Here's what William Burroughs (who, like Chuck, lived in Lawrence, KS) had to say about demons, evil, etc. (from an interview with David Cronenberg):
"I would have to say yes, evil exists, definitely,'' says Burroughs. "I'm very interested in the whole matter of possession and exorcism.'' He's said in the past that he felt that the dark presence that possessed him on the day he shot his wife has never left him. ``I asked myself,'' he goes on, "why do these demons have such necessity to possess, and why are they so reluctant to leave? The answer is, that's the only way they can get out of hell -- it's sort of like junk. They possess somebody and they want to hang onto it because that's their ticket out of hell.''
"Do you believe in a literal hell'' asks Cronenberg somewhat incredulously. He is, as he puts it, "not just an atheist, but a total nonbeliever.''
"Certainly,'' says Burroughs, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. As to the existence of a literal heaven, Burroughs says "Heaven is the absence of hell.''
Burroughs, from what I understand, was someone you could talk to quite seriously.
DP