'Demonic possession

Interesting to note that those that have sold their soul to the devil eventually find that getting out of the deal is almost impossible, and great efforts are made to do so.
Could it be, that as you, did not believe that there is a soul, they have found out how real it is ?

 

Other than as a figure of speech, or a metaphorical character that appears in religious 'just so' stories and other children's fiction, the evidence that such an immaterial supernatural entity as 'the devil' actually exists is? Some seem comfortable in believing in such entities on the authority of others (sacred scriptural authors, clergy, religious devotees etc), defending unsubstantiated belief by appealing to various dogmatic doctrinal apologia. I take the position of "I don't know", but, like David Hume, apportioning my beliefs according to the evidence.

On what basis should I invest any worth in the existence of a soul, my soul in particular, any more than Christians would invest any worth in the existence of Allah, as the 'real' supreme cosmic deity instead of that 'fake' deity, Yahweh?

 

For all your intellect you didn't pay attention to what I said .
People sold their soul to the devil .
They like you were obviously not believers in God what so ever .
No fear of hell to begin with, yet this relationship took a turn that had them like a fish on a hook .

 

^Just like a saying, a story doesn’t make it so.

 

well chell...

no one... at this time... can prove or disprove the existence of GOD...

or Lucifer/Satan/Beelzebub either... as both are beings that exist in/on another plane so to speak...

or angels or demons... paranormal kind of thing ?

we simply do not have the means to measure or even detect such things yet...

was not all that long ago... lookin at history and all the time that has pasted... that we discovered radiation...

before that know one had any idea that nuclear materials did what they did...

when you consider that... I wonder... how ya gonna act if someone ever comes up with a means of proving/detecting such???

 

interesting thing here... seems many such do believe in the existence of GOD...

thing is several have told me they consider GOD a... tyrant???

so they go to the other guy...

odd thing here... why go to GOD created servants .. to get what ya want... if GOD wont give it too ya?

or they get impatient and want it NOW and say GOD is too slow?

yet for many that seems to be a big part of their argument...

least ways that is what many such folk told me over the years...

Oh and some of em want power and control and wealth over others it seems...

and some KNOW that the things they want are pretty much forbidden to them...

and everyone else... otherwise... so they go there... and seek what no one should have...

 

Why not believe in the unknown? Why not believe there is something greater after this life. I will admit that many times I struggle being a Christian. It is hard to turn the other cheek to someone who has hurt you. It is hard to try and do right or always be humble. I believe that the Bible has good rules to live by.

 

I turn my other butt cheek.

 

for the record... you are far from alone... most if not all have the same issues at onetime or another... on such...

is a been there done that... think I even have a tshirt of it somewhere kinda thing...

 

I was hoping the author referred to in the OP had a book. As far as I can tell it was just an interview with him. I've read the other books that were referred to in the article. I've had an interest ever since I died. I got to Heaven and met God, or at least someone I assumed was God. I had the sense of meeting an old friend that I hadn't seen in a long time and was given a choice that I could stay or go back and I came back because my kids needed me. Most people with near death experiences remember nothing. Of those who do, most have a pleasant experience until they are back in their bodies and have the pain again from whatever killed them. Some go to a dark place where shadows rip and bite at them. Heaven exists, angels and demons exist. Hell exists. A lot of religions have those parts mostly right. What they don't have right are the little details.

1: God is a pretty awesome Dude, far better than religions give credit. God does not belong to a religion. There is no right one. There is no rule of Man that binds God. There is no membership card for get out of Hell free. What you eat, what you drink, what days you work, don't matter. What matters is how you treat others of God's creations, that's other people, animals, plants, the planet as a whole, and probably other planets assuming we don't go extinct before getting out there to learn what other things and creatures God has made. We were not given dominion of Earth, but are her caretakers. Yes we will eat some of those other life forms to survive. That's how we were made, but we should not revel in the killing or destroy the planet in the process.

2: God doesn't need you. God will happily take you into Heaven because God likes the creations that God has made, but you will sink or swim based on your life choices, and in some cases afterlife choices. God doesn't need you to believe. Doesn't need your money. Doesn't need your prayers. Doesn't care what you call Him, or Her or It. Those are all details that don't matter to God. Those are details that matter to people for a variety of reasons, most of which are self serving.

3: Demons exist. Possibly an individual evil persona that our culture calls Satan exists. I wasn't there long enough to get that answer.

Most people claiming demonic possession are not possessed. Most of them are either mentally ill, deranged due to physical ailments or are faking it for secondary gain. One sure sign is Speaking in Tongues. Actual speaking in Tongues will not be gibberish. There are 2 forms. 1: Everyone present during the phenomenon will hear everything crystal clear as if the subject were speaking in the listener's native tongue. that maybe is more typical of Angels. 2: The subject will speak in an ancient language with which someone in the room is well versed, some language that the subject had not ever studied. Again, this is not gibberish. Demons are not stupid. They will use intelligence to frighten you, not stupidity. Demons tend to do that as they like the guile and trickery, the manipulation

Heaven and Hell exist in other dimensions. Angels and Demons are beings without corporeal bodies as we understand them and are capable of inter dimensional travel. The laws of physics don't apply. They can speak into a person's mind. For lack of a better term I'll call it Telepathy. Perhaps it is through telepathy that they learn a subjects darkest secrets? Perhaps they've been watching the subject throughout their lives? Perhaps there really is a book in Hell documenting everyone's sins? Part of the rules are that we don't get to see all the rules, that or we simply aren't smart enough yet to have figured them out. We can only make those transits without our body; ie when we die. There are a few who've claimed to be able to astral travel without dying but again, there is no way to prove it.

Possessions can take 2 forms, Minor and Major. Minor are against one's will and have very brief durations and some argue are so indistinguishable from random urges to do stupid things that they may not be anything other than that. Mostly it seems to be an issue of delving into the subjects past to see just how far out of character they have behaved and then ruling out mental illness etc. Major Possessions require permission from the subject to be possessed and is likely permanent. Never agree to possession, not even as a jest. The human soul is suppressed and possibly even gone. Given that some exorcisms work and the subject does not simply die, the former is the presumed state. You can not fight them. You can not use logic on them. You have realistically 2 options. 1: Shun them. Demons want an audience. Deny them that audience. Or 2: consider looking for an exorcist. But beware, the demons have been doing this since before there were people. They can be charming when they want to. They can get you to think that you are the crazy one.

Also in Heaven, it's not an eternal bliss of rest and sleep. You are assigned a task. Some souls believe the task is beneath them and refuse. They either take the task, or they go to Hell, where they mistakenly and arrogantly believe that they can forge a better existence there than what was offered in Heaven.

I offer no proof. There is no proof by the design of the system. Take it or leave it

 

IF I HIT YOU IN THE DARK BUT YOU DO NOT SEE ME, CAN YOU PROVE YOU WERE HIT BY ME? Or was that just your imagination ?
I have had actual contact and abuse I know what I am talking about .
I have friends that received bruses from attacks ,even people with no religious background at all .

 

The skeptic will assume that the injuries were caused by someone for the purpose of secondary gain. There are jerks out there who would do such things just to mess with someone's mind. You either believe or you don't and nothing realistically will convince a skeptic. It's a waste of effort to try

 

If you mean the fat lazy late Empire, yeah, pretty much