{"id":9816,"date":"2026-01-03T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=9816"},"modified":"2026-02-24T21:02:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:02:44","slug":"satan-sin-politics-and-making-sense-anyway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/satan-sin-politics-and-making-sense-anyway\/","title":{"rendered":"Satan, Sin, Politics, and Making Sense Anyway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FuCw8UT5y6c?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;The Devil&#8221;, Fulton Sheen, Family Retreat (5 of 12), Catholic Clips on YouTube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I may offend pretty much everyone this week. Then again, maybe not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Either way, instead of what I&#8217;d planned on writing, I&#8217;ll be sharing a video which, despite some rather dated terminology, makes good points about the devil: and why living as if &#8216;right&#8217; and &#8216;wrong&#8217; exist makes sense. I&#8217;ve got a bit to say about that, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This isn&#8217;t my favorite topic, but \u2014 touching on it seemed like a good idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"watching\"><\/a>Watching an Old Video<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fulton_J._Sheen\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20260101ff\/20260101-500px-Fulton_J_Sheen_NYWTS-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer's photo: Fulton J. Sheen, Roman Catholic Bishop and early television preacher, on a set for one of his regular television programs. (1952) New York World-Telegram &amp; Sun Collection, Library of Congress, http:\/\/hdl.loc.gov\/loc.pnp\/cph.3c23461 via Wikipedia\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fulton J. Sheen. (1952)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s been &#8216;one of those weeks&#8217;, although there&#8217;s nothing obviously wrong with me, and life is going well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even so, I kept getting writer&#8217;s block whenever I sat down and tried writing about what I had in mind for this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then a 37-minute video of the Venerable Fulton Sheen, possibly from the early 1970s, showed up in my YouTube feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve known about Fulton Sheen since before I became a Catholic, and figured I had 37 minutes available for the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s more time than I&#8217;ll set aside for an old &#8220;The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends&#8221; show. But I started watching anyway. Partly because Fulton Sheen is among the folks I think make sense when they talk or write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the time I was through listening, I&#8217;d started writing this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"theology\"><\/a>Theology, Slogans, and Human Nature<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/king-josiah-consequences-and-love\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/1024px-John_Martin_-_Pandemonium_-_WGA14149-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"John Martin's painting: 'Pandemonium' (1841) see https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Martin_(painter) https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pand%C3%A6monium_(Paradise_Lost)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Martin&#8217;s &#8220;Pandemonium&#8221;. (1841)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>I wouldn&#8217;t take all theological details of a joke Fulton Sheen told in the first few minutes too seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It involves tourist jaunts between Heaven and Hell. The point isn&#8217;t the jaunts, but what the devil &#8216;looks like&#8217; as we go along through life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another thing: Fulton Sheen was talking to Christians in this video. That may be why he didn&#8217;t spend time talking about why following Jesus is the right choice. I won&#8217;t, either, beyond saying that seeking truth and accepting mercy makes sense. To me, at any rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for why I see a point in sharing a video recorded a half-century back \u2014 some things change, some don&#8217;t change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fashions, like maxicoats \u2014 or was it maxiskirts? \u2014 change. So do slogans, like &#8220;theology is politics&#8221; and &#8220;I gotta be me&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other things don&#8217;t change, like whether or not hating my neighbor is okay. It&#8217;s <strong>not<\/strong> okay, by the way. I should love God, love my neighbors, and see everyone as my neighbor. Always. (<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/5#48005043\">Matthew 5:43<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/5#48005044\">44<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/22#48022036\">22:36<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/22#48022040\">40<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/12#49012028\">Mark 12:28<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/12#49012031\">31<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/6#50006031\">Luke 6:31<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010025\">10:25<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010027\">27<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010029\">29<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010037\">37<\/a>; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2196)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Human nature hasn&#8217;t changed, either. It&#8217;s as good, and as wounded, now as it was in my youth, on that first Christmas, and since long before we started keeping written records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s why I think that what Fulton Sheen said about the devil\/Satan, attitudes, assumptions, and living as if what we do matters, is worth hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, before I wrap this up, about theology:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;Theology and religion are not the same thing. When the churches are controlled by theologians religious people stay away.&#8221;<br>[Holbrook Jackson]<br>&#8220;<strong><span style=\"color: #116611\">Theology is simply that part of religion that requires brains<\/span><\/strong>&#8221; <br>[G. K. Chesterton&#8217;s comment, written in green pencil]<br>(&#8220;Platitudes Undone&#8221;, Ignatius Press (1997 page 25 (The Inner Temple)); facsimile edition of &#8220;Platitudes in the Making: Precepts and Advices for Gentlefolk&#8221;, Holbrook Jackson (1911))<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Considering attitudes and opinions that have been seen as &#8216;intelligent&#8217; or &#8216;reverent&#8217;, I&#8217;d better say it: <strong>I think Chesterton is right about theology.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"making\"><\/a>Making Sense<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/rereading-christopher-marlowes-doctor-faustus\/#definitions\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20150128-387px-Flickr_trialsanderrors_-_Thurston_the_great_magician%2C_performing_arts_poster_1910-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Promotional poster: 'Thurston the Great Magician'. (1910) Strobridge Lithograph Co., Cincinnati, New York see https:\/\/loc.gov\/pictures\/collection\/var\/\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A stage magician&#8217;s poster. (1910)<br>Colorful, but not theologically sound.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>At the moment, I&#8217;m simply not up to explaining why I think Satan is real <strong>and<\/strong> doesn&#8217;t wear red tights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The same goes for why I \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Take Jesus seriously<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Try acting as if my beliefs matter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take civic responsibility seriously<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Believe some acts are always right\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>And some are always wrong<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014 and why seeing ethics\/morality as more than personal preference doesn&#8217;t make me &#8216;political&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides, I&#8217;ve talked about Satan, Jesus, being human, and all that, before:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jesus matters<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/\"><strong>Just Who is This Jesus Person, and Who Does He Think He is?<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (October 8, 2022)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/#those\">&#8220;Those Who Followed Were Afraid&#8221;??<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/#claiming\">Claiming Divinity<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/just-who-is-this-jesus-person-and-who-does-he-think-he-is\/#man\">The Man Who Said &#8220;I AM&#8221; and Defeated Death<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Devil: really<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/killing-prisoners-valuing-human-life\/\"><strong>Killing Prisoners, Valuing Human Life<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (August 27, 2022)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/killing-prisoners-valuing-human-life\/#demons\">Demons: Seriously, but Not Obsessively<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/satan-didnt-make-me-do-it\/\"><strong>Satan Didn&#8217;t Make Me Do It<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (November 13, 2016)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/satan-didnt-make-me-do-it\/#getting\">Getting a Grip About &#8220;Sin&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/satan-didnt-make-me-do-it\/#free\">Free Will and Options<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/satan-didnt-make-me-do-it\/#satan\">Satan Has Limits<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human Nature<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-remembering-being-vigilant-doing-my-job\/\"><strong>Advent: Remembering, Being Vigilant, Doing My Job<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (December 2, 2023)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-remembering-being-vigilant-doing-my-job\/#after\">After the Sixth Day: Still &#8220;Very Good&#8221;<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-remembering-being-vigilant-doing-my-job\/#human\">Human Nature: Good News, Bad News, and Original Sin<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-remembering-being-vigilant-doing-my-job\/#living\">Living With Consequences<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Faith matters<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/principles-priorities-politics-and-being-catholic\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20240813ff\/20240916-Lincoln_Memorial_I_Have_a_Dream_50th_anniversary-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"White House Photographer Chuck Kennedy's photo: Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.; then-President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton walk past the statue of President Lincoln. (August 28, 2013)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/principles-priorities-politics-and-being-catholic\/\"><strong>Principles, Priorities, Politics: and Being Catholic<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (September 21, 2024)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/principles-priorities-politics-and-being-catholic\/#citizenship\">Citizenship and the Common Good<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/principles-priorities-politics-and-being-catholic\/#political\">Political Venom: It&#8217;s Not New<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/principles-priorities-politics-and-being-catholic\/#there\">There <em>ARE<\/em> Bright Sides<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/principles-priorities-politics-and-being-catholic\/#theend\">The End of Civilization as We Know It \u2014 As Usual<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/liberal-conservative-republican-democrat-no-catholic\/\"><strong>Liberal? Conservative? Republican? Democrat? No: Catholic<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (July 27, 2024)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/liberal-conservative-republican-democrat-no-catholic\/#acting\">Acting As If What I Believe Matters<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/liberal-conservative-republican-democrat-no-catholic\/#fear\">Fear and Politics<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/liberal-conservative-republican-democrat-no-catholic\/#love\">Love, Hope, and Making Sense<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I may offend pretty much everyone this week. Then again, maybe not. Either way, instead of what I&#8217;d planned on writing, I&#8217;ll be sharing a video which, despite some rather dated terminology, makes good points about the devil: and why &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/satan-sin-politics-and-making-sense-anyway\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"An old video with ideas that still matter. How I see fashions, slogans, and things that do not change. A Chesterton quote about theology, and its source.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Satan, Sin, Politics, and Making Sense Anyway","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[215,154],"tags":[21,64,69,48,34,97,14],"class_list":["post-9816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-being-catholic","category-discursive-detours","tag-ethics","tag-faith","tag-jesus","tag-last-things","tag-politics","tag-satan","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-2yk","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9816"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9953,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9816\/revisions\/9953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}