Oh, yes! Ask anybody. OMG! I did it again....
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Views on demons
- Thread starter VoidCat
- Start date
Secret Chief
nirvana is samsara
I recommend this:
The Devil Worshipping Religion Of Buddhism
Anyhoo...the story of Mara, head demon, messing with Sidd's head reminds me of that whole Jesus in the desert temptation skit.
The Devil Worshipping Religion Of Buddhism
Anyhoo...the story of Mara, head demon, messing with Sidd's head reminds me of that whole Jesus in the desert temptation skit.
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VoidCat
Pronouns: he/him/they/them
That is...I don't know how to respond to that.
Edit:
The article reminds me of my grandma wanting to do an excorism because I am a pagan witch.
Secret Chief
nirvana is samsara
VoidCat
Pronouns: he/him/they/them
Yeah...I have a feeling my grandma would agree with said article...its comical trying to tell her I dont worship Satan.
VoidCat
Pronouns: he/him/they/them
Whats the story? Sorry dont know much about Buddhism
Secret Chief
nirvana is samsara
I suppose Mara represents temptation. As Siddhartha is moving towards awakening (aka enlightenment) Mara tries to prevent it by various nefarious means.
The bible says that President George Bush (the elder) and President W. Bush (the son) are both demons who escaped the bottomless pit of hell. The bible identified them as the ones who attacked Iraq. (Remember the torture camp in Guantanamo, and the lies about WMD that motivated the war, and the lies about Orange Alerts that scared people into continuing the killings).
The Bush presidents were elected largely through support of the Religious Right (A conservative Christian group).
Satan gets things done by lies, murder, greed, and fear.
CHANGING WORDS OF GOD:
Some of the difficulties are from Satanic lies from their religious leaders who hope to change the wording of Revelation (a chapter in the bible).
Revelation 22:18,19 says: "“And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
23. Babylon as Seen in Scripture: An Introduction to Rev 17-18 | Bible.org
Link above: Lies alter the words of the holy bible: "Babylon as an ecclesiastical or spiritual entity and chapter 18 as dealing with Babylon as a political entity"
Any archaeologist could tell you that the city of Babylon has been there since ancient times, and it is the only Babylon there. In the bible, countries were referred to by their largest or capital city. For example, the United States would be referred to as Washington D.C. There is no question that the Babylon of Revelation is the same as Babylon, Iraq, and only liars would try to say otherwise, and, as it says in the bible, they will be written out of the book of life (burn in the fires of hell forever).
MENTION OF DEMONS IN THE CHRISTIAN (NEW TESTAMENT) BIBLE:
Revelation 13:2 The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
Revelation 13:7: It [beast] was given power to wage war against God's holy people [Iraqis] and conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.
Revelation 13:8: All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's [Christ's] book of life...
IDENTIFYING DEMONS: DEMONS ATTACKED IRAQ:
Though the bible clearly identifies those who warred with Babylon as demons, most Christians either disbelieve significant sections of their own bible, or they have trouble interpreting it.
REVELATION IS CONFUSING:
Revelation is confusing because it was written by a psychic. Psychics receive visions of the future, not with their regular senses, but with extrasensory perception (ESP), and that doesn't have a place in the brain to process info. So, that info is processed sometimes in the visual cortex, or in the brain's hearing center. Thus the information is not translated perfectly, but it is symbolic. But, if you read Revelation, you will see that the bible, itself, decodes the symbolism.
Symbolical of the ego or lower self. No actual existence whatsoever. One definition is ‘the insistent self’.
“This lower nature in man is symbolized as Satan—the evil ego within us, not an evil personality outside”.(Bahá’í Writings)
Vinidra
Jai Mata Di!
In the Chandi Path (important Shakta scripture, also known as the Devi Mahatmyam or the Durga Saptashati--I call it the Chandi Path because I can spell that without having to look it up), the Divine Mother slays a huge number of demons. These demons are symbols of the negative tendencies inside ourselves that we have to slay. One's called the Great Ego, for example.
So in the pre-existence, God created spirits that would have bodies on Earth. Lucifer, the oldest, wanted everyone to be forced to do what's right and return to God after Earth and that He, Lucifer, would get the glory. Jesus, the second oldest, said some souls would lose but not if they turned to Him and the glory would go to God the Father. 1/3 of the Spirits followed Lucifer and did not receive bodies. They stand to tempt us and create adversity and try to undermine Jesus' plan in any way they can. After we die, even if we didn't accept Jesus' plan, we will know the truth and can accept it, but it's harder to do so without bodies. Eventually, our bodies and spirits will be re-united in a kingdom of Heaven.
I have been in other religions too, so I know there are a lot of different answers.
There's no formal recognition of them in Druidry - the term "demon" itself as I understand it is a Christian bastardization of daemons, which were simply lesser spirits/deities. To Christians, these Pagan things not of their god were, well... demonized and evil. The whole dualism that the term "demon" rests upon is generally absent in antiquity and in most of contemporary Paganism.
As such, I really only use the word "demon" for the purposes of communicating with the cultural mainstream where use of this term is commonplace. Even then, my own understanding of that term is "a subjective attribution that conveys an adversarial or undesirable nature; especially taboo, reprehensible, or otherwise untouchable." I'll respect those attributions that others make, but I do regard them as precisely that - judgements placed onto the subject rather than some sort of inherent quality. Go figure from someone who is a contemporary Pagan whose gods have been historically (and at times, still today) demonized by exclusivist monotheists and atheists alike.
As such, I really only use the word "demon" for the purposes of communicating with the cultural mainstream where use of this term is commonplace. Even then, my own understanding of that term is "a subjective attribution that conveys an adversarial or undesirable nature; especially taboo, reprehensible, or otherwise untouchable." I'll respect those attributions that others make, but I do regard them as precisely that - judgements placed onto the subject rather than some sort of inherent quality. Go figure from someone who is a contemporary Pagan whose gods have been historically (and at times, still today) demonized by exclusivist monotheists and atheists alike.
Hinduism has no such concept of demons or evil that Christianity has. We have less than savory spiritual beings called rakshasas (female: rakshasi) and asuras but these are not wholly evil. In fact, many are not evil at all and are very pious. One was a very ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Another was an ardent devotee of Sri Rama. The word demon was misapplied when translating. So the short answer is no, we have no demons or a devil.
McBell
Resident Sourpuss
The Ancient Greek word δαίμων daemon denotes a spirit or divine power, much like the Latin genius or numen. Daimōn most likely came from the Greek verb daiesthai (to divide, distribute).[2] The Greek conception of a daimōn notably appears in the works of Plato, where it describes the divine inspiration of Socrates. The original Greek word daimon does not carry the negative connotation initially understood by implementation of the Koine δαιμόνιον (daimonion),[1] and later ascribed to any cognate words sharing the root.
The Greek terms do not have any connotations of evil or malevolence. In fact, εὐδαιμονία eudaimonia, (literally good-spiritedness) means happiness. By the early Roman Empire, cult statues were seen, by pagans and their Christian neighbors alike, as inhabited by the numinous presence of the gods: "Like pagans, Christians still sensed and saw the gods and their power, and as something, they had to assume, lay behind it, by an easy traditional shift of opinion they turned these pagan daimones into malevolent 'demons', the troupe of Satan..... Far into the Byzantine period Christians eyed their cities' old pagan statuary as a seat of the demons' presence. It was no longer beautiful, it was infested."[4] The term had first acquired its negative connotations in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, which drew on the mythology of ancient Semitic religions. This was then inherited by the Koine text of the New Testament. The Western medieval and neo-medieval conception of a demon[5] derives seamlessly from the ambient popular culture of Late Antiquity. The Hellenistic "daemon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.[citation needed]
The supposed existence of demons remains an important concept in many modern religions and occultist traditions. Demons are still feared largely due to their alleged power to possess living creatures. In the contemporary Western occultist tradition (perhaps epitomized by the work of Aleister Crowley), a demon (such as Choronzon, which is Crowley's interpretation of the so-called 'Demon of the Abyss') is a useful metaphor for certain inner psychological processes (inner demons), though some may also regard it as an objectively real phenomenon. Some scholars[6] believe that large portions of the demonology (see Asmodai) of Judaism, a key influence on Christianity and Islam, originated from a later form of Zoroastrianism, and were transferred to Judaism during the Persian era.
Demon - WikipediaThe Greek terms do not have any connotations of evil or malevolence. In fact, εὐδαιμονία eudaimonia, (literally good-spiritedness) means happiness. By the early Roman Empire, cult statues were seen, by pagans and their Christian neighbors alike, as inhabited by the numinous presence of the gods: "Like pagans, Christians still sensed and saw the gods and their power, and as something, they had to assume, lay behind it, by an easy traditional shift of opinion they turned these pagan daimones into malevolent 'demons', the troupe of Satan..... Far into the Byzantine period Christians eyed their cities' old pagan statuary as a seat of the demons' presence. It was no longer beautiful, it was infested."[4] The term had first acquired its negative connotations in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, which drew on the mythology of ancient Semitic religions. This was then inherited by the Koine text of the New Testament. The Western medieval and neo-medieval conception of a demon[5] derives seamlessly from the ambient popular culture of Late Antiquity. The Hellenistic "daemon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.[citation needed]
The supposed existence of demons remains an important concept in many modern religions and occultist traditions. Demons are still feared largely due to their alleged power to possess living creatures. In the contemporary Western occultist tradition (perhaps epitomized by the work of Aleister Crowley), a demon (such as Choronzon, which is Crowley's interpretation of the so-called 'Demon of the Abyss') is a useful metaphor for certain inner psychological processes (inner demons), though some may also regard it as an objectively real phenomenon. Some scholars[6] believe that large portions of the demonology (see Asmodai) of Judaism, a key influence on Christianity and Islam, originated from a later form of Zoroastrianism, and were transferred to Judaism during the Persian era.
McBell
Resident Sourpuss
demon (n.)
c. 1200, "an evil spirit, malignant supernatural being, an incubus, a devil," from Latin daemon "spirit," from Greek daimōn "deity, divine power; lesser god; guiding spirit, tutelary deity" (sometimes including souls of the dead); "one's genius, lot, or fortune;" from PIE *dai-mon- "divider, provider" (of fortunes or destinies), from root *da- "to divide."The malignant sense is because the Greek word was used (with daimonion) in Christian Greek translations and the Vulgate for "god of the heathen, heathen idol" and also for "unclean spirit." Jewish authors earlier had employed the Greek word in this sense, using it to render shedim "lords, idols" in the Septuagint, and Matthew viii.31 has daimones, translated as deofol in Old English, feend or deuil in Middle English. Another Old English word for this was hellcniht, literally "hell-knight."
The usual ancient Greek sense, "supernatural agent or intelligence lower than a god, ministering spirit" is attested in English from 1560s and is sometimes written daemon or daimon for purposes of distinction. Meaning "destructive or hideous person" is from 1610s; as "an evil agency personified" (rum, etc.) from 1712.
The Demon of Socrates (late 14c. in English) was a daimonion, a "divine principle or inward oracle." His accusers, and later the Church Fathers, however, represented this otherwise. The Demon Star (1895) is Algol (q.v.) .
demon | Origin and meaning of demon by Online Etymology Dictionary
McBell
Resident Sourpuss
One of the huge problems with the word "demon" is that it means different things to people.
Much like the word "god" or "deity" the meaning of the word can and does vary greatly from one person to another.
From a very specific type of being to anything and everything that is perceived bad by a persons belief system.
Much like the word "god" or "deity" the meaning of the word can and does vary greatly from one person to another.
From a very specific type of being to anything and everything that is perceived bad by a persons belief system.
There are lots of difficult to explain things. Diseases pass from person to person. So do political ideas.
Consider a lynch mob. Why do they all go crazy and lynch someone and then return to normal soon thereafter?
What about when for apparent reason at all you start to distrust someone. You just feel like they are evil, or maybe they turn evil for no apparent reason.
What if you discover that people have multiple underlying motivations ? What should these be called?
@Ray Warren, Satan was not the only one who rebelled in God's family of spirit beings. He was the first, and as with all rebels, its no fun on your own. By clever deception he gained quite a following among the other angels. We do not know how long he harbored his ambition to become a god, but his fellow angels were his equal, so at best he could be their Leader, but he could never be their god. Humans were the only intelligent creatures who were a lower life form than he was. They could see him as a god....so he targeted them.
His seeming success with getting the humans to abandon God and to do his bidding, apparently enticed others to follow in his path. What they failed to realize is that no one can defect from Jehovah and get away with it. But seeing as how God had rebellion now in both realms, it was a wise move to use it to his own advantage. He could have just snuffed out all three at the beginning and started again...but that would only have proven that God was more powerful....yet satan never challenged God's power...he challenged his sovereign right to set the rules for their existence...and he lied and slandered God in the process. These issues had to be settled once and for all.
So God allowed the rebels to test drive what they had put in place.....freedom from God's rules and the ability to make up their own. These would then 'reap what they had sown', providing the most important object lesson in the history of intelligent creation.
By letting the devil tempt mankind to sin, God was allowing them to use their free will to either prove themselves worthy of life...or to prove unworthy of retaining it......it was after all, a gift from God to all of us. But when his children chose to rebel, it was a real slap in the face to the Creator who had given them all so much. But God always finishes what he starts and he has forever to bring about his own will and purpose for us.
Satan and his minions have been influencing humans all this time to believe their lies...that they are better off making their own decisions about everything, without God telling them what to do. Look at the state of the world and tell me how successful humankind have been in doing things their way......?
Learning about the tactics that your enemy uses is a good strategy in war...and we are at war (spiritually) with satan and his demons. All through the Bible, especially in Christian times, the demons have featured in their attacks on humans...sometimes with temptations and at other times through direct attacks. Jesus and the apostles showed that these are not more powerful than God's spirit and that if we oppose the devil, he will leave. (James 4:7)
There are a few things that put us into direct contact with the demons....spiritism in all its forms (including clairvoyance, astrology, witchcraft, divining and supposed communication with the dead. Deuteronomy 18:9-12) as well as the practice of magic. Drunkenness and drug addiction can also lead to problems as they inhibit a person's ability to control their own actions. The demons do not need much of an invitation to create havoc in people's lives.
The Bible says to avoid all those things. Satan wants us to believe that they are harmless, but they put us in opposition to God and therefore we have no protection.
I believe that they can lead to mental health issues as well.
The Sum of Awe
Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Could you explain to me the differences between Prakriti and Maya? Also how about the difference between the Gunas and the Triumirti (in traditions where Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are seen as forces/metaphors/non-literal entities - assuming there is any?)
Samael_Khan
Goosebender
I have come across certain JW's and elders who have given talks (can't remember if this is in the literature or not) who have stated that clearing your mind through meditation allows demons to inhabit your mind and body. This is why meditation (as the world sees it, such as in Hinduism and Buddhism, not the meaning of meditation that JW's use) is an evil practice.
A fascinating concept.