Posted on 10/09/2013 4:57:52 AM PDT by NYer
(CNN) - As the Supreme Court begins its new term Monday, the devil is not on the docket – but the Evil One apparently is on the mind of Justice Antonin Scalia.
New York magazine has published a fascinating new interview with Scalia in which the outspoken jurist tackled a number of topics. But none seemed to surprise Scalia's interviewer, Jennifer Senior, more than his views on Satan.
The interview was conducted on September 26, the 27th anniversary of Scalia's swearing-in as a justice on the high court. He is one of a record six Catholic justices on the Supreme Court.
After Scalia and Senior discussed heaven and hell (he believes in them; she doesn't), the justice said in a stage whisper, "I even believe in the devil."
"You do?" Senior replied.
"Of course! Yeah, he’s a real person. Hey, come on, that’s standard Catholic doctrine! Every Catholic believes that," Scalia said.
snip
Senior asked if it's "frightening" to believe in the devil, which seemed to annoy Scalia.
"You’re looking at me as though I’m weird," he answered. "My God! Are you so out of touch with most of America, most of which believes in the devil? I mean, Jesus Christ believed in the devil! It’s in the Gospels! You travel in circles that are so, so removed from mainstream America that you are appalled that anybody would believe in the devil! Most of mankind has believed in the devil, for all of history. Many more intelligent people than you or me have believed in the devil."
(Excerpt) Read more at religion.blogs.cnn.com ...
"I still think it’s Catholic teaching that it’s wrong. OK? But I don’t hate the people that engage in it. In my legal opinions, all I’ve said is that I don’t think the Constitution requires the people to adopt one view or the other," Scalia said.
Catholic ping!
He has it absolutely right. The government has no right to tell me how to think or believe on the issue.
Every true Christian knows that Jesus knew Satan personally, as He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness before He began His earthly ministry. Jesus warned His people about Satan’s power. This should not have come as such a surprise to the interviewer.
Those who do not recognize Satan’s evil force in the world are already his. “Be sober. Be vigilant, because your adversary, the Devil, walks as a roaring lion. seeking whom he will devour. Resist him firmly in the faith.” 1 Peter 1:8
The day will come when she believes. And wishes she had much earlier......
There are NOT six Catholics on the supreme court. IF there were, then abortion would be illegal in this country.
(There may be some who claim to be Catholics, but if they vote for abortion they will rot in hell just like any other lost person. You must be Christian to be Catholic and you cannot be pro-abortion and still be Christian)
“But I don’t hate the people that engage in it”.
He should have followed up by saying “but stay far, far away from me”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rNZHo2VmUc
People try to say they are pro-choice in catholic... I’ll give you one, I’ve heard some so called catholic politicians say this.. we may as well talk about the truth .. Some say, I’m a good catholic , but I’m pro-choice ...
‘Well Happy horse manure, “There ain’t no such thing, You can’t be pro-choice and catholic ... “Period!” .. You can’t.... That is Impossible! ... Man, wake up, and smell the roses, you mean to tell me that you can condone killing the most innocent that would, should be the safest place in the universe for them, in their own mother’s womb .. Your saying you can condone that, support that, promote that, and be a good catholic, ‘you are out of your mind’. The politicians who call themselves catholic, and yet vote every time for abortion, partial abortion & e.t.c .... Are they catholic? “NO!”.. They can talk till they are blue in the face ... What they are is ‘excommunicated’ ... Nobody seems to have the guts to say it ..
They are excommunicated by virtue of their own act.... Fr J. Corapi
Can we talk about your drafting process—
[Leans in, stage-whispers.] I even believe in the Devil.
You do?
Of course! Yeah, he’s a real person. Hey, c’mon, that’s standard Catholic doctrine! Every Catholic believes that.
Every Catholic believes this? There’s a wide variety of Catholics out there …
If you are faithful to Catholic dogma, that is certainly a large part of it.
Have you seen evidence of the Devil lately?
You know, it is curious. In the Gospels, the Devil is doing all sorts of things. He’s making pigs run off cliffs, he’s possessing people and whatnot. And that doesn’t happen very much anymore.
No.
It’s because he’s smart.
So what’s he doing now?
What he’s doing now is getting people not to believe in him or in God. He’s much more successful that way.
That has really painful implications for atheists. Are you sure that’s the Devil’s work?
I didn’t say atheists are the Devil’s work.
Well, you’re saying the Devil is persuading people to not believe in God. Couldn’t there be other reasons to not believe?
Well, there certainly can be other reasons. But it certainly favors the Devil’s desires. I mean, c’mon, that’s the explanation for why there’s not demonic possession all over the place. That always puzzled me. What happened to the Devil, you know? He used to be all over the place. He used to be all over the New Testament.
Right.
What happened to him?
He just got wilier.
He got wilier.
Isn’t it terribly frightening to believe in the Devil?
You’re looking at me as though I’m weird. My God! Are you so out of touch with most of America, most of which believes in the Devil? I mean, Jesus Christ believed in the Devil! It’s in the Gospels! You travel in circles that are so, so removed from mainstream America that you are appalled that anybody would believe in the Devil! Most of mankind has believed in the Devil, for all of history. Many more intelligent people than you or me have believed in the Devil.
I hope you weren’t sensing contempt from me. It wasn’t your belief that surprised me so much as how boldly you expressed it.
I was offended by that. I really was.
There is a lot of evidence for God in the universe. But there is none whatsoever of Satan until he becomes abstracted in the human mind. It’s convenient to have a bugaboo on which to cast our moral failings.
Satan also undermines monotheism with his legion of hobgoblins seeming more Hindu than in the Pentatuch, or Torah wherein I believe The Serpent to be God alone.
Are you a christian?
No. Old Testament identified.
And everyone knows that Justice Scalia has a son whom he calls “Father:, don’t they?
Father Paul Scalia
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