The following extract is from my book Such a Mind as This (xv-xvii)

Many years ago, the demons held a very important summit meeting. The topic of discussion was how to marginalize the church and minimize its influence so that Satan’s agenda could advance without hindrance.

The group leader remarked, “The Master wants us to generate some new ideas about how to frustrate Jesus’ agenda. In the past, we initiated many worthwhile projects that had both short- and long-term benefits. And the Master was pleased. During the earliest days of what they call the church, we sowed division and persecution. We implanted lots of mischief, what they call heresies, to distract and confuse them. We un­dermined their so-called gospel by endless combinations like Jesus and Judaism, Jesus and philosophies, and Jesus and other religions. We can justifiably congratulate ourselves, but not for long, for there is much more to accomplish.” The spirits all declared, “We’re ready!”

The leader continued, “But now, the Master wants a nuclear option. We’re looking for a way to stunt the growth of the enemy’s sect once and for all! The floor is open. Give me something really promising to tell the Master. And remember—he’s not patient and doesn’t tolerate failure!”

“I know! I know!” exclaimed an enthusiastic demon. “Let’s greatly in­crease our efforts to corrupt them from within with greed and hypocrisy.”

The leader responded sardonically, “We’re doing that already. Give me something new.”

Another spirit commented, “Why don’t we try an apocalypse of some kind and end this charade quickly? How about a plague, world war, or natural disaster? The few who survive, we can pick off one by one at our leisure.”

The leader sighed impatiently, “Yes, of course. But the Master in his supreme wisdom determined that we need something else, a new sub­versive paradigm. So, as I said, give me something different! Inspire me!”

Just then, the leader spotted a new member sitting quietly off to the side. “You, over there! Speak up! Do you have anything useful to contribute?”

The newbie replied meekly, “Um, well, yes, sir. Maybe.”

“Enlighten us, then, before I throw you out of here!”

“Well, sir,” he stated barely above a whisper, “I have listened care­fully to all the excellent ideas of these esteemed colleagues, but I propose a new paradigm, as you requested.”

“Hurry up!” demanded the leader.

“We’ve not been able to completely eradicate the enemy’s cabal, as you said so eloquently. I suggest, therefore, that we allow a small, Chris­tian sect to survive, but on our terms and our timetable, rather than try­ing again and again to eliminate them.”

The leader said, “That is indeed a radical departure from our strate­gic plan. Go on.”

“Thank you, sir. My plan consists of two parts. First, we’ll lead them to redefine spirituality. No longer will they believe that their so-called gospel—what we know to be heresy—applies to all of life. That must stop! They must come to believe that spirituality is private and subjective. It will be something they feel, but never anything they think. We can teach them that spirituality exists to promote self-fulfillment. We must train them, also, to think that their so-called salvation concerns only their souls, so that their gospel has nothing to do with the world they live in.”

“Interesting,” commented the leader, growing more intrigued.

“Part two consists of injecting dualism in their thought and conduct. We should introduce the concept of the sacred and secular dimensions. Since their new spirituality will be egoistic, the church will progressively neglect all exterior dimensions, such as society and ideas, because these are secular. And they’ll come to view Sunday as religious, but Monday through Saturday as secular. As a result, slowly, they’ll develop two modes of thinking and behaving: one set for spiritual times and actions, the other set for secular times and actions.”

The leader leaped to his feet. “Now I’m getting interested!”

“Because of the sacred–secular divide, we’ll train them to think only on Monday through Saturday—in the secular realm. A few of them might make a positive impact on society, but no one will associate their spirituality with their ideas, if they generate any ideas at all. We can even train them to focus on how and when thinking, and never on why or what thinking.”

The newbie let his pause hang in the air for a moment and then added, “In other words, sir, we’ll make them stupid and irrelevant! We’ll let them have just enough religion to pacify them. And when the End comes, we’ll eliminate them easily.”

“Awesome!” declared the leader.

“Furthermore, we will erode confidence in their book of lies, what they call ‘scripture.’ We will undermine its credibility and its false claims so that it will become less and less plausible. Over time, the infamous sect will lose its intellectual foundation and its members will become far less discerning. In this way, they will learn not to listen to the great impostor Jesus anymore.”

Every demon in the room strained forward, hanging on his every word.

“And meanwhile, practically speaking, they’ll cede the world to us! We’ll do the thinking! In fact, we’ll make them afraid to think! We’ll implement our agenda! We’ll use our proxies and our strategic methods! And all the while, the kettle will get hotter and the little Christian frogs will cook even faster.”

The leader interjected, “Fantastic! I hope the rest of you idiots were listening carefully! As for you, come with me! We must talk with the Mas­ter now!”