"If power made one evil, then God would be the Devil"

The quote "If power made one evil, then God would be the Devil" by Jonah Goldberg offers a thought-provoking perspective on the relationship in between power and morality. At its core, the statement challenges a simple view that equates power with evil. It recommends that if having power naturally caused evil habits, then even a divine being like God, often considered the supreme symbol of goodness and omnipotence, would be considered malicious.

Jonah Goldberg is most likely critiquing the common assumption that power corrupts absolutely, a concept popularized by Lord Acton's popular saying: "Power tends to corrupt, and outright power corrupts absolutely". By presenting God into the equation, Goldberg provokes readers to believe more deeply about the nature of power and its impacts on moral character.

The comparison serves to advise us that power itself is neutral; it is a tool that can be wielded for either worthy or nefarious purposes. In the human world, power is typically perceived as corruptive due to historic examples where leaders succumb to greed, abuse, and tyranny. However, this perspective ignores the intricacy of humanity and the potential for people to use power benevolently.

In the context of religious interpretations, God's power is generally considered as inherently great, used to sustain, govern, and support development. Here, Goldberg's quote might indicate a cognitive dissonance in how we interpret power differently when it comes to divine versus human contexts. This contrast motivates a reevaluation of our understanding of power, advising us to think about the character and intentions of the specific wielding it, instead of condemning power outright as a corrupting force.

Ultimately, this quote welcomes reflection on how society perceives authority and the duty that includes power, challenging us to look beyond the simplified story that power necessarily results in corruption and rather think about the ethical choices that accompany it.