Merton on the Devil's "Theology" and those who are "devoted" to it

"The devil has a whole system of theology ... that created things are evil, that men are evil, that God created evil and that He directly wills that men should suffer evil. According to the devil, God rejoices in the suffering of men and, in fact, the whole universe is full of misery because God has willed and planned it that way."

He continues by saying, "the devotional life of those who are 'faithful' to this kind of theology consists above all in an obsession with evil. As if there were not already enough evils in the world, they multiply prohibitions and make new rules, binding everything with thorns, so that man may not escape evil and punishment." From this perspective, "the Cross ... is no longer a sign of mercy" and "not love but punishment is the fulfillment of the Law."

He concludes that this is a "theology of punishment, hatred and revenge" in which "there must be no mercy."

Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, 90-91