Anyhow, that divide (pride vs. love) seems to me the most stark difference between the phony and the real faith when they come head to head like this. Right now phony faiths haven’t often managed to ape full-on Christianity very well. Satan’s current bonds are not loosed enough to permit this. Still, Christianity will always outclass phony faiths. Genuine love for God won’t be able to be hidden. People with that love may err sometimes, but God will correct those errors with His grace.
“that divide (pride vs. love) seems to me the most stark difference between the phony and the real faith....”
Spirited: Pride vs. love equates to preference for self over brethren and God against which the self-centered soul covets. Self-centeredness denotes an inward-turned, materialized soul; a cistern without living water. Where self-centeredness reigns, so too does resentment and hatred of ‘other.’ Augustine taught that hatred will eventually burn away the seeds of love placed by God in every soul.
In this light we can see why the devil’s refashioned Christianity will be a loveless religion.