Unfortunately, many people ridicule even the idea of a literal devil or demons as primitive superstition. They believe that in our modern scientific age we can finally do away with such medieval nonsense and its corresponding "witch-hunts."

But is this attitude realistic? Is it unscientific to believe in a personal devil, or is there a preponderance of evidence that suggests his existence? The famed evangelist Billy Graham once remarked, "Why do I believe in the devil? For three reasons. 1. Because the Bible plainly says he exists. 2. Because I see his work everywhere. 3. Because great scholars have recognized his existence."

It is a more logical assumption that Satan really does exist than that he does not... It is not the existence of Satan that should alarm us, but the fact that our contemporaries are so ill equipped to deal with reality on any level, let alone to recognize the fundamental danger.

Eight Arguments for the Devil

Thus, we can suggest eight lines of reasoning to infer the possibility of a real devil and/or the reality of spiritual evil.

the consensus of history and religion

the testimony of practicing occultists

the testimony of former spiritists

the phenomenon of spirit possession

the authority of the Bible

the testimony of Jesus Christ

the hostility to historic biblical Christianity displayed in virtually all spiritistic literature

the destructive power of the occult and the testimony of brilliant thinkers

The Consensus of History and Religion

Belief in Satan and/or a world of evil spirits has been with man throughout his history. It has been an accepted truth for a majority of people in most times and cultures, ancient and modern (e.g., Assyrian, Babylonian, Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, Indian, African, Muslim, Roman, Tibetan, Persian, Chinese, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Jain, Japanese, Slavic, etc.). In light of this vast testimony within the canons of history, culture, and religion, the relatively recent assertion of the devil’s lack of existence is less tenable. Modern scientific rationalism has actually explained very little of the height and depth of the universe.