Poll: Dark Forces?

[sun rise]

I believe because many emotions and thoughts (not all) are dark forces (demoniac forces) at work that people yield to.

I don't believe in Manichaeism, the view that there's a devil and God in equal opposition to each other. That is also a Christian heresy not that I subscribe to Christian theology but in this instance my perspective and orthodox Christian theology agree.

From my perspective there are lower astral entitles that seek to experience vicarious pleasure in people's negative deeds. Those lower astral entitles are often labeled as "demons".

In the larger sphere, I accept the Indian concept of "maya", illusion that automatically seeks to promote ignorance but is really an aspect of the divine doing divinely created work. On the human level maya appears as ignorance which creates the illusion that we're really separate from Divinity.

Maya is necessary to create the adventure of life because by overcoming maya we realize our true natures. This is like the mountain that can be climbed or the obstacle course in running.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Do you believe that there are dark forces at work in this world?

And by this I mean supernatural dark forces. Not just evil individuals who do evil things.

No, I don't.

... but I think that convincing someone that there are supernatural dark forces in the world that need to be fought is a pretty effective way to get a well-meaning person to do evil.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

No, I don't.

... but I think that convincing someone that there are supernatural dark forces in the world that need to be fought is a pretty effective way to get a well-meaning person to do evil.

Or that we need to do something about irrational people. That can also go wrong.

 

[soulsurvivor]

Do you believe that there are dark forces at work in this world?

And by this I mean supernatural dark forces. Not just evil individuals who do evil things.

I do.

Because I have had experience with the demonic.

Because of this I have come to believe in Satan. Although a great many Christians don't believe in Satan, even though he is clearly mentioned in The Bible.

There are definitely dark forces at work in this world. But that does not mean there is a 'Supreme' dark person otherwise known as Satan. Most of these dark forces are independent and answer to no one (although some of them may work in groups).

However, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone and not interfere with you. They are only attracted to people who themselves have dark thoughts or intentions.

 

[WalterTrull]

There is only one force. Navigation on that sea can be a bit tricky, however.

 

[Kenny]

I don't believe in Manichaeism, the view that there's a devil and God in equal opposition to each other. That is also a Christian heresy not that I subscribe to Christian theology but in this instance my perspective and orthodox Christian theology agree.

Not sure exactly how that applies... Certainly, as a Christian, I wouldn't say that the devil and God in equal opposition to each other since the adversary has been overcome.

From my perspective there are lower astral entitles that seek to experience vicarious pleasure in people's negative deeds. Those lower astral entitles are often labeled as "demons".

So, basically, two name for the same animal. I think we can find agreement here.

In the larger sphere, I accept the Indian concept of "maya", illusion that automatically seeks to promote ignorance but is really an aspect of the divine doing divinely created work. On the human level maya appears as ignorance which creates the illusion that we're really separate from Divinity.

Maya is necessary to create the adventure of life because by overcoming maya we realize our true natures. This is like the mountain that can be climbed or the obstacle course in running.

That is an interesting position. Thank you for sharing.

There is a place in Christianity where we do overcome the obstacle course. Although we wouldn't subscribe to promoting of ignorance but rather overcoming ignorance.

 

[MJ Bailey]

Male, female; Christian, Muslim; it is seen that opposition is the only thing needed for human existence even if it may be the very down fall of. Getting along with each other and acknowledging the need for Unity is not anything currently yet recognized however crucial to human existence. We daily fight against viruses, bacterium, and cosmological threats but still seek Our own as being disruptive and wish of demise. Choose what your Dark Force is

 

[DNB]

Do you believe that there are dark forces at work in this world?

And by this I mean supernatural dark forces. Not just evil individuals who do evil things.

I do.

Because I have had experience with the demonic.

Because of this I have come to believe in Satan. Although a great many Christians don't believe in Satan, even though he is clearly mentioned in The Bible.

Yes, of course - the world is a cesspool, and man commits crimes and atrocities that have absolutely no rational substantiation to justify them. In other words, as the most intelligent being on the planet, man acts in a manner that defies his intellectual faculties - clearly there is another influence upon humans that, prevalently speaking, causes them to act in the most absurd, hypocritical and self-annihilating fashion.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Do you believe that there are dark forces at work in this world?

And by this I mean supernatural dark forces. Not just evil individuals who do evil things.

I do.

Because I have had experience with the demonic.

Because of this I have come to believe in Satan. Although a great many Christians don't believe in Satan, even though he is clearly mentioned in The Bible.

Yes. I've had my experiences, too. It's just a fact to me.

 

[InChrist]

Do you believe that there are dark forces at work in this world?

And by this I mean supernatural dark forces. Not just evil individuals who do evil things.

I do.

Because I have had experience with the demonic.

Because of this I have come to believe in Satan. Although a great many Christians don't believe in Satan, even though he is clearly mentioned in The Bible.

Yes, I definitely believe there are dark powerful spiritual entities at work in this world. There was a time when I didn’t believe that or certainly gave the subject little or no thought at all. Then I started to have experiences now and then with these dark beings. I think God allowed me to get these glimpses behind the scenes so that I would realize how powerless I was as a human being compared to such powerful spiritual beings. That is exactly what happened. I did begin to see that in my ignorance I was being pulled around and influenced like a puppet on a string. Once I understood the existence of these dark forces, who are full of hatred toward humanity and very manipulative, I knew I needed a Savior, the only Savior; Jesus Christ.

 

[dybmh]

I'm not a fan of the word "supernatural." But to translate this into my own tradition, yes, there are aspects of reality in the apparent world and the otherworlds that are adversarial to humanity in such a way that some humans (not me) will label them as "dark forces."

Do you know why they are adversarial?

 

[Sedim Haba]

Because I have had experience with the demonic.

Because of this I have come to believe in Satan. Although a great many Christians don't believe in Satan, even though he is clearly mentioned in The Bible.

Yes, HaSatan is in the bible, most notably in Job, and he is depicted as an obedient servant.
Which is what he is; an angel. An adversary, true, but not G-d's adversary, but Man's.

You know what's NOT in the Tanakh? Any record or even mention of a rebellion of angels.
Angels don't have free will. They can be judged, but judgement is a 'performance review'.

The whole 'rebellion of angels' and 'fallen angels' was invented by Romans to make the bible
fit the Roman pantheon of their gods, and is a corruption of truth. NOT biblical at all.

There are demons, but they never were angels, fallen or otherwise.
They are the spiritual toxic waste of creation. They are chaos and deceit personified.

 

[Colt]

Do you believe that there are dark forces at work in this world?

And by this I mean supernatural dark forces. Not just evil individuals who do evil things.

I do.

Because I have had experience with the demonic.

Because of this I have come to believe in Satan. Although a great many Christians don't believe in Satan, even though he is clearly mentioned in The Bible.

Yes, Lucifer introduced rebellion against the Father into the environment that we are born into.

 

[Quintessence]

Do you know why they are adversarial?

On a fundamental level, both conflict (adversity) and cooperation happen because individuality and diversity exist. Things are different from one another. When different things come into contact with one another, they develop a relationship that is variously constructive, benign, or destructive (or more than one of these). Humans tend to label things destructive to themselves as 'adversarial' or 'demonic' or 'problems' or 'evil' due to the biases of their own perspective. The vast majority of 'dark forces' are not intentionally out to get humanity. They are just doing what they do because they must do in accord with their nature, and that nature conflicts with humans. A select few are straight up malevolent, but to be honest? I see that mostly from how humans treat other humans and even there it's a rarity.

 

[dybmh]

On a fundamental level, both conflict (adversity) and cooperation happen because individuality and diversity exist. Things are different from one another. When different things come into contact with one another, they develop a relationship that is variously constructive, benign, or destructive (or more than one of these). Humans tend to label things destructive to themselves as 'adversarial' or 'demonic' or 'problems' or 'evil' due to the biases of their own perspective. The vast majority of 'dark forces' are not intentionally out to get humanity. They are just doing what they do because they must do in accord with their nature, and that nature conflicts with humans. A select few are straight up malevolent, but to be honest? I see that mostly from how humans treat other humans and even there it's a rarity.

Thank you,

 

[loverofhumanity]

Baha’is believe that the term Satan in the Holy Books is referring to the ego or lower self of man and that the concept that Satan is an actual being is a myth. We believe that God has never created an evil spirit.

 

[paarsurrey]

Dark Forces?

When a thing or force has immense effect (positive/good or negative/bad) on humans they give a name to it, for ease of understanding, please. Right?
And it is very natural, the Himalaya doesn't know that it has the name Himalaya, yet it exists, please. Right?


Regards
_______________
"Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the event of concurrent storms in the same basin. Once storms develop sustained wind speeds of more than 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph), names are generally assigned to them from predetermined lists, depending on the basin in which they originate. Some tropical depressions are named in the Western Pacific; while tropical cyclones must contain a significant amount of gale-force winds before they are named in the Southern Hemisphere."
Tropical cyclone naming - Wikipedia

 

[nPeace]

Do you believe that there are dark forces at work in this world?

And by this I mean supernatural dark forces. Not just evil individuals who do evil things.

I do.

Because I have had experience with the demonic.

Because of this I have come to believe in Satan. Although a great many Christians don't believe in Satan, even though he is clearly mentioned in The Bible.

I would not say I believe. There is no doubt in my mind, that there are good and bad "forces". I would say, I know there are.
Experiences are like experiments, especially when they can be repeated.

 

[nPeace]

Baha’is believe that the term Satan in the Holy Books is referring to the ego or lower self of man and that the concept that Satan is an actual being is a myth. We believe that God has never created an evil spirit.

Why would Bahai think that God needs to create Satan, for that one to exist?
Do Bahais think God created evil, so that it does exist?

Satan means Resister, or Opposer. It is a title given to the chief opposer of God.
The Bible describes the chief rebel angel as Satan (Resister / Opposer) the Devil (Slanderer).

Do Bahais also deny that God created angelic beings? Do they believe in angels - spirit beings?
If a spirit being is bad, does that mean God created a bad spirit being?
Is it not rather a case of God creating angels, some of whom turned bad?
God did not create the bad.

Bahai don't believe the Bible, in that case. Since God does not have an ego he needs to suppress, and therefore talks to it from time to time.
(Job 1:7) Then Jehovah said to Satan: “Where have you come from?” Satan answered Jehovah: “From roving about on the earth and from walking about in it.”

Do Bahais actually think God's ego ran amok in the earth, and God was talking to himself?
Why, the angels must have thought God was loco... according to Bahais.

...but then again, the angels spoke to God's ego too, so I guess they are all loco.
(Zechariah 3:2) Then the angel of Jehovah said to Satan: “May Jehovah rebuke you, O Satan, yes, may Jehovah, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this one a burning log snatched out of the fire?”

Why would anyone want to go to heaven.

Let's all go loco... I guess.

 

[nPeace]

There are definitely dark forces at work in this world. But that does not mean there is a 'Supreme' dark person otherwise known as Satan. Most of these dark forces are independent and answer to no one (although some of them may work in groups).

However, if you leave them alone, they will leave you alone and not interfere with you. They are only attracted to people who themselves have dark thoughts or intentions.

How do you know this soulsurvivor?