Now with added contraposition.
They have an Engine called the Press, whereby the people are deceived.
-C.S. Lewis, That Hideous Strength
The primary virtue is to advocate virtue; the worst sin is to advocate sin.
Why do ye teach this people that there shall be no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings?
I know that thou believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the children of God.
It is better that thy soul should be lost than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words.
-Giddonah and Alma, to the antiChrist Korihor, Alma 30
Teacher Ouyang was a kind of surrogate parent to me. His art was so pure as to be transparent, but I now see that he was in fact an extraordinarily gifted teacher who took his work very seriously. He told us this himself in one of his fables, though of course we had not ears to hear.
There once was a crooked doctor. He would take money from people, then give them false medicine. Sometimes the medicine was poisonous and the patient died.
In the natural course of things the doctor himself left this world at last and found himself standing in judgment before Lord Yan-Wang, the emperor of hell. It is difficult to imagine any crimes worse than yours, said Lord Yan-Wang. When people were suffering and helpless they placed their trust in you and paid you with silver and gold. You repaid them with poison and death! Eighteenth level! [In our old Taoist religion there were eighteen levels in hell, the deepest levels for the worst sinners.]
Well, there was the poor doctor—though of course we should not feel very much compassion for him—down on the eighteenth level, resting up between tortures, crying out in remorse for his evil life, when he heard a knocking from below. Then very faintly he heard a voice coming up from beneath the floor of his dungeon: Who are you? What crime did you commit to be immured so deep in hell? The doctor was astonished. He had never heard that there were more than eighteen levels in hell; yet here, apparently, was a nineteenth level! Placing his mouth close to the floor he called down: I was a false doctor! But what great crime did you commit, that you have been banished to a level so deep it has never been known to men? Came the answer: False teacher!
-John Derbyshire, Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream
Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men
For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
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