Demonic Possession

[Moxie]

I've encountered two people in my lifetime who make me want to reconsider Christianity's teaching about demonic possession. I realise they are damaged human beings who have chosen to be bitter and hateful, but at the same time, it appears they have literally been consumed by a "darkness" that I can only call pure evil. I mean, there is no psychological explanation for their attitudes and behaviour. I'm not saying their bodies transformed into something other than human, but the evil I have experienced from them makes me wonder if there is something more than mental instability going on.

 

Ideas?

[Guest riverrunner]

humans can be evil (as in hurtful and destructive) no doubt about it. they can also have severe mental problems. they can also have both. demons are most certainly fictitious as are angels. if these things existed and can interact with the physical world then the instruments of the physical world could detect them. someones psychotic brain doesn't count it is completely unreliable (not saying you).

 

could you give an example of what you are describing with these people? do you work in mental health by chance or are these just some friends you hang with?

[Moxie]

These are two family members: my grandma's husband and my brothers' aunt (not my aunt). I grew up with grandma's husband. He had a way of giving the most evil look and threatening our lives. For instance, when he was driving us home once, he stopped at a railroad crossing and said, "I ought to park on these tracks and let the train kill us all!" Then he gave an evil laugh. That's only one of countless evils.

My brothers' aunt is 75 years old and has a CPS report filed against her for alleged assault and battery of one of her adopted kids. She's good at abusing them without leaving a trace of evidence. Some family members were planning to spend Thanksgiving at her house but they ended up having to leave for their own sanity.

 

[Guest riverrunner]

hmm well those do sound evil but not exorcist type evil. some people are sadistic it is perhaps a byproduct of evolution - you end up with a spectrum of behavior - some who would not hurt a fly, some who kill or abuse for pleasure, and then the large majority who try to get along.

[OpheliaGinger]

Seriously? Ok, I'll bite. I have never seen a case of supposed demonic possession that could not be explained away by normal psychopathy. The brains is almost like a computer motherboard, and when it goes on the fritz or gets hit by a virus, it performs unusually; and these conditions are most times genetic. I'm not a psychologist (but I recommend you study psychology because you can get insights on the human mentality), but it sounds like your family has a mixture of schizophrenia and sociopathy--and I bet your aunt grew up in an abusive household (abuse is passed down from generation through generation).

[SirPhoenix]

I too have seen people change and become very dark. I think this is something we do to ourselves. Sadness and loss can be very difficult for some to deal with. Conversely, great acts of good come from within. It all depends on what we want deep down.

 

On a side note, I actually think that with some xtians, it is their internal desire to do good, and their belief helps fuel that. Then again, if I take enough meth it will fuel me to clean my house.

[hereticzero]

I have met very wicked people who could fit the description of demonic possession but in the end of the day, they are just very very mean assholes. There is no depth to which a person will not go to cause another person harm or harm themselves.

[♦ Fuego ♦]

Some of the worst things I've ever heard about one person doing to another were done in the name of God. I've experienced other, much less criminal acts done by people that simply enjoyed harassing, humiliating, and harming others. They get off on the power of controlling another human, even if it is only for a short time. Was that because of demons? I doubt it. We all have the ability to be saintlike or rat-bastards, but it is our choices that define us.

 

Then again, I've had times where I did things or thought about things that seemed totally alien to my typical nature, and the next day had totally passed out of my system. That makes me wonder, but I haven't concluded anything. I've had days when the east wind blows and people are driving like maniacs, and even though I was aware that I needed to be extra cautious suddenly had seething anger come on me that had no visible reason. The anger gives a feeling of power, of control, of reckless judgment that will almost surely bring harm. That also makes me wonder, but still have no conclusion other than to purposefully defuse these situations so as not to be an idiot. I have some New Age friends that would attribute it to the energy of the people around me being transferred onto me. They also believe in harmful spirits, but not biblical-style demons.

 

Things that make me go "Hmmm."

[Crazy Donna]

I've encountered two people in my lifetime who make me want to reconsider Christianity's teaching about demonic possession. I realise they are damaged human beings who have chosen to be bitter and hateful, but at the same time, it appears they have literally been consumed by a "darkness" that I can only call pure evil. I mean, there is no psychological explanation for their attitudes and behaviour. I'm not saying their bodies transformed into something other than human, but the evil I have experienced from them makes me wonder if there is something more than mental instability going on.

 

Ideas?

THe only reason you say that there is no psychological explanation for their attitudes and behaviour, is because you choose to accept that there is something 'woo woo' going on.

 

I know a lot of crazy people. I am pretty crazy myself. Crazy comes in all flavours and colours. Just because a person's behaviour is so awful that you can't comprehend that they are caused by the functioning of their mind, doesn't mean that there is something supernatural causing it. I had a madman chase me around a house once with a machete, intent on killing me. Was he evil? No, he was just a paranoid schizophrenic who had gone off his medication. He later apologised to me. Would you consider someone who did such a thing evil? Or would you say it was brain chemistry?

 

There is no 'supernatural' element involved in the world. Explaining things with woo woo just postpones efforts to actually find out what is really going on. I think you've just met some bastards in your life, just like I have. But I don't explain their behaviour with 'demonic possession'. I explain it using what I know about how the human brain works. Some people have zero empathy for others and live their lives only for personal gain. We call these people psychopaths, but they sometimes demonstrate behaviours that are so cruel and heartless that you might call them 'evil'.

 

Honestly, just because you can't explain their behaviour using your own rationality, your own emotional reactions to behaviours, and your sense of morality, does not mean there is something supernatural going on. It just means that perhaps there are shortcomings in your understanding of what is going on. Demon possession is just as much bullshit as homeopathy, haunted houses, and astrology. Don't use it as an explanation for things you can't otherwise explain.