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sphere into the m.inds of unsuspect–
ing humanity? A humanity that in
many instances does not even
believe a devil exists.
How many realize humans in
varying degrees have absorbed
Satan's altitudes into their minds?
Sorne individuals a nd cultures
absorb more than others. There are
reasons why!
Scripture r eveals Satan has
deceived and influenced the
whole
world
with bis corrupt attitudes.
Read it for yourself in Revelation
12:9. Yet, many today deny the
existence of the very source of evil
that sways their minds into wrong
feelings and reasonings.
Satan Broadcasts Hls Attitudes
Notice what the Bible says about
Satan's deception. Writing to con–
verted Ephesian Christians, the
apostle Paul mentions why they
were once spiritually dead–
because of the sins "in which you
once walked" (Eph . 2:2, RSV).
They had been "following the
course of this world , following the
prince of the
power
of the air, tbe
spirit that is now at work in the
sons of disobedience."
Grasp that! Satan can broadcast
hís evil nature and altitudes
through the air and unsuspecting
human minds can pick up such
moods and attitudes, nourish them
and develop them as a very part of
their human nature.
"Among these [children of dis–
obedience] we all once lived in the
passions of our flesh , following the
desires of body and mind, and so
we were by nature children of
wrath, like the rest of mankind,"
continues verse 3.
What are the "passions of the
flesh" that come from yielding or
following Satan's ways?
"Now the works of the flesh are
evident, which are: adultery, forni–
cation, uncleanness [physical and
moral], licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatred, contentions, jeal–
ousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish
ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
envy, murders [hatred is the spirit
of murder-l John 3:15], drunken–
ness, revelries, and the like ..."
(Gal. 5:19-21, RAV).
Spectrum of Violence
Notice the altitudes and acts just
24
described. They are common not
only to many who are violence–
prone but to noncriminal citizens
who don't always do right. "All
have sinned," says a scripture
(Rom. 3:23). Sin is defined in your
Bible as the transgression of God's
law (1 John 3:4).
But in humans there are ditfer–
ences in the types of aggression and
severity of violence individuals will
allow in their lives. There are dif–
ferences in human responses to sit–
uations and stimuli that trigger
anger and aggression. There are
ditferences in emotional self-con–
trol.
Humans, from training, or from
unfortunate personal experiences or
from Satan's invisible influence on
their minds, learn to hate other per–
sons. The objects of their ill feeling
may be those of their own race or
of other races or nations. They also
learn to be aggressive and intoler–
ant when certain obstacles, chal–
lenges or threats to self-image or
secur ity arise.
God created the human mind
with capacity for anger and aggres–
siveness and love ·and merey. There
can be anger and aggressiveness
that's not sinful (Eph. 4:26)- to
resist evil and to overcome personal
weaknesses of character or to over–
come obstacles to development.
Just as tbere can also be misdi–
rected love and merey.
These capacities can be misused
when wrong social values or wrong
moods or attitudes are allowed to
take root. Uncontrolled anger and
aggression or tolerance for evil bear
the bitter fruit of violence- physi–
cal and verbal.
Experiments by social scientists
have induced aggressive behavior in
human beings by stimulating cer–
tain areas of the brain with electric–
ity. They have discovered aggres–
sion needs a stimulus. What they
admit they don't understand are
the underlying factors that can
stimulate ag_gressive responses.
Ditfering cultures, and individu–
als within those cultures, develop
ditferent triggers and sensitivities.
Sorne societies culturally tolerate,
or even expect, acts of aggression
under certain circumstances- not
only in warfare but in personal
social circumstances. We may cal!
it the
macho
culture.
Other cultures, for religious or
social reasons, discourage such
expression through heavy social
stigma or swift punishment. Such
societies can limit the influence of
Satan's influence even though
they may not understand his exis–
tence.
Growing cr ime and violence are
a measure of the increasing lack
of respect and concern citizens of
a society have for others. Through
permissive child rearing, through
wrong social and peer influences,
or outright rebellion, youths and
adults open their minds to more of
Satan's attitudes than do those of
other cultures who exercise re–
straint and better judgment.
The apostle Paul warned Chris–
tians of the primary source of the
harmful attitudes ignored by most
today: "For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against princi–
palities, against powers ... against
wicked spirits in high places" (Eph.
6:12, AV, margin) .
The Second Cause-Physlological
Factors
Yet it is also important to recog–
nize that physiological factors may
be involved in sensitivity to aggres–
sive or irritable moods.
Sorne persons with strong emo–
tional temperament or high mental–
physical energy levels may be
quicker to respond to irritating sit–
uations with anger or aggression.
They need to learn to develop more
self-control.
Also, the state of the neural sys–
tems that transmit the signals that
govern aggressive behavior can be
altered by the health and chemical
balance of an individual.
Changes in blood chemistry
influence the sensitivity of the
aggression system. Studies have
shown that changes in hormone lev–
els from premenstrual periods (in
women) or from stress can alter
moods and make one more suscep–
tible to irritation.
Inappropriate use of drugs, alco–
hol and other ingested chemical
compounds can alter a person's
control of emotions and feelings.
Certain chemicals reduce control of
inhibitions. Or make a person 's
nervous system more irritable.
Humans ditfer in their responses to
drugs and the presence of chemi-
The PLAIN TRUTH