• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Demonic possesion

johnnycox1993

New Blood
J
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
4
Hi guys!

This is my first post and what I want to discuss is demonic possessions.

The one thing that I am curious about is why is it that when people that think that they are demonic possessed and go to the church to be "delivered" they start behaving in a weird way? Christians interpret this altered consciousness as a "manifestation" of the demonic powers. I also want to know why is this that someone who is demonic possessed can come into the church t be "delivered", and then will seem to get better after the "deliverance"? I was raised in a Christian environment and I have seen this first hand and this is something I am very curious about. :confused:
 
If a person behaves in a very, very strange way, I guess it could be:

1a) a patient with mental problems, who would benefit from treatment in a mental hospital

1b) a drug user with withdrawal symptoms etc, who would benefit from treatment in a mental hospital

2) a person who has read from the Bible that demon possession exists and how they behave, and:

2a) The person believes that he is possessed by a demon, and therefore somehow feels need to also behave in the described manner, and naturally also feels the need to be "delivered" from it in the manner described in the Bible. A belief system with many details and steps, how things must be and what must happen next, and so shall it be.

or

2b) The person is exaggerating consciously, seeking attention and sympathy from the others, for some weird reason.

or (in case of televangelists)

2c) The evangelist has staged the show, and paid someone to come forward behaving like demon-possessed and then stop it after the televangelist prays for him.
 
Allow me to answer your question in the form of a personal anecdote.

I attended a pentecostal church for a couple of years. It was an Assemblies of God, who are all into speaking in tongues, prophecying, spirit healing etcetera. You may have seen the Sarah Palin casting out witches video that made the rounds a few years back. Yeah, that one.

In a church like that there is a massive pressure to 'play along'. I spoke in tongues because everyone else did it, and the... shall we say the 'dominant paradigm' included it.

This included demonic possession and exorcism. I never witnessed the more violent forms, but it was certainly there. Any negative personality trait was considered to be demons. Casting out the demons was a biblically-inspired kind of psychology. If you believe that your smoking is caused by demons, then you will also believe that exorcising those demons will be effective, and you will behave in an expected fashion while the exorcism is going on. When the healer slays you in the spirit, you will fall over. You will speak in tongues, because that's what you and everyone else expects to happen.
 
arthwollipot said:
Allow me to answer your question in the form of a personal anecdote.

I attended a pentecostal church for a couple of years. It was an Assemblies of God, who are all into speaking in tongues, prophecying, spirit healing etcetera. You may have seen the Sarah Palin casting out witches video that made the rounds a few years back. Yeah, that one.

In a church like that there is a massive pressure to 'play along'. I spoke in tongues because everyone else did it, and the... shall we say the 'dominant paradigm' included it.

This included demonic possession and exorcism. I never witnessed the more violent forms, but it was certainly there. Any negative personality trait was considered to be demons. Casting out the demons was a biblically-inspired kind of psychology. If you believe that your smoking is caused by demons, then you will also believe that exorcising those demons will be effective, and you will behave in an expected fashion while the exorcism is going on. When the healer slays you in the spirit, you will fall over. You will speak in tongues, because that's what you and everyone else expects to happen.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I've a (non-sticky) ecstatic experience in an evangelical church which I've subsequently had to put down to situational hysteria.

Or perhaps that's the demons talking.
 
Demonic activity is still part and parcel of a lot of religious sects. I just listened to a Fresh Air segment on the New Apostolic Fellowship, the extreme right-wing Evangelical group which has been side-by-side with Rick Perry...
They think the entire country is under the dominion of Satan and various demons who are responsible for all the ills of the country. Only by conducting "spiritual warfare" against these demons can the country (and the world) be made ready for JC to come back....
 
Every spiritual revelation I had as a child in church was due to "playing along". I recall wanting to hear Jesus so badly, everyone around me crying in tears, and all I could do was break down and cry and pretend I felt a presence too.

It's quite similar to buying fake LSD and thinking you're tripping for a few hours, at some points convinced you must be, before finally realizing you're not peaking and never felt anything in the first place.
 
Maybe shifting responsibility ? a.k.a. not my fault :
"Well of course it must be "demonic possession" because I would never think or act that way otherwise".
 
There is also the idea of what I call "the Crucible effect" because I actually don't know what to call it. It's the use of doing something wrong, blaming it on the supernatural and then continuously feeding into the story that explains why that person did whatever wrong as a scapegoat. I guess it could be called "religious scapegoating" as well. That's what you see most people doing, an attention deficit disorder to say the least.
 
Hey Johnny
Can you relate what degree of personal experience you witnessed?
Was it a member of your church who says “Oh I had a demon of drug abuse in me, now I’m free praise Jesus”
Was it a Traveling preacher who brings in Demon possessed people you never seen before?
Was it float over the bed and spew pea soup
 
Some little hellion has abandoned a bike at my front door.
Its as close to a demonic possession as I expect to get.
 
I take my excess possessions... I find things in the closet I've purchased and never worn, or will wear, or don't need any more, to Good Will.
They can sell it to the needy.
 
What is was is that someone came over to church while being lucid and seemed perfectly fine and during the part in the service where everyone prays for a bit, said person starting acting in a hysterical manner. The pastor prayed for the person for a very long time (close to an hour) then the person became lucid again. The person was in an altered state of consciousness. Which is the broader question I am asking here.
Why is it that in certain religious rituals and in certain religious environments, some people experience altered consciousness.It's not just Christians I'm talking about, this happens in pretty much every religion. And I want to know Why.
 
johnnycox1993 said:
What is was is that someone came over to church while being lucid and seemed perfectly fine and during the part in the service where everyone prays for a bit, said person starting acting in a hysterical manner. The pastor prayed for the person for a very long time (close to an hour) then the person became lucid again. The person was in an altered state of consciousness. Which is the broader question I am asking here.
Why is it that in certain religious rituals and in certain religious environments, some people experience altered consciousness.It's not just Christians I'm talking about, this happens in pretty much every religion. And I want to know Why.
Click to expand...
.
Some people aren't able to cope with life well, and may go hysterical when a thwartation arises.
Calming such a person can help them cope with what is bothering them.
 
johnnycox1993 said:
What is was is that someone came over to church while being lucid and seemed perfectly fine and during the part in the service where everyone prays for a bit, said person starting acting in a hysterical manner. The pastor prayed for the person for a very long time (close to an hour) then the person became lucid again. The person was in an altered state of consciousness. Which is the broader question I am asking here.
Why is it that in certain religious rituals and in certain religious environments, some people experience altered consciousness.It's not just Christians I'm talking about, this happens in pretty much every religion. And I want to know Why.
Click to expand...

It's often called role playing.
What do you mean by an altered state of consciousness?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom