Demons

[Oats]

Should all churches who claim to be Christian cast out demons?

 

[sherri2]

It's part of the great commission.

 

[Tina]

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Only if the church is haunted ........ :o

 

[coffeeelover]

When I was a kid the church we went to thought demons were everywhere. There was a demons for drinking, lying, over eating, poverty..etc. Pretty much all bad things were caused by literal demons. So they would always lay on hands for people to caste out the demons.

I always thought wow these people sure have a screw loose.

 

[Nathan]

I do not think that most people even understand what a demon is. much less be able to cast it out. and i would never condone "trying it" without knowing who they are and what your doing. If it happens it is because God is doing it, not because you are...

remember....

Acts 19:11-16 "And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.” Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

 

[Lewis]

Demons are everywhere, but they don't cause everything that is bad, because many times it is you who causes bad stuff to happen. Oh and the drug, sex, homosexual and alcohol demons are for real.

 

[coffeeelover]

Demons are everywhere, but they don't cause everything that is bad, because many times it is you who causes bad stuff to happen. Oh and the drug, sex, homosexual and alcohol demons are for real.

Sounds like voodoo.

 

[Lewis]

Where do you guys get your knowledge of the unseen from? is it through interpretation or does the "Holy Spirit" inspire your knowledge of these things?

From first hand experience, and the Bible says and it is true, if you have not the Holy Ghost, how can the natural man, which would be you Mujahid Abdullah understand. I have seen the work and I have been in their presence, I have been in situations as to where the people that I was with, all knew that we were in the presence of active demons, and one time around 1981 or 82 we were hanging out in an apartment where demon activity was very high, and the former tenet dealt in witchcraft. Also one day i left the apartment and went home and when I returned that evening a girl had been murdered in the bathtub. And we still continued to use that apartment for drinking drugs and sex. There was a Muslim in our group named Malick and even he could feel the demonic activity in this apartment. And sometimes him and I would sit outside the apartment in my car, scared to go in there. One time him and I seen something dart across the window inside, while sitting in my car. And Malick said did you see that, and I said yeah I saw it, but we just could not make out what it was. And even to this day I sometimes can see demons inside people. But anyway that story I just told you is very true. And this is one of the very few times that I have talked about it. But Malick who is still a Muslim still remembers it, because we talked about it 20 something years later, and he had not forgot one detail.

 

[Tina]

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Where do you guys get your knowledge of the unseen from? is it through interpretation or does the "Holy Spirit" inspire your knowledge of these things?

It's in the Bible ....


1 John 5:19
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

Job 1:7
The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."



evil

 

[jasoncran]

Demons are everywhere, but they don't cause everything that is bad, because many times it is you who causes bad stuff to happen. Oh and the drug, sex, homosexual and alcohol demons are for real.

lewis i wasnt possed when i was bi, does a possesed man by choice attend a church and want to read the bible? and even while i was in sin i wasnt possesed.

i dont think bisexuality or homosexaulity and lesbians are possesed but are influenced by those that want us to sin. and we know that the devil wants us to sin, and blinds men to think that sin(any sin is ok).

 

[Tina]

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I was just currious to where christians get the specifics - like that there is a demon for gambeling, or homosexuality - because I dont think these things are specificly mentioned in the bible, and I know of no other authoritative texts which guide your religion.

The spirit of greed and mammon is behind compulsive and addictive gambling and Jesus indeed mentioned it ....


Luke 16:13
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

 

[Lewis]

lewis i wasnt possed when i was bi, does a possesed man by choice attend a church and want to read the bible? and even while i was in sin i wasnt possesed.

i dont think bisexuality or homosexaulity and lesbians are possesed but are influenced by those that want us to sin. and we know that the devil wants us to sin, and blinds men to think that sin(any sin is ok).

Jason I should have made it more clear, those sicknesses are spirit. I did not say anything about possession, even though in some cases possession is the case.

 

[oi_antz]

Mammon is an Aramaic word meaning "wealth" - and Im pretty sure biblical scholars define Mammon as as word meaning greed, riches or wealth.

So how did you get mammon as the personal name of a specific demon?

Mammon isn't a demon but an invisible god.

 

[Tina]

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When Jesus said "You cannot serve God and mammon", obviously He meant mammon is something that can be "served" - just like any other idol, mammon can also be turned into an idol. Whether one wants to construe this mammon as a demon, spirit or invisible false god, it's up to him, for after all, they are basically the same thing anyway.

 

[Tina]

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Demons are any spirits that are not of the Spirit of God. The golden calf was an idol. Any man-made idol, when worshipped, attracts evil spirits. The object itself is not a demon or spirit, but what it represents or attracts are evil spirits that tend to get attached to it.

There certainly are separate conscious entities, evil spirits for short, that can possess or oppress man. For example the Bible talks about spirit of fear.


2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

 

[angeleyes]

I do not think that most people even understand what a demon is. much less be able to cast it out. and i would never condone "trying it" without knowing who they are and what your doing. If it happens it is because God is doing it, not because you are...

remember....

Acts 19:11-16 "And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.†Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?†And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Verry well said!!!

 

[Chris]

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.


2 Timothy 1:7...
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. dont worry bout them mate we win every time. except if they trick us into thinking they are powerful and could harm us. but if god is for us who can be against us.

do you think maybe if we concentrate on what is good maybe they will just get forgotten about while we get on with it.

one thing comes to mind. many times in the bible there is many references to an unclean spirit. Even though this may appear as a demon if you think that way, but could it also mean a sickness because there wasn't a better explanation known to the author or witnesses of the event? just a thought.

soon as you start thinking bout Demons to much you have taken your eyes off the prize. i would kinda hope the lord sorts them out for me while i do stuff

 

[jasoncran]

Jason I should have made it more clear, those sicknesses are spirit. I did not say anything about possession, even though in some cases possession is the case.

then i agree as any sin has a devil pushing it.

 

[oi_antz]

??? I was under the impresion there is but One God.

Do you mean mammon was a false god? I can agree with that, but if you take the passage refering to mammon and translate it to wealth - its a false god in a more abstract sense. Like those who may "worship" the false god of money - where their lives are more concerned with wealth (in aramaic and hebrew: mammon) than they are with God.

So my question is, how did the idea of mammon worship (the love of worldly money and greed) morph into the name of a specific demon? Or is this just Tinas interpretation of things?

Yes I think we have the same idea, mammon is a false god. Mammon is a worship or love for things of the earth (wealth, lust, pleasure), whereas there is not really one demon who represents mammon, but the love for mammon can be an attack vector for any demon. It seems anything to throw you off the course of God is good enough to exploit and the demons learn to lead the humans by their nose ring. See Isaiah 44 about idolatry, it's all related to mis-directing our worship to false gods: Isaiah 44:6-23 - Passage*Lookup - New International Version - BibleGateway.com

 

[l'Chante]

Demons are everywhere, but they don't cause everything that is bad, because many times it is you who causes bad stuff to happen. Oh and the drug, sex, homosexual and alcohol demons are for real.

Lewis, would you mind to elaborate a bit? I’m not sure I understand. We don’t actually talk about demons etc in our denomination, and I feel it is important to understand it.