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               66     66                       ...

         An Interview with   
                 The Devil

Visit  our  home  page°

Chapter Eleven

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Controversy Sells

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This book is actually an interview with an Angel of Light whose mission is to expose "The Dark Side"  for what it is.   He/She shines the God-Light of Love, Inclusion, and Oneness into the pit of illusion, separation, darkness, anger, and fear.     F.A.Questions° 

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An Interview 
with

 

      .  .

The
 Golden Rule:

He who
 owns the
 Gold rules!

" The Devil " 

   by R.Robin Cote'

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Chapter Eleven       Controversy Sells
And It's a multi-billion-dollar Business

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T.L.C.   OK, regarding the fundamentalist Christian leaders, please talk to me about why they keep declaring war on issues that they know they can't win.

Big D   Money, power, ego, publicity.

T.L.C.   I could have guessed that much on my own.   Can you get under the rhetoric and give me an answer in everyday, understandable  language.

Big D   Can I?    Was that a figure of speech or are you doubting my ability?

T.L.C.   I was . . .

Big D   Never mind, let me state the answer the question in two contexts, first  as a  marketing strategy  and then in Biblical terms.   Attempting to force religious beliefs into secular law creates controversy.  Controversy sells and it's a multi-billion dollar business.   Controversy is right up there with sex, babies and motherhood when it comes to selling ideas.    I'll detail that in a moment, but first, let's talk Bible.    In Biblical terms, the Christian God tells us about money.   Through Jesus He said, "Gather your treasures in heaven and not in Earthly wealth.***ps-11-1

            That passage definitely does not represent prime real estate for fundamentalist Christian leaders to preach from.  How many millions of dollars are they raking in because they adamantly preach their anti-sex, anti-gay, anti-evolution, anti-embryonic-stem-cell research, and anti-abortion proclamations and then beg for money to support their causes?   How many of them live the lifestyles of money, fame, and power.   And how many of these leaders are living life styles that would be the envy of literally billions of poor, depressed and/or starving  people?   And then there are the words of Christian theology's prime architect, Saint Augustine:   "The more you suffer, the closer you are to God."   

            Their behavior indicates that they may have been listening to the author of "Cabaret" and not the authors of the Bible.  "Money, money, money.    Money makes the world go around, go around.   Money makes the world go around."   So how much money are these poor, suffering leaders of fundamentalist Christianity raking in?

T.L.C.   The obvious answer to your question is hundreds of millions of dollars. 

Big D    When you consider all of them collectively, multiple billions of dollars would be more accurate.   And if they weren’t preaching their anti-almost-everything proclamations, how much money would they be taking in.? 

T.L.C.   I don’t know.  

Big D   Well, there are literally thousands of financially struggling clergy and churches that don’t make an excessively big deal out of these issues, that don’t deny religious freedom of others, and that don’t have very much money either.   

T.L.C.   And the leaders don't live in lifestyles of money, fame, and power, either.

Big D   Now your getting my message.  

T.L.C.   Yes, I've got that part, but  what’s your point here?

Big D   Two things.   First, these issues are highly emotional, money-making tools.   So, church leaders have two choices.   They can preach their anti-almost-everything proclamations and rake in big money, or not preach them and stay relatively poor.   Second, the fundamentalist Christian leaders are not really defying their own God; they’re simply ignoring him.

T.L.C.   Well, if they’re ignoring God, what are they doing, and who or what are they worshipping?

Big D   Although they may not even know it, the ultra-conservative Christian leaders are  worshiping The Great God Money and his three archangels, Ego, Fame, and Power.   Don’t you want to pat me on the back for masterminding this?  

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T.L.C.   For masterminding what?  

Big D   gave me one of her cocky smiles indicating she’s definitely proud of what she’s accomplished.   For just a moment, her eyes brightened so brightly I could hardly see the rest of her face.   She spoke loudly and proudly. 

Big D   FOR  MASTERMINDING  THE  GRANDEST  OF  ILLUSIONS. 

Then she leaned toward me and whispered as though no one else was to hear. 

Big D   Guess who The Great God Money really is? 

My mouth dropped open.   For a moment I said nothing.   I just looked at the lights in her eyes.   Finally I spoke. 

T.L.C.   You’re aren't kidding, are you?

Big D   I’m definitely not kidding.   The Great God Money is just another one of my disguises.   In that department I was even so ballsy as to have one of my agents tell all of you directly who The Great God Money really is, and I still have everyone fooled. 

T.L.C.   What do you mean?  

Big D   I made sure it was plainly written in the Christian Bible, and I quote, “The worship of money is the root of all evil.”  

T.L.C.   I recall that passage.  

Big D   And, yet, that message doesn’t seem to register with the ultra-conservative fundamentalist  leaders who [collectively] are raking in billions of dollars by preaching one-way-my-way in regard to several highly-emotional and highly-controversial  issues.  

T.L.C.   So, you’re also The Great God Money.   Wow!   What a trip.   The worship of money is the most powerful religion on the entire planet!   

Big D   Yeah, I know.  

T.L.C.   And, as The Great God Money, you have more devotees than the god of any other religion.  

Big D   Yeah, I know that, too.   My devotees include almost all the ego-atheists ***ps-11-1a  and a goodly number of hypocrites who proclaim themselves to be members of one or another of the currently prominent religions.  

T.L.C.   And the tobacco industry, the military hardware makers and dealers, the illegal-drug peddlers?  

Big D   Oh, those are only the most obvious ones.   I have so many devotees that we could go on for hours just naming them, but that’s another story for another time.   For now, let’s stay with your fundamentalist Christian friends.   Would you like to know another little secret that I have hiding right under everyone’s noses?   

T.L.C.   Yes, definitely.   

Big D   Even though you cannot identify my devotees by their words, you can almost always recognize them by their actions. ***ps-11-2   You may recall the old saying, “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying.”      And I’m sure you are familiar with the Biblical quote attributed to Jesus,   “By their fruits, ye shall know them.”

T.L.C.   I am.   

Big D   Very few people recognize my devotees for what they really are.   My programming is so cleverly imprinted upon my followers that many of them don’t even recognize themselves as my devotees.   

            And, not to toot my own horn, but I have some of the leaders and most of their followers, particularly in regard to the anti-sex, anti-abortion movement so thoroughly programmed that they still think they’re worshiping the God of the Christian Bible and doing His bidding.***ps-11-3   If you confront them with this different view of reality, they will adamantly deny it.   Because these people really believe that they’re doing God’s work, if you question the validity of what they are doing, they’ll feel as if they’re being persecuted by the devil.   So most of them will simply ignore the evidence and continue doing what they are doing.   

T.L.C.   But the evidence clearly shows they’re going against what God said in their own Bible. ***ps-11-4

Big D   Doesn’t matter.   Most fundamentalist Christian leaders will deny it anyway.   There’s so much ego, so much illusion, so much earthly money, and so much glamour and power to see through, that only a very few of them will have the courage to stand up in the face of this newly exposed evidence and say, “I’m sorry.   I made a mistake.”   Fewer still will have the courage to denounce religious sheepdom and to proclaim the God they all feel at every moment within themselves as their true Savior. ***ps-11-5

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T.L.C.   OK, I've got the Biblical end.  Now tell me about marketing strategies.  

Big D   The men leading the Christian rightwing have consistently come down on the losing side of social issue after social issue.   Did you ever wonder why they adamantly continue to create controversy and do battle with everyone else in disputes they can't win?

T.L.C.   No, Actually, it hadn't occurred to me to ask that question.    What is the answer?

Big D    Money and self-interest.   It's not winning the battles that count.  It's all the money, prestige, publicity, and political power they gain during the fight.   It's their way of manipulating, motivating, inspiring, and controlling their followers.   It's also a way to attract new followers.   Here's the plane and simple answer:   Controversy Sells!   And it's a multi-billion dollar business.  

T.L.C.   Are you saying they've declared war just to have a war?   

Big D    Yup!   For example, in their war on reproductive rights, they've successfully mixed sex, motherhood, babies, and controversy and raked in billion in the process.   

T.L.C.   Billions?

Big D    Yup,  collectively, the forced motherhood war has brought billions into the coffers of conservative Christian organizations.  Sex, motherhood, babies, and controversy; there's only one thing that can beat a combination like that.

T.L.C.   What?

Big D    The Truth.   As I've already explained,  [in chapter six]   the anti-choice war is based on an ancient, unprovable fairytale that denies the Christian Bible.***ps-11-6      It contradicts to the official, Roman Catholic Encyclopedia.***ps-11-7   It denies religious freedom to those who hold different spiritual beliefs.   It ignores the First Amendment rights to religious freedom in the United States Constitution.***ps-11-8   There's so much more***ps-11-9 that we could spend hours discussing it.     If the public knew the truth, they would not support forced motherhood.

T.L.C.   Are there any other intentional conflicts?

Big D    Gay rights,  stem cells research, evolution, school prayer, just to name a few of the more lucrative conflicts.   Here too, there's so much more***ps-11-10    that we could spend hours discussing these issues.   

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The Story Continues in Chapter Twelve`    

Interview with The Devil  --  Table of Contents`   

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God by Faith and Reason -- Home page`   

Concept Summary`   

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Chapter References       

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***ps-11-1          Mathew 6:19-24

***ps-11-1a        Ego-atheist:  
  http://www.pro-truth.net/70b-recognizing-evil.html#EgoAtheist° 

***ps-11-2        Recognizing Evil:
 http://www.pro-truth.net/70a-recognizing-evil.html°  

***ps-11-3       God's Supernatural, Instantaneous ,Transcendental, Magic Act:
Chapter   6°   ---   Life Begins When ???°   

***ps-11-4       Genesis 2:7,  Ecclesiastes 11:5, etc. at: http://www.pro-truth.net/30b-bible-psgs.html
#PhysicalVersusSpirit °  
 and also, as explained above in chapter six,  God's Conception Magic Act  is not in the Bible or in any way supported by Biblical scripture.

***ps-11-5        Chapter #90, The God-Self Within   and Chapter #91, Living as a Spiritual Being:  (Not yet available on line)

***ps-11-6       Genesis 2:7,  Ecclesiastes 11:5, and several other relevant Biblical passages:  http://www.pro-truth.net/30b-bible-psgs.html.°

***ps-11-7       The official Roman Catholic Encyclopedia:    http://www.choice101.com/74-what-is-life.html°

***ps-11-8       Why Abortion is a religious Freedom Issue:  http://www.choice101.com/77-religious-freedom.html.°

***ps-11-9      The  ABC' s  of  Abortion Rights:    
http://www.pro-truth.net°

***ps-11-10     How to Win with Losing  Issues:  http://www.choice101.com/14-win-with-losing-issue.html.°

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An Interview with   "The Devil"

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Copyright © 2000   Revisions Copyright 2001-2007   Rev. Robert E. Cote'

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Devil Interview  ---  Book-1  ---   Chapter 11  ---  Controversy Sells  

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