or religion. The true evil one works inside every system, even those that claim to follow Jesus.

Every country with any historical backstory has done some amazing things and some horrible things. No nation, economic system, political system, philosophy, company, industry, or human institution is the hope of the world…nor the devil incarnate.

The devil is the devil, and we need to remember that when we are afraid or angry. When we demonize people, we are giving ourselves license to hate and do evil to them. Dehumanization is the first step toward atrocities. Ask the Jews, the Armenians, the descendants of enslaved Africans, or the Rwandans who lived through the ’90s. Before a genocide can get going, the “others” must be reduced to an infestation of incarnate evil. They are turned into sub-humans or devils.

Jesus calls on us to love our enemies. He doesn’t tell us we don’t have enemies. We do. But the humans we see are not our real enemies. They may be victims of our enemies, but they are not our real enemies. Our real enemies are deeper and more devious. They are powers at play behind humans and within human systems. We can hate the forces of evil that prey on people, but we can’t follow Jesus and hate anyone made in the image of God.

So, let’s keep the devil in his unique place of being the devil. Let’s stop demonizing people God says are his children, loved by him, and for whom Jesus died. Jesus tells us to love them and do good to them even if they mistreat us.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”- Matt 5:43-35

Keeping the Devil in His Place