“When you have the angel and the devil on each shoulder, which do you choose?”

You first have to look very carefully, because as we know, from at least Luther on, a devil may appear as an angel as well as itself. Don't forget the only woodcut Luther had in the translation: the Antichrist, wearing a papal crown.

When a Christian says the people should kill in war or as punishment for a crime, that's the devil trying to impersonate an angel. Even when that spirit on your shoulder is a beaming Baptist.

The devil also makes the angels look bad. Remember that he is an angel, though fallen. The devil will try to convince you that the purest spirit on your other shoulder is the weak, wrong, wicked one.

You have to look very carefully. And then, always go with the angel. 

--E.K. (Comments? ekblog@yahoo.com)