Why?

'Why couldn`t we cast out that demon?' Matthew 17:19

As I feared, on the drugs I seem to have even less impulse-control than I do normally. But it's early yet.

However, this is the problem with modern day attitudes to evil. Society these days laughs at the idea of a literal Satan in a red cape and horns- rightly so- the real Devil is far more subtle. If we go up against inner demons armed only with a few pills and a trendy theory, however interesting, by Jung or whoever- all too often we fail.

Part of my frustration with Japanese society is that even though Buddhist teaching talks about a real demon called Mara, many Japanese are far more comfortable with modern liberal ideas about the innate goodness of everyone. A child was stabbed this week- NHK news chose to lead with less distressing stories. How can we begin to fix the problem if we try to pretend there isn`t one?