Are Demons Real?
I get a little annoyed by this question actually. I mean the bible says Jesus cast out demons. If demons weren’t real then he wasn’t casting them out. But the Bible tells us that demon freed people from demons and therefore demons must be real. Unless you refuse to believe that and insist that demon is a metaphor for a mental disorder. Or that the paralyzed man was actually paralyzed by depression who was freed by Jesus miraculous two-step counseling program: “Come out of darkness, walk in my light.”
More to the point, “are demons real?” is the wrong question.
PS – I’m really fond of the two step program.
Cards on the table, I’m a third wave charismatic. What does that mean? I believe in the present and supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit (ie gifts of the Spirit, with less emphasis on speaking in tongues). So whenever someone tells me that Jesus didn’t REALLY heal people, that there is no such thing as demons for us to be delivered from, or that God doesn’t work miracles in this day and age – whenever I hear something like that I get pissed.
Why? Because if God isn’t willing to show up and heal us of our momentary afflictions, how can we actually believe that He would send Jesus to suffer and die for us? Because whenever someone asks if demons are real, they’re really asking if God moves today.
Riddle me this Batman: if God is unwilling to heal us of momentary afflictions whether natural or demonic, then how can we honestly believe that He would have done something infinitely more difficult and send His one and only begotten son to die for us a painful and humiliating death while we were suffering sinners?
There are arguments against this of course. There are arguments against everything. But I’m looking at verses like “You will see greater things than this,” “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” “You have been given the Keys to the Kingdom and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,” “I will send you a Paraclete,” and “If you believe, you will receive.”
So riddle me this Batman, if God doesn’t perform miracles today, is it because He doesn’t really love us, or is it because He isn’t powerful enough? Because the gifts aren’t about you and me; they’re about how much the Father loves us.
I wrote a bit on this subject today too. Thanks for the refreshing perspective. I get tired of people telling me that this is not a legitimate issue.
The thing I think is that people will turn it into something much more, or less, than it is and ultimately devalue and by misunderstanding dismiss it entirely. Dr. David Appleby at http://www.spiritualinterventions.org has a great book on the subject that I great reading for anyone interested in learning about it.
I have a question for you. It’s not a question to see if you agree with my point of view or not, it’s a question that I don’t have an answer for at this point in my life.
I do believe in demons for the very reason you so eloquently described. But my question is this:
Are all the troubles of this world the result of demons overpowering a weak race of humans? Or is there a measure of personal accountability that cannot be passed off?
The thing is that the presence of the demonic is so weird and spooky that people forget about everything else at the mere mention of demonization (the state of being afflicted by demonic spirits). Demonization is not an exclusive event in which all other possibilities are suddenly inapplicable. I mean a person can be Schizophrenic and demonized, then once they are delivered, they are still schizophrenic. A child can be born with HIV/AIDS without the help of demonic influence, and you can’t cast out a demon of HIV/AIDS if a person is actually infected with the disease/syndrome. What we need to remember is that Occam’s razor, the theory that the simplest explanation is the correct one, is not applicable to this situation. People are complicated and the result of different responses to different circumstances with an infinite number of possibilities.
Short answer: Just because there’s a devil, doesn’t mean he’s the one who’s ruined his life, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t played his part.
Hi, please keep us posted when we will see a follow up!