Serve Satan, Or…Part1

“Serve Satan, or you will not see the sun rise again!”…that was the sentence addressed to a young 23-year-old man in the Vienna Woods at 11:45 pm on a hot summer night….

My parents’ house was well middle-class. The search for the meaning of life began at the age of 15, when my sick mother died. Now I asked myself the question: why do I live? Only to work, to eat, to suffer and then to die? If there is no more meaning in life, I’d rather put an end to it.

I asked this question to various people, but no answer. Soon began a rapid descent with alcohol excesses, drugs and a life of dissipation in all areas. I tried once again to find meaning in studying architecture at the Vienna University of Technology and in political involvement in the student movement of ’68. Finally, I realized that only drugs and Far Eastern religions such as Hata Yoga and the Tibetan Book of the Dead would lead me to my goal.

One night on a train ride over the Semmering – which is a mountain south of Vienna – a storm caused an unplanned stop. I had my Bhagavadgita, the Holy Book of Hinduism, with me and said to Heinz, a drug buddy who was traveling with me: “It’s so boring here – let’s read it together.” So we did, but it is not a thick book, so we came to its end rather quick. Now Heinz pulled a booklet out of his pocket and said, “Some weirdo put this in my hand today on Kärntnerstrasse – this is one of the famous shopping avenues in Vienna – let us read that too.” It was a Gospel of Mark! What we read there impressed me deeply. I had never read the Bible before.

Back in Vienna, I accompanied another drug friend to the police custody in the Roßauer Kaserne, where he had to serve a sentence for dealing drugs. As I was leaving, for some inexplicable reason I said to Martin: “I will pray for you”. On the way back I passed the Votivkirche – a Neogothic Cathedral, and since it was high summer and very hot, I went inside to cool off. I sat down in front of a side altar with a statue of Christ and was pondering how I should now pray for Martin. Suddenly the scene changed. Where the statue of Christ stood, suddenly there were living kings, knights, princes, strong men and women, all of whom I seemed to know. Their names were alcoholism, gambling addiction, adultery, drug addiction, and so on. Suddenly there was the statue of Christ again and I heard God’s voice asking, “To all these powers you have opened your life, have you ever asked about my son Jesus?” “No, I really don’t know who Jesus is”. I got up, got a New Testament and began to read it, fascinated.

When I reached the verse: “Jesus says: I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me!”, I was deeply affected and suddenly saw a possible answer to my question about the meaning of life.

Three days later there was that existential encounter with a group of Satanists: “Serve Satan, or… There, in the middle of the forest, I cried out to Jesus for help, and miraculously it came directly and immediately!

That was the end of my drug addiction and a new life began!