Have you ever noticed that some words and phrases in English are inherently snarky? That is, using them in a sentence creates a snarky tone?

Some examples:

"Apparently we're meant to believe that Hollywood celebrities are fit spokespersons about family matters."

"We were enjoined to become more ecologically aware."

"Seemingly, he's an intelligent man."

"No doubt she'll turn her considerable energies and influence to better the human condition as well."

Or perhaps it's just me and my perpetually cynical nature - or maybe I spent too much time reading the words of political pundits in the op-ed pages of newspapers. A church associate once told me that sarcasm is the language of Satan. I think his tone would be more one of ingratiation and flattery, but who knows?

Yes, we Mormons do believe in a real Satan, that is, we believe he exists in a miserable state and strives to bring mankind down to his own fallen condition. We don't talk about it much because we'd much rather discuss the more pressing matter at hand: the Atonement and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ and how it blesses us. Salvation is gained by that knowledge; a knowledge of the devil is dangerous, like embracing razors.

I once took a C.S. Lewis class when I was at BYU; as you may know, C.S. Lewis frequently wrote about Christianity. The professor in that class mentioned an interesting statistic regarding people's belief in a real Satan. When queried, it appeared that a minority of the respondents said they believed in a real Satan. However, the survey was repeated in early 1974 - and a great jump in the number of people reporting a belief in Satan was observed. What changed? The Exorcist was released to the movie going public on the day after Christmas, 1973. (I guess somebody at Warner Brothers thought that releasing it on Christmas day was probably a bad idea.)

Personally, I think Satan must be the Master Psychologist, with a formidable tool kit of temptation, rationalization, perversion and persuasion at his command, as well as a thorough knowledge of human nature. Our challenge, of course, is to follow the better angels of our nature and listen to the righteous voices within ourselves. Obviously, this is difficult to do in all conditions. The fact that there is so much deviltry in the world suggests that Satan is capable of drowning out and blocking the good messages and supplanting them with the bad. I suppose in that respect he can be like a 50,000 watt clear channel AM station. The Lord, on the other hand, speaks in a still, small voice.

Some might think that I am demonizing the devil, that is, using a cardboard cut out as the reason why folks sin. Others might whisper, "There is no devil." It's interesting when you think about it: The Lord wants us to arrive at faith on our own, and will not signal His existence by any large, flashing neon arrows or unmistakable signs. (Some will argue that creation itself is a flashing neon sign, and this I will not argue.)

Satan has a vested interest in not revealing himself, either. If he can convince us to be fearless about sin and temptation - it's totally our choice - so much the better for him. Mark Twain, as always, had a far-reaching intellect and some decided opinions about Satan. My favorite is this one: "Satan must have been pretty simple, even according to the New Testament, or he wouldn't have led Christ up on a high mountain and offered him the world if he would fall down and worship him. That was a manifestly absurd proposition, because Christ, as the Son of God, already owned the world; and besides, what Satan showed him was only a few rocky acres of Palestine. It is just as if some one should try to buy Rockefeller, the owner of all the Standard Oil Company, with a gallon of kerosene."