Then Satan, disguised as a serpent, entered the Garden and introduced Eve to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. "But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'." (Gen. 3:4-5-RSV).
Adam and Eve first encountered evil after they partook of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, all wrapped in a tasty piece of fruit.

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened ..." (Gen. 3:6&7-RSV).

Adam and Eve did not become wise. They were made aware of evil. Then shame and fear entered their souls and they hid from God in the cool of the evening.

"And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." (Gen. 3:8-RSV).

Earlier this week evil came slithering into Harvard University all wrapped up in the "dedication to free expression" mantra. The students were totally oblivious to the fact that a satanic black mass is not a sacrilege they want to experience first hand, they would encounter evil directly and gain knowledge of what intrinsic evil truly is, and experience how it scars the mind and the soul.

Harvard's motto is "Veritas" or truth. The institution of higher learning belied its own benchmark by even agreeing to allow the Harvard Extension School's Cultural Studies Club to host a satanic blasphemy as a cultural event with academic significance.

There is a great difference between participating in a black mass and experiencing a Shinto Tea Ceremony, a Shaker Exhibition, or a Buddhist presentation on meditation. The black mass unleashes the devil.
Satan is the Father of Lies as Jesus declared to His opponents in John 8:44 (RSV). "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."
Then Jesus reveals Himself to be the truth -- the Veritas in John 14:6 . "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'." (RSV) ... "dicit ei Iesus ego sum via et veritas et vita nemo venit ad Patrem nisi per me" ... (Latin Vulgate).

There are absolutes. There is truth. There are boundaries. There are natural limits even in education, which cannot be crossed without spiritual consequences. Dabbling in the occult has serious spiritual consequences.

Harvard was playing with fire when it first allowed The Satanic Temple to bring such spiritual profanity to the campus as an enrichment activity in the name of educational free thought.

A satanic black mass is a direct mockery of the Catholic Mass and the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the Catholic faith. More importantly, the satanic rite, which invokes the name of Satan and his demons, is an abomination and a portal would be opened for Satan to reach in, grab souls and eventually drag them to the pits of hell, although it may take years.

Harvard's students were playing with fire -- hell fire -- and souls are in the balance.

There are just some things one does not do, even in the name of education. Subjecting students' souls to the reach of hell in the name of education is one.

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline