Demons, is there any evidence they even exist?

[Eddi]

I thought you were a believer and born again, are you? As far as I know science deals with the physical world and have no way to study the invisible spiritual world.

Yes I am

The thing is, if demons were real and could really possess real people then that would make them physical

Demons would necessarily be physical if they could possess physical bodies, such as your body or mine

And if they were physical then they would be something science would know about which is clearly not the case

 

[Eddi]

I thought you were a believer and born again, are you? As far as I know science deals with the physical world and have no way to study the invisible spiritual world.
Jesus’ ministry was expelling demons and there is a Derek Prince teaching and video posted on that if you want watch.

I don't think Jesus really did cast out demons

I believe he healed Schizophrenics

Big difference

 

[ElishaElijah]

Yes I am

The thing is, if demons were real and could really possess real people then that would make them physical

Demons would necessarily be physical if they could possess physical bodies, such as your body or mine

And if they were physical then they would be something science would know about which is clearly not the case

How can a person be born again and not believe the Word of God? The Holy Spirit leads and guides into all Truth and doesn’t go against the Scriptures but confirms them.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
‭‭I Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

 

[Eddi]

How can a person be born again and not believe the Word of God? The Holy Spirit leads and guides into all Truth and doesn’t go against the Scriptures but confirms them.

If God were to directly tell me that demons exist then I would of course believe him

As far as I can see he hasn't

 

[ElishaElijah]

If God were to directly tell me that demons exist then I would of course believe him

As far as I can see he hasn't

The Word of God says it, the Kingdom of God is demonstrated when we expel them.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

Testimony is the number 1 reason why innocent people get convicted for crimes they never committed.

Yeah, it’s weird how we should trust testimony, but Jesus is arrested and crucified over testimony.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

You have no facts on creation or voice hearing. Psychologists blather about hearing voices trying to convince you they’re the experts. A pseudoscience alpha male tells them ‘it’s all in the head, it must be!’ and they all follow their leader. Ask them where atoms come from and precisely how those atoms acquire consciousness and, yes as you can imagine, they offer nothing.

If your voices are telling you inaccurate information, maybe try the scientific method. That’s what I do.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

And the psychiatric ward is filled with examples of such.

There are more messiahs and prophets in religious forums than there are in any scripture.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

My question really centers around those who believe or claim a basic belief in the Bible and those who do not. Some people here claim to hear voices, have spirit communication with the dead, and things similar. How then do you perceive such claims, do you think they are they making it up?

I want brain scans. It won’t tell us the source of voices but it will show if they are even HAVING voices.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

I'll repeat -- Jesus exorcised demons in some

Wrong. The story says he did.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

That poster just demonstrated to you that anti-psychotic medication actually helps people get their lives back and your response is that is cruel and uncompassionate because he didn't consider throwing demons in to the mix? I have to ask, are you really a serious person?

Cognitive therapy has kept me from ending everything. I pray but as God didn’t save Jesus, I don’t expect prayers to help so I get therapy.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

Mental disorders aren't about having a guilty conscience.

Some people sound like they got their psychology from Nightmare on Elm Street 3.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

People sometimes think about quitting them because they begin to feel better and (mistakenly) believe they don't need them anymore, leading them to stop them against medical advice and regress back to psychosis.

Yup. I felt better and stopped my antidepressants. I was a nurse so I should have known better. I won’t make that mistake again.

 

[Apostle John]

If your voices are telling you inaccurate information, maybe try the scientific method. That’s what I do.

To clarify, my voice is the Holy Spirit/Godhead. They give me accurate, dependable information. Because they are not demonic and not of this world they thankfully give no misleading science. It’s wonderful.

 

[Eddi]

The Word of God says it, the Kingdom of God is demonstrated when we expel them.

Show me scripture

 

[Eddi]

To clarify, my voice is the Holy Spirit/Godhead. They give me accurate, dependable information. Because they are not demonic and not of this world they thankfully give no misleading science. It’s wonderful.

Can I ask, out of all people why does God talk to you? And not others?

Are you special? Chosen? A prophet?

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Cognitive therapy has kept me from ending everything. I pray but as God didn’t save Jesus, I don’t expect prayers to help so I get therapy.

Praying to God in Jesus' name is, in my opinion, a waste of time and about as effective as praying to a brick wall and expecting the wall to answer you. I can speak from personal experience when I say that when I finally let go of my personal belief and faith in God, my mental health and emotional well-being significantly improved over time. Mind you, it wasn't a walk in the park, but I learned effective coping mechanisms that assisted me in dealing with the PTSD and depression I had suffered for years as a result of the constant abuse, bullying, and trauma I endured at home and in school while growing up. Ironically, I grew up in a Christian home and was a devout Christian myself for thirty years. I've learned to take care of myself and my family rather than relying on God to look after us, heal us when we're sick, or protect us if we find ourselves in a dangerous situation. Furthermore, I don't need God to tell me how to live my life or to consult with him before making decisions for myself or my family. That is something I am fully capable of accomplishing on my own. I've also come to realize that I don't need God to be a moral person or make moral decisions. I've realized that I don't need or want God in my life and that I'm better off without believing in and trusting him. I finally have peace and contentment in my life, which I never had before I abandoned my Christian faith. And, to be honest, I have doubts that God even exists, that Jesus ever existed, and I also doubt the authenticity of the Bible. Finally, I realize that other people have different perspectives on the biblical God and believe in him as I once did, but this is my personal experience as a former Christian.

 

[ElishaElijah]

Show me scripture

Why, you don’t believe the Scripture

 

[Apostle John]

Can I ask, out of all people why does God talk to you? And not others?

Are you special? Chosen? A prophet?

I don’t know why He speaks to me, all I know is these words are gifts of the Spirit, the reason for receiving them is something I’ll only find out when I get to heaven. He does speak to a few other Christians but not all.
One word He gave me out of hundreds was “you’re special” but He pronounced special similar to speeeecial, prolonging the first vowel. I have to interpret these words. But I am humble and every Christian is special I believe to God.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I used to believe my mental health problems were spiritual in nature

i.e. I thought they were demonic

The moment I realised they weren't was for me a massive breakthrough that lead to a big improvement in my mental health

In Jesus's time people had no concept of mental illness so they explained it in terms of "demons"

People in this day and age should know better

I suppose in some ways it's better to be haunted by a demon than it is to have a mental illness as having a demon means there's nothing medically wrong with you, that you're not really unwell

It's a kind of denial

To believe you are haunted by a demon is to deny the fact that there's something wrong with you, that you are ill

And anyway, it can't be demonic possession because demons don't exist, they're in the same category as the tooth fairy...

Ironically, being convinced to be haunted by a demon fits right into the picture of the delusions that come with psychosis.

Such is often the problem with getting schizofrenics and alike to take their meds.
They are convinced their problem is a demon and in even worse cases they think their doctor is trying to poison them with the meds.

This is why anti-psychotics also come in the form of melting tablets like Zyprexa, which almost instantly melts when it touches saliva, to make sure they can't quickly spit it out when the nurse / doctor / family member turns his back.

I feel compelled here to share a very personal story of the worst time of my life... It pains me to even think about it.

My wife dealt with psychosis 15 years ago. It was hell on earth, believe me. Our lives were completely and utterly disrupted. I got completely exhausted. She was completely convinced the entire world was against her, that people on TV were talking about her, that there was a conspiracy at work against her,... And all this was "told" to her by the voices in her head.
It was insanely scary. Till this day, I kiss the ground that somehow she continued to trust me. I have to admit, I was afraid. Afraid that one night she would start believing I was also part of the "grand conspiracy" and that she might actually try to hurt me in my sleep or something.

I had to stay home for 6 weeks from work and totally isolated the both of us to prevent such from happening. The first couple of weeks I spend hours a day making her take her meds, convincing her she needed them. After the accute period was over, I actually slept for almost 24 hour straight. Went to bed at 19h and only woke in the afternoon the next day. It was crazy.

After 3 years of being stable, we tried fading out the medication. 2 weeks later: BOOM, the same sh!t all over again. Only this time, I noticed the first symptoms straight away and we immediatly threw the equivalent of a nuclear bomb at it in the form of anti-psychotics. It worked. It was much less severe and only lasted 3 weeks. Still had to stay home again though.

Now, 15 years later, she is still on a small maintenance dose. She herself doesn't want to try and quit anymore. She is completely fine now and we have 2 wonderful kids (8 years later then we originally planned as a direct result of those psychotic episodes). Are there some side effects? Yes.

The first meds we tried gave heavy weight gain and some motoric stuff (slight trembling of a few fingers).
The one she uses now only makes it hard to lose weight.

So is a bit chubby. We'll take some chubbyness and a daily small pill over the horror of psychosis any day of the week, thanks.


So now everybody knows why I'm touchy about this very subject.


Worst. Time. Of. My. Life. (and her's, obviously).

My wife's literal words today are that she'll take an aggressive cancer over psychosis any day if she had to choose.

Both me and my wife are atheists. During the episodes, suddenly she turned all "spiritual" also. Suddenly demons and the devil are real entities and out to get us all. Interesting side note.



So.... in conclusion... @ElishaElijah : you have no idea what you are talking about. And it literally pains me when I see people talk thrash like you do about this extremely serious subject.