The Power of the Devil

Glynn devotes his Pentecost 8 sermon to the questions of devils. Horny guys with pitchforks he questions, but he does acknowledge the reality of the demonic. "I can understand the power and seemingly tangible presence of evil. I can also understand why some have moulded their feelings about evil into a supernatural being. But in any literal or ontological sense the Devil doesn’t exist. When we read that Mary Magdalene, whom we celebrate today, was afflicted by demons we need to understand them as code for things and circumstances that restrict our spirit’s freedom. Such ‘demons’ might have been abusive men, societal sexism, or religious intolerance. The important thing is that Mary emerged from her past as a powerful woman and one of pre-eminent apostles of the early Church. " Full text at http://www.stmatthews.org.nz/nav.php?sid=322&id=744