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Is satan real?
- Thread starter xkyliex
- Start date
Anyone who has experienced an episode of psychosis in their lives most likely has an insight or two into why ancient peoples were convinced there were demons and those demons could take over their minds -- that is, possess them.
Fortunately, demons seem to be remarkably vulnerable to anti-psychotic medications.
Fortunately, demons seem to be remarkably vulnerable to anti-psychotic medications.
Jacksnyte
Reverend
Go here:
http://demonolatry.org/
And here:
http://theisticsatanism.com/
Read read read!
Then come back and discuss!
If a person was claiming to be possessed by the devil and had not experienced any psychotic episodes, what would your explanation be then?
Jacksnyte
Reverend
If you actually want to know about such things, why not do some research? I gave links to two websites chock full of information on demons, and approaches to Satanism, some of which involve ideas about possession. Those site have links to other sites with more information. The way you are phrasing your questions makes me suspect that you might have an underlying agenda other than gaining new information.
Kilgore Trout
Misanthropic Humanist
The most rational one.
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
I do not believe Satan is real. Instead, I think of "Satan" as being our animalistic and negative qualities personified. Shifting the blame onto another entity is unfair, really. It makes a good scapegoat: do something bad, blame it on the devil, feel better. I don't think things work like that.
If Satan was real, then I believe he would be more like the Jewish idea of Satan: someone who has a cruddy job, but he isn't evil.
I don't believe in demonic possession, so I don't see a point in exorcisms.
If I saw someone claiming to be possessed by a demon or Satan anything, I'd think they were:
My two cents.
If Satan was real, then I believe he would be more like the Jewish idea of Satan: someone who has a cruddy job, but he isn't evil.
I don't believe in demonic possession, so I don't see a point in exorcisms.
If I saw someone claiming to be possessed by a demon or Satan anything, I'd think they were:
- trolling
- ill
- lying
My two cents.
I appreciate your recommendations, however as i am a sociologist i am interested in what people from different religious backgrounds think about certain things. The underlying agenda, i have a research paper to do, so im merely exploring topics!
How would a person claiming to be possessed by the devil know it was the devil and not a psychosis?
According to a Surgeon-General's report released in 2000, there aren't all that many demon possessions these days that cannot be cured by medications and/or appropriate therapies. So, even if you insist on calling it "demon possession", the good news is the devil is surprisingly often a curable disorder these days.
That would depend on the religious beliefs one has. I am not saying that demon possession is real, however I cant say it is just another social construction, perhaps someone with strong religious beliefs could offer a much less cynical view...
So, truth to you depends on the religious beliefs one has? Whether a person is possessed by the devil or is afflicted by a psychosis is a matter of their religion? Or am I misunderstanding you here?
Whether or not it is real, it is simply a fact that it is almost always curable by modern medicine.
Eliot Wild
Irreverent Agnostic Jerk
Yeah, I'm with you ... I can't believe these other jerks and their cynical attitudes. Pshaw!! Just look at that guy Kilgore Trout. God knows, he's probably possessed by the Devil right now. And Odion? That guy's got demons running all through him.
Seriously, you might find it hard to get many serious respondents around here, at least in the debate sections. I've never ventured over to the fundamentalist christian directories, but that is where you might find some folks with serious beliefs in demon possession.
I will say this ... I live in an area of the United States that is full of fundamentalists. We have people who speak in tongues and some even handle snakes. Seriously. I'm not joking. And I have met people who believe in possession and exorcisms. When I was younger, before becoming an irreverant jerk myself, I actually attended a church whose pastor claimed to have been involved in an exorcism.
Frankly, even the holy rollers near me (and I have some serious holy rollers nearby) have sort of distanced themselves from such extra-spiritual, extra-dimensional claims. There are members of my own family who are quite evangelical, and while they probably wouldn't say demon possession were impossible, they'd not consider such dark spiritual manifestations as likely, even if claimed to be real by other fundamentalist types.
In other words, in all seriousness (since you have a paper, I'll be serious), even the fringe elements of christianity right here in the heart of the American bible belt, where we grow the most alarming religious whacko's, have sort of distanced themselves from demon possession and exorcism. I wish I could be more helpful, but alas, it appears demons just aren't as active nowadays as they once were. Good luck with your paper.
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
:takeabow:
Jacksnyte
Reverend
Well then, I would re-recommend those two sites I mentioned earlier as a good starting point along with anything you can find on possession in Vodou as well as other African Diasporic traditions. There is also some precedent in Chaos Magick as well.
Naturally I would question the accuracy of such statistical evidence you lay your claims on. I would also argue that a person's viewpoint is acquired through their belief systems so no, obviously the truth does not lie in religious beliefs generally. But in some faiths demonic possession is very much real. For Christians (often fundamentalist nowadays)the truth lies in the holy bible, for them this is the truth.
Then take it up with the Surgeon-General. The report was issued in 2000. I forget the precise title, but it should not be too hard for you to google it.
"...for them this is the truth"? I must go with Gandhi on this one: "There is no god higher than truth". So I don't share in the nihilism of those who think truth is established by whim.
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Can I ask, what are your religious beliefs?
wordmagnifiedabovenames
Active Member
The Bible says records a few instances of a people being possessed by demons. The Bible also mentions some instances of what we'd probably term today as exorcism. As this stuff is in the Bible, I believe it.
Satan's also in the Bible, so I believe that he's real too.
PS. I'll pm you a summary of my experience with it.
Satan's also in the Bible, so I believe that he's real too.
PS. I'll pm you a summary of my experience with it.
That would be great, i shall look forward to reading it.
Twig pentagram
High Priest
I don't know if it's possible but I do know that I don't think it is. I don't even think demons exist at all.