Satan's Privy

By: Chris Valletta

In Life Against Death: The Psychoanalytical Meaning of History by Norman O. Brown, Brown discusses Martin Luther in a new light, one that many of us have never seen. Typically, the average person knows the minimum of Martin Luther, rarely does anyone know of the down and dirty details of his personal experiences of the devil. Brown first describes the devil in the Oedipal aspect, where the devil is a father figure, as well as God, therefore humans have both a father figure of good, and a father figure of evil. It is quite interesting to think of two of the major religious symbols we have because it seems to fulfill our need for a larger-than-life father figure who is the judge of us.

Brown also depicts the devil as always being associated with the color black. This is also something that appears logically in today's society where the devil is portrayed as a dark figure. Brown reasons that the blackness of the devil is meant to represent his association with "black and filth (p. 207)." Another interesting note that Brown makes is his analysis of the Black Mass, describing the sacred host as follows: "The sacred host was prepared by kneading her buttocks a mixture of the most repulsive material, faeces, menstrual blood, urine, and offal of various kinds (pg. 207)." This disgusting portrayal of human waste associated only furthers the devils association with black and filth. Brown's examples of the Devil is truly a no holding back and descriptive look at the true feelings towards the Devil during the Protestant era, led by none other than Martin Luther who described many of his experiences with the Devil.

What I found most shocking from Brown was his discussion on the Devil in relation to Protestantism. Brown essentially analyzes this topic by looking at the psychological explanations of Luther's take on God and the Devil. Brown concludes that "The psychological premise of Protestantism is conviction of sin. Protestantism, as a new relation to God, is a response to a new experience of evil (pg. 211)." This is a very cynical view of Protestantism according to Brown and it shows that he is spinning our thoughts around by looking upon this strict religion of God into an evil following. This intense fear of evil and the devil is in actuality giving him more power.

As a result of all the destruction that had happened in the world up until that time, there was much reason to believe that the Devil, not God, controlled the world. Luther believed this view, saying "Everything is full of devils, in the courts of princes, in houses, in fields, in streets, in water, in wood, in fire." A radical view of the world is put forth here, yet in a way it makes sense when there have been so many evils to happen throughout the history of mankind. One may deduce from these psychoanalytic findings the underlying theme of repressing any pleasure and using the Devil and evil with hideous thoughts to hinder these feelings.