Originally Posted By: twosleepy
That's what I thought, more or less, and all the defs flummoxed me! It seemed to be a deliberately oxymoronic phrase, pointing out that while freedom is highly desirable, it also has its "diabolical" drawbacks. :0)

I suppose the original (and literally diabolical!)concept of "diabolical liberty" (though not the phrase itself) is that offered by the serpent in Genesis 3. The knowlege of good and evil gained by an autonomous declaration of independence from God comes at the price of suffering the consequences of becoming evil, namely estrangement from God.