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Tom Haws wrote:
f4h1, for many years I had similar musings about the New Testament. Things made a lot more sense for me when I realized that the New Testament is not a different world than mine; it’s just a different culture. When the New Testament says somebody has a devil, it can be translated that the person is crazy. For example, Jesus says, “John the Baptist came fasting and you said he was crazy (had a devil). I come eating and drinking and you say I’m a wino. Well? Which is it?”
Some of the exorcisms in the NT appear to refer to known illnesses such as epilepsy, some such as the case of Legion, are harder to explain. If he was schizophrenic, why would it affect the Gadarene swine?
I was always taught that an evil spirit can only possess a person if they call upon dark powers of fallen angels, which invites them to possess you. 😈 👿 I do know the Exorcist movie was based on a true story. A young boy was possessed by evil spirits after an Aunt died and he tried to contact her using a ouija board.
Apparently this Aunt was actually sexually abusive to this boy. The boy had a love/hate relationship. Some have said that this boy really had issues with Dissociative Identity Disorder. All the demons were really different personalities, which expressed the pain he felt through shrieking screams, violent acts to himself and others around him.
I feel in most cases a person who seems possessed is actually psychologically disturbed.
I would have to say yes. I experienced it once from the perspective of performing an exorcism aka using the priesthood with another priesthood holder (he was voice) and the depressed spirit did leave the person we were blessing. A complete change. At another time a scary man (who stole from my family’s business for drugs) came to our front door, and after my dad said the name Jesus Christ, I was scared so much that it was like I heard a howling wind (my animal instincts took over) and I just went to the farthest end of my house in the service porch, and fell to the fetal position and felt as if I was being attacked by unseen evil. I don’t even know why I was doing it. Later, my grandmother was telling me that I needed to square my arm and tell Satan to depart in the name of Jesus. I just know that last part made me feel better, but I don’t think I was actually possessed, I think I was bombarded and nearly possessed.
The last experience I had was on my mission. I was in my last area, and had about three more months to go. I had to have the new mission president give me a special priesthood blessing, because I basically gave up and was tired of being tempted and I said something to effect that I would just let Satan win because I was tired of fighting. At this point I was very despondent and broken down. I regretted what I said to myself. (pretty much at this point I was probably a little unstable psychologically) I was burned out from being a missionary and giving a 110% and not realizing much results for my efforts. I struggled with my own personal problems and half the time didn’t even feel worthy enough to be on a mission. I thought I was demon possessed, but when the mission president gave me a blessing, it was pretty much a non-empathetic blessing that said to just get back in the saddle and buck up. Serve no-matter how I felt, do good no matter how I felt. Actually after that I just changed my attitude and did what he said, and yes the last part of my mission I had more fun, was more carefree, and said to myself, “Dang, for 21 months I was just too uptight and a stiff to have much fun. I was still working hard, had a baptism and became a better person than the robotic Elder that I was programmed to be at the MTC. I was actually hoping to be demon possessed at this point, but to my chagrin I was not. Even though I said something stupid as an set-apart missionary, mere words could not get me demon possessed. I would actually have to have done something.
Got an interesting insight into possible hidden meanings in the Bible the other day… In the story of the Gaderene Swine, when Jesus tries to exorcize the man, the demons say their name is “legion”. Well, legions are just what happened to be occupying Judaea at the time, Roman legions. Is there possibly a hidden political meaning here?
SamBee wrote:Got an interesting insight into possible hidden meanings in the Bible the other day…
In the story of the Gaderene Swine, when Jesus tries to exorcize the man, the demons say their name is “legion”. Well, legions are just what happened to be occupying Judaea at the time, Roman legions. Is there possibly a hidden political meaning here?
I never thought of it that way.
I always felt they called themselves legion because they were many. The man had an Army of Demons within him.
Though perhaps it was a political statement stating that the Roman empire was no better than evil swine. Smelly and sloppy animals.
Yeah, it’s an interesting thought. Some people have suggested Judas betrayed Jesus because he didn’t end up the political messiah that he wanted. Others have suggested that Jesus was killed by the Romans, because he was too political, and that they wouldn’t have just listened to the Jewish leaders. I absolutely believe in the idea of demon possession but I also tend to believe in the idea that the devil/darkness/demons will never have more power over you than you allow them to have. I like the legion idea..very interesting. However, I do somewhat believe in possession. Although I have never seen it, I have felt the presence of evil to the point I (and the person with me) left where we were at so fast we dropped the oil pan on her car getting away.
That all said, I am commit all my evil all by myself, don’t need no help, am pretty damn good at it all alone.
😈 I can commit spelling and grammar errors all by myself too, apparently.
doubtingthomas wrote:I absolutely believe in the idea of demon possession
I agree with thomas…I believe it can exist, because I also believe angels can exist. It doesn’t make sense that one would exist without the other.However, I have come to believe that both (angels and demons) are involved in our lives a LOT LESS often then we think sometimes. The more we learn about the brain and how it works, it seems there are more possibilities of what we think we experience, which may not be related to anything outside our selves. Perhaps that is why they don’t have power over us.
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