"If I Were The Devil", A Prophetic Broadcast in 1965 by American Broadcaster Paul Harvey

This is What I Would Do: Destroy Our Culture and Undermine our Collective Societal Standards and Social Mores.

Paul Harvey Aurandt, known to the world simply as Paul Harvey, was an American broadcaster who was ahead of his time.

Over the course of decades, his message has not only proven to be prophetic. It is a warning to Americans, of where our society has been trending.

⬆️ The Transcript

3 minutes, 6 seconds

Emphases and paragraph breaks are mine.

Broadcast by The Legendary ABC Radio Host Paul Harvvey, on April 3, 1965

“If I were the devil … If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — Thee.

So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States.

I’d subvert the churches first — I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve:

‘Do as you please.’

To the young, I would whisper that

‘The Bible is a myth.’

I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around.

I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is ‘square.’

And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington…

And then I’d get organized.

I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting.

I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa.

I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction.

I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed.

And with promises of higher ratings I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions — just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography — soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress.

And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science.

I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money.

If I were the devil I’d make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

And what do you bet I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich?

I would caution against extremes and hard work in Patriotism, in moral conduct.

I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the way to be.

And thus, I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.

In other words, if I were the devil I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.”

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Versus …

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The Full Video and Transcript, 3’16”

The Full Transcript

The extended version is highlighted in bold.

If I were the Devil . . . I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would, of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness.

I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States.

I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve:

“Do as you please.” “Do as you please.”

To the young, I would whisper,

“The Bible is a myth.”

I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around.

I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square.”

In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

And the old, I would teach to pray. I would teach them to say after me:

“Our Father, which art in Washington” . . .

If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull an uninteresting. I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa.

And then, if I were the devil, I’d get organized.

I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could.

I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions . . . let those run wild.

I would designate an athiest to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say “she’s right.”

With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them.

If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle.

If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

And then, my police state would force everybody back to work. Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps.

In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing. Paul Harvey, Good Day.

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If you enjoyed Paul Harvey, here is another one of his conservative radio broadcasts, “Freedom to Chains”

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