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All about demons a.k.a. diabolical
spirits, evil spirits, unclean spirits,
devils, etc.
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The word "Demon" comes from the Greek word "daimon" which
means "intelligent." According to passages in the Christian Scriptures
(New Testament), Satan is has a personal army of
demons to assist him in attacking humans and accomplishing evil tasks. They
roam the world looking for people that they may destroy. The Gospels
and the book of Acts describe many exorcisms where Jesus and his disciples release people
from demonic possession. The Bible implies that demons
are the same fallen angels that once joined Satan in a heavenly revolt. By the 1st century
CE in the Galilee where Jesus preached,, many mental disorders were believed to be caused by indwelling demons.
Other demons were responsible for bad weather, accidents, etc.
Christians hold different beliefs about demons, demon possession and
exorcism:
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Conservative Christians generally believe in the inerrancy
of the Bible. The Christian Scriptures have many dozens of references to demons.
The passages
seem
obviously intended by the authors to be interpreted literally. Jesus, his disciples/apostles,
and the general public of 1st century CE Judea and Galilee are
reported as believing in the existence of demonic spirits and in the possibility
of demon possession of an individual. Exorcism
formed a large part of Jesus' ministry on earth. Bible literalists have no option but to
believe in demonic possession; otherwise, they would have to accept that Jesus was
deluded, or the gospels are inaccurate. Neither of these options is a
possibility for a conservative Christians whose foundational beliefs are
in the deity of Jesus, the inerrancy of the Bible and
God's inspiration of the Bible's authors. |
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Liberal Christians have long abandoned belief in
demons. They consider Bible passages about demons to be of little value - much like the
verses that condoned and regulated human slavery,
required the execution of non-virgin brides, and other practices
considered immoral by today's religious and secular
standards. These passages from the Christian Scriptures are simply
reflecting the pre-scientific view of the biblical authors living in the 1st
and 2nd
century CE. |
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Copyright
© 1999 to 2006 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally published on 1999-JAN-27.
Last update: 2006-AUG-30
Author: B.A. Robinson
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