THE REFORMATION
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heaven and our first ancestors from paradise, destroyed practically the whole universe with the deluge, and overthrew whole kingdoms and cities.68 The devil is a necessary counterpart to such an "all-powerful and excellent" God. The devil carries out God's judgment, tormenting sinners for all eternity. He is, as King James I called him, "God's hangman."69 Like many orthodox doctrines and ideas, belief in the devil makes people feel powerless. Attributing malevolence and negativity to the devil removes responsibility from human beings—as well as the power that accompanies responsibility. For, if one is responsible for something, one can do something about it. But if negativity comes from an external devil, one can do little but cower in fear or attack those who represent the devil. Like the belief in the lack of human free will, the belief in the devil engenders a sense of powerlessness, making people easier to control. The Reformation brought profound and dramatic change. Nations and imperial powers claimed their independence from the Pope. Medieval social structures and values changed. Perhaps most significantly, the Reformation changed the way people perceived the world. The physical world, once a divine, magical creation, was now understood to be alien to God, belonging only to the devil. The spiritual path was to be marked by suffering, struggle and chastisement. Together the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter Reformation converted the people of Europe to orthodox Christianity.