The Devil You Don't Know: Recognizing and Resisting Evil in Everyday Life

by Louis J. Cameli

With insight reminiscent of The Screwtape Letters , Rev. Louis J. Cameli invites readers to reconsider what they've always believed about the devil. While contemporary media showcase demonic possession and exorcism, Cameli highlights the subtler, more disconcerting tactics of the deception, division, diversion, and discouragement that hinder the spiritual journey. In some ways, it's easy to believe in a devil who makes heads spin round and enables people to levitate. Ubiquitous movies and books about possession and exorcism have trained spiritual seekers to identify evil by its expected Hollywood conventions. By contrast, Rev. Louis J. Cameli, nationally renowned pastoral leader and priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, paints a challenging, unsettling portrait of the devil as a formidable adversary who works great harm, often in quiet, less-seen ways. While remaining a fixture of popular culture, the devil has--until now--been largely ignored in contemporary spiritual writing. Cameli exposes the devil's tactics of deception, division, diversion, and discouragement, in individuals and also in institutions. This thoroughly biblical, deft exploration considers the personal and social dimensions of sin, and offers both enlightenment and hope in the power of Christ at work to overcome evil.

Genres: Religion

175 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2011

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a peacemaker, you will know that evil is the hidden influence causing conflict and hostility in our world. But you may not have taken sufficient time to analyze the many ways in which evil, that deceptive influence, is at work. If you hope to enhance the Peace of Christ in this world you may want to spend time identifying the tactics and moves of evil. Cameli will serve you well as the tour guide. You cannot help but improve your ability to bring peace to a troubled world after reading this very practical and valuable guide.

[Terra Teague · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most telling read....

A most telling read....

This book gives a breakdown of the most simple ways you can see the evil ones working against us every day of our lives and how even the Jesus himself, his disciples struggled against them.

[Patrick Santino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good dense & thorough book of the Devil’s strategies in ruining ordinary human life: Fr Cameli synthesizes them into the Four D’s of Deception, Division, Diversion, & Discouragement. Once read they will all sound familiar in everyday life. Deception gives a warped sense of reality, & a false starting point to ground Truth & Existence – perfect for a Post-Modern World inundated with information & entertainment coming from all directions. Division is easy to see anywhere, Left & Right divides are creeping into every facet of life, not just politics; and man’s own self has been divided since the Fall. Diversion is everywhere thanks to the ample leisure time filled up by screens & more, but even workaholics are likely being diverted from the best life they could be living. Framed in the sense of already being on the Journey to God, I found all these diversionary tactics of greatest interest, since most are applicable in my life at some point. And the discouragement chapter with hindsight is indeed, IMO, the most potent strategy: whereas diversion strategies are meant to delay (perhaps indefinitely), discouragement strategies are meant to make people journeying toward God totally Give Up completely. This chapter reminded me of the angels talking at the beginning of It’s a Wonderful Life: “It’s his [George Bailey’s] crucial night…Is he sick?...No worse, he’s Discouraged.” Finally, I will note that while I liked the thoroughness & practicality of the book, personally I am someone who learns more about the Devil & Evil through Art (like the demonic forces in LOTR) than through a nonfiction dense read like this. Now that said, at many points I thought I was Trucking through this book, only to find out I was in fact reading it very slowly compared to my normal reading pace; this was others’ experience as well. My leading conclusion for why this must be is that it’s the title character’s attempt at a diversion or discouragement once again, because Fr Cameli has much of great value to say in Resisting the Devil’s Ordinary—Everyday strategies.

[Angela Verdenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes you think!!

[Nana]

Any reviews on this book?