
DEMONS
BELIEFS BY THE PUBLIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS

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Topics covered in this essay:

1st century pre-scientific beliefs continued through the Middle Ages in to the
Renaissance. Medical, mental and physical sciences have since provided better and simpler
explanations to phenomena once believed to be caused by demons. Today, with the exception
of many religious conservatives, very few mental health professionals
still attribute mental illness to indwelling demons.
Public opinion poll data:
 |
1996: A survey revealed that only about 1 in 3 adults regards Satan as a living being.
Belief is high only among born again adults and Evangelical Christians: The
number of people who believe in demons is probably similar.
Group |
Satan is only a
symbol of evil |
Satan is a
living being |
Average of American Adults |
60% |
35% |
65 years and older |
49% |
38% |
Born again |
43% |
52% |
Not born again |
68% |
25% |
Evangelical Christians |
47% |
49% |
Roman Catholics |
69% |
26% |
Mainline Protestants |
65% |
27% |
(N = 1005; 95% confidence limits within 4%, a random sampling of Americans 18 years or
older.)
|  |
1997: An identical survey suggests that the traditional
belief of Satan as a living being might possibly be slipping: 1,2,3
Group |
Satan is only a
symbol of evil |
Satan is a living being |
Average of American Adults |
62% |
30% |
(N = 1007; 95% confidence limits within 4%, a random sampling of Americans 18 years or
older.)
|  |
2001: A Barna Research Group poll showed that belief in Satan had
continued to drop:
Group |
Satan is only a
symbol of evil |
Satan is a living being |
Average of American Adults |
??% |
27% |
(N = 6038; 95% confidence limits within 2%, a random sampling of Americans 18 years or
older.) 12
|  |
2002: Another Barna Group poll showed a rebound in belief of Satan.
Group |
Satan is only a
symbol of evil |
Satan is a living being |
Average of American Adults |
59% |
34% |
(N = 630; 95% confidence limits within 4.1%, a random sampling of Americans 18 years or
older.)
|
The data shows a wide gap within Christianity concerning the existence of
Satan: 75% of Roman Catholics reject Satan as a living being'; only 55% of
Protestants do. 13
Data from other countries show that only the Irish believe in a living Satan at levels approaching
Americans. Belief in Satan is much lower in other Christian countries.

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According to one Baptist source: "Religious liberals do not believe in the
literal reality and actual personality of Satan...The devil or Satan is not at all a real
person, but only an impersonal evil force present and operating in the world."
4The same source estimates that 75% of American clergy agree with the liberal
belief.
Many liberal faith groups view Jesus, his disciples and the general public during the
time of Christ's ministry as having deriving their beliefs about
demons from their pre-scientific culture. Many suspect that people's faith in Jesus'
healing powers and personal charisma were so great than many sick persons were cured. We see the same phenomenon
today in Christian healing crusades. Some believe that the gospel accounts of
healings are not of real events, but were fictional accounts, added to increase Jesus'
credibility among Christians and potential converts to Christianity.
Most would regard the concepts of Satan, demons, spiritual warfare, demon possession
etc. as being totally divorced from reality, a left-over belief from ancient times that
cannot be supported with today's knowledge. The extreme liberal position might be summed up by a
quotation from the writings of G. Messandé:
"We live under the sign of a nonexistent deity cobbled together twenty-six
centuries ago by power-hungry Iranian priests. We live under the sign of Satan. Is this
our destiny - are we to let an imaginary monster devour us forever?"
5

Many Fundamentalist and other Evangelical faith groups teach that the Old and New Testaments are
inerrant. The writings were composed by authors who were
inspired by God. They view the Bible is completely free of error, as originally written.
The Bible is infallible and authoritative. It contains dozens of references to Satan and his demons as
living entities. Bible literalists can only conclude that both must exist.
Biblical inerrancy and authority is
such a foundational belief, that it cannot be abandoned, even over one topic.
Conservative Christian beliefs appear to dominate the Internet's religious
web sites. A search phrase "exist
satan" on the AltaVista
search engine showed that all of the first 12 articles were written
from a conservative Christian perspective. According to a Baptist source: "Any
system of religious belief that denies the literal reality and actual personality of Satan
is radically unChristian and unBiblical in nature and clearly under the dominion of the
very devil whom it denies." 4 This opinion probably
extends to beliefs in demons as well.
Many Fundamentalist and other Evangelical denominations teach that Satan is supported
by hordes of demons. Although the origin of these demons is not clearly defined in the
Bible, most conservative Christians believe that demons are the fallen angels who were
exiled from heaven with Satan.
Many teach that Satan and his demons are either the leaders of, or a major
influence on, all non-Judeo-Christian religions. One Fundamentalist writer believes that
"The great ethnic faiths of India, China and Japan major in demonism, as well as
the animistic religions of Africa, South America and some Islands."
5
Some look upon Buddhism, Hinduism,
Sikhism, Native American spirituality,
etc. as forms of Satanism. The Gods and Goddesses of other religions are often viewed
either as Satan himself, or as
demons under his control.
Some conservative Christians believe that demons:
 |
Are spirit beings, without a material body. |  |
Are invisible. |  |
Have individual personalities |  |
Are sometimes "territorial spirits:" in charge of oppression over specific
"geographical areas, as well as national, ethnic or tribal, religious, and even
generational groups. According to this view it is necessary for Christians to identify
these spirits and expel them." 6 That is, there are
demons associated with each of the non-Christian religions and with many of the "cults" (new religious groups whose theological beliefs differ
from traditional Christianity). There are demons who are attached to specific families
and who
indwell each newborn. Other demons are attached to different countries, regions,
cities, ethnic
groups, etc. |  |
Specialize in oppressing individuals with specific behaviors. e.g. some propose a "demon
of homosexuality," demonic spirits "of sexual abuse...a
specific demon of adultery" or a demonic spirit of alcohol."
6 |  |
Act as spirit guide during Shamanism and New Age channeling, as the driving energy
behind Ouiji boards, Tarot cards, Runes, crystal gazing, etc., and as the communicating
spirits in séances. |  |
Have male (incubus) and female (succubus) forms who attack and sexually molest their
victims - generally at night. |  |
Are one cause of mental illness. They can enter and possess a person's body and control
it in many ways:
 |
they can give the body superhuman strength; |
 |
they can simulate physical disabilities and sicknesses, like blindness, deafness; |
 |
they can speak through the vocal chords of the person that they posses, often in a
language unknown to the individual; |
 |
they can cause the person to become mentally unstable and even suicidal; |
 |
they can drive a person to sinful behavior, such as adultery, lying, idolatry, etc.; |
 |
they can cause a religious leader to preach falsehoods. |
|  |
Can be sometimes driven from a possessed person by a ritual of
exorcism.
Unfortunately, this ritual often involves physical abuse that results in about
one unintended death per year in North America. |
Most conservative Christian faith groups teach that a "born-again" believer
cannot be possessed by a demon. The rationale most often given is that when a person is
"saved", they are filled with Holy Spirit. Thus, there is no room for Satan or a
demon to enter their body. 7 Essentially all believe that a
saved individual can be influenced, tempted, and/or harassed by Satan or a demon. Thus the
Christian must be continuously on guard. James 4:77 promises that if one resists
Satan, he will flee. Satan is not to be feared by the born again Christian, because Christ
will protect him/her. "...greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world"
(1 John 4:4).
Harvest Ministries has an excellent, clearly written essay on Satan, as seen from an
Evangelical Christian perspective. 8
Conservative Christian beliefs are also seen in a quotation from the
writings of Richard Lee and Ed. Hindson: 9
"Today people are experimenting with astrology,
witchcraft,
Ouija boards, divination, channeling, Tarot cards, fortune-tellers,
mediums, crystals and shamans. Mankind has come to the final conclusion of disbelief
in God and has turned to belief in the very opposite! Satan has cleverly convinced the
modern mind that he is not to be taken seriously until all other spiritual options are
exhausted. Then, when empty souls turn to him in desperation, he can take them over
completely and totally.
C.S. Lewis wrote in 'The Screwtape Letters,' 10
'There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the
devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to
feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. they themselves are equally
pleased by both errors.'."
Another impressive conservative Christian resource is the web site End-Time
Deliverance Center. 11 Their goal is "to teach
the every day normal 'true worshiper' (John 4:23) (Christian) how to take authority over
the devil and his demons, using the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, thereby
training an army of DELIVERANCE ministers to defeat the works of the enemy."
Some samplings from their web site are:
 |
Satan has assigned two specific demons to cause malfunctions in electronic equipment.
They are named Boyce and Boice. One of their tasks is to prevent viewers
from opening the Demonbuster.com web site or printing hard copies of their material.
We have not observed these demons in action on our office computers. |
 |
There are also lying, fear, temper, suicide demons who make people lie, be afraid, have
a temper and want to kill themselves. |
 |
They claim that Roman Catholics can only be fully delivered from demons if they first
renounce all "promises made to, oaths taken and rituals performed in the Catholic
system by me, my parents, my husband/wife and their ancestors on both sides of the family." |
 |
Witchcraft is listed as a demon. They claim that the "leader of all witch
covens are commanded to make human sacrifices." (This belief appears to have
been subsequently altered, as they now believe that Wiccan leaders do not engage in human
sacrifices.) |
 |
Other demons' specialties include pornography, blood transfusions, Valium, fantasy, bankruptcy,
greed, oral sex, scorpions, divorce, four-leaf clovers, Rubik's cube, frogs and many
dozens of others. Yoga, Halloween, country music, self-help programs, men's and women's
lodges, World Council of Churches, psychiatry, and the Hippocratic oath.
All
non-Christian religions are demon associated. |
 |
Karate or Judo causes the student to become demon possessed. |
Exorcism and belief in demons show no sign of abating. According to the
Toledo Blade, Bob Larson said in 2006-FEB that he has performed more than 6,000
exorcisms in 90 countries over the last 20 years. They wrote:
"Mr. Larson has spent the last six years setting up teams around the
country who can perform exorcisms and spiritual healings. He has trained 100
teams thus far, including the Toledo team at Oasis Christian Fellowship led
by the Rev. Louis C. Roy. The exorcist is looking to build a national
training center in Phoenix at a cost of around $1.2 million." 14

Roman Catholic beliefs:
The church teaches "of the creation and fall of the rebel angels, and of
the various ways in which these fallen spirits are permitted to tempt and
afflict the children of men" through possession. 15 During the Renaissance
and the Reformation periods there was:
"...a fresh outbreak of old superstitions and evil practices, and for a
time both Catholic and Protestant countries were disturbed by the strange
beliefs and the strange doings of real or supposed professors of the black
arts and by the credulous and cruel persecutors who
sought to suppress them."
This led to the persecutions of tens of thousands of people who were believed
to be witches in league with Satan and his demons.
The Church continues its belief in demonic possession to this day. However,
they often stress that very few of the cases where possession is suspected are
caused by demonic activity. The vast majority can be explained as mental health
problems.
Father Gabriele Amorth is the president of the International Association
of Exorcists, and is the Catholic Church's current chief exorcist. He has
allegedly conducted over 30,000 exorcisms during his lifetime. During an
interview on Vatican Radio, he said:
"Of course the Devil exists and he can not only possess a single person
but also groups and entire populations. I am convinced that the Nazis were
all possessed. All you have to do is think about what Hitler - and Stalin
did. Almost certainly they were possessed by the Devil. You can tell by
their behavior and their actions, from the horrors they committed, and the
atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend
society from demons."
According to secret Vatican documents recently released wartime pontiff Pope
Pius XII attempted a "long distance" exorcism of Hitler which failed to have any
effect. Father Amorth continued:
"It's very rare that praying and attempting to carry out an exorcism from
distance works. Of course you can pray for someone from a distance but in
this case it would not have any effect. One of the key requirements for an
exorcism is to be present in front of the possessed person and that person
also has to be consenting and willing. Therefore trying to carry out an
exorcism on someone who is not present, or consenting and willing would
prove very difficult. However I have no doubt that Hitler was possessed and
so it does not surprise me that Pope Pius XII tried a long distance
exorcism." 16

It was certainly easier to believe in Satan and demons in the 1st century CE
then it is today. Educated folks then believed that the world was flat, with a
Heaven up in the sky and Hell under the earth. Angels
pushed the sun, moon, planets and stars across the sky. Satan and his
demons were seen to possess the bodies of a few unfortunate people. Thunder, lightning and
other weather disturbances were seen as the workings of the evil ones. But 2 millennia
later, it is much more difficult to maintain that ancient belief system. Most of us
no longer believe
in a mythical cosmology; we no longer live in a pre-scientific culture. With the exception
of the United States and Ireland, most Western Christians have almost abandoned their
belief in Satan and his army of demons.
We can now explain weather phenomenon; gods and spirits are no longer needed to move
the sun, moon and stars across the firmament each day. Mental illnesses have been found to have chemical,
electrical, and
emotional origins. But, just because most of the activities of Satan and his demons have
been explained away by scientists, one cannot logically conclude that these beings do not exist.
Philosophers have tried for millennia to prove the existence of God, without success.
They have not been able to prove that God does not exist either. With the present
stalemate, both belief in God and a disbelief in God are rational alternatives. So too are
belief or disbelief in Satan and his helpers. It is not readily possible to prove or disprove the
existence of a incorporeal being.
Belief in Satan does solve one of the thorniest of philosophical problems: how an
all-good God resides in a universe that contains so much evil. However, belief in Satan
and demons has a downside:
 |
It can generate fear and paranoia as believers feel helpless in the path of a
supernatural being |
 |
It can motivate people to not accept responsibility for their actions. This is "the
Devil made me do it" defense. |
 |
It can motivate a person to seek relief from mental or emotional problems through
exorcism rather that from a mental health practitioner. As noted above, this
results in about one unintended death in North America each year. |

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
-
G. Barna, "The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators," Word
Publishing, Dallas TX (1996), Page 22.
-
George Barna, "What Americans Believe.", Regal Books, Ventura CA
(1991), Page 206
-
Gust Niebuhr, "Poll Indicates Diminished Role of Devil", N.Y. Times
News Service, 1997-MAY-10, at:
http://www.anomalous-images.com/
-
"Does Satan Really Exist?," Our Baptist Heritage, 1993-MAR/APR. Text
published at:
http://www.worldmissions.org/
-
G. Messandé, "The History of the Devil", Newell, London, England,
(1996)
-
M.F. Under, "Demons in the World Today," Tenderly House, Wheaten, IL,
(1971), Page 8
-
Eric Villanova, "Territorial Spirits and Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical
Perspective," Christian Research Journal, 1992-Summer, Page 38 at:
http://www.iclnet.org/
-
Greg Laurie, "Foundations for Living: Who is the Devil?" at:
http://www.harvest.org/tools/ffl/devil1.html
and http://www.harvest.org/
-
R. Lee & Ed. Hindson, "Angels of Deceit," Harvest House, Eugene,
OR, (1993), Page 118
-
C.S. Lewis, "The Screwtape Letters," Macmillan, New York, NY,
(1961), Page 3
-
The "End-Time Deliverance Center" maintains an extensive web site on
demonic oppression at: http://demonbuster.com/
-
"Religious Beliefs Vary Widely By Denomination," Barna Group, 2001-JUN-25, at:
http://www.barna.org/
-
"Americans Draw Theological Beliefs From Diverse Points of View,"
Barna Group, 2002-OCT-08, at:
http://www.barna.org/
-
"Toledo gets visit from 'The Exorcist'," Toledo Blade, Toledo, OH,
2006-FEB-11.
-
"Demonology," Catholic Encyclopedia, at:
http://www.newadvent.org/
-
Nick Pisa, "Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the Devil, says
Vatican exorcist," Daily Mail, 2006-AUG-28, at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

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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