Characters in a story.
I’m Jewish so take this with a grain of kosher salt- I never saw the need for a devil or demons. Satan gets one real mention in the Torah. He’s in the Book Of Job. The word satan, meaning adversary or opponent isn’t capitalized (there being no capital letters in classic Hebrew). If you lift it out and stick in ‘prosecuting angel’ instead the story flows just the same. Any Jewish sage will tell you that all humans have a yetzer tov- the inclination to do good and a yetzer hoora the inclination to do evil. Jewish folklore and the Cabalah are filled with demons. In fact, the Hellraiser/ Nightbreed crossover begins with a real quote from a Cabalist “If we could perceive the demons, life would be impossible. They outnumber us ten to one.”
But in the world where the Holocaust happened, who needs demons to explain evil?
You haven’t answered my questions. I’m still struggling to understand how your understanding of the nature of god, as a christian, could possibly have room for demons capable of possessing people and having very real effects upon the world.
Satan can only influence…but his lesser minions can directly effect and/or attack humans?
By the way, what does the Bible say about succubi?
The OP asked about people who believed in demons these days. A religious debate discussion would be off topic.
On the other hand, people’s opinions about the possibility of literal demons even existing might fit right in.
From the OP:
- If this is a real phenomenon, why is it happening?
So, fine. Answer that, then. Why is this allowed to happen, literal demons allowed to possess people and override their will under your conception of god? Because you’re the one who insists your belief in demons is not only grounded in, but necessary on account of, your belief in the christian god.
That is good advice for dealing what is generally called, in my circles anyway, “toxic people”. How do you deferentiate a regular negative person from one who is actually demonic?
I think it was also an early example of the accusation being a confession, albeit maybe a subconscious one.
Recall that there was at the time a very real, very widespread conspiracy in the Roman Catholic church to sexually abuse children and cover it up.
Are there any accounts of mental illness, delusion or scam artists?
I believe that Jesus accused the money changers if being scam artist.
Not sure if this was directed at me, as I didn’t mention Satan. FWIW In Job it does appear Satan directly effected him, but that’s a different subject.
Incubi and succubi are not words that appear in the Bible. There are however verses about various aspects of engaging in sex with various supernatural beings.
You should re-read it.
What type of demons are mentioned in the Bible?
There are some signs that can indicate it, perhaps the clearest would be having something like a feeling of large energy drain (being tired), or feeling of confusion/being overwhelmed, or even feeling being violated after talking with this person, or otherwise likewise engaged with this person.
Boy this really takes “toxic relationship” to a new level!
The kind that people sacrifice their children to and the kind that can ‘reside’ in people, teaching demons that lead people astray, and some end times stuff.
I have to say, I have known many people who leave me feeling drained. I do not see why I should assume that they are demonic. Usually I just think of them as assholes, or maybe people with mental issues.
Did your succubus(which term, btw, came into being about the 14th century) have any physical deformities, like bird-type claws or a snake tail?