Hi. I used to lurk on these forums as well as the exchristian forums and infidelguy forums around 2003 and I think I started losing interest around 2007. I considered myself atheist back then. Now I just consider myself myself agnostic.
For the last week I've been having a problem and really need a rational response to it. It's hard to find that surrounded by overtly religious people. Last sunday I watched some youtube video about certain movies where a lot of the actors ended up dead. Movies such as Rosemary's baby and The Omen. I find myself getting irrational and paranoid easily when this stuff comes up. It's around 7 in the morning and I'm looking up stuff about demons and possession. I come across a site called www.gods-and-monsters.com. I look at the part about demons. It has a list of 72 demon names you shoudn't say as well as link to how to get rid of demons. As I get to the part about getting rid of demons my screen starts flickering and making static noises for a couple of seconds and my internet momentarily goes out.
This has really consumed me since then because no matter how I try to rationalize it, there's always this nagging voice saying "could've been a demon". In my apartment complex, around that time of morning, sometimes the power goes out or the lights start dimming like they're about to go out. This is the only thing I can think of. I don't remember specifics except for the flickering computer monitor.
I'd like to hear what others think of this. I know this all sounds ridiculous but please don't make fun of me over it. This has made me sick. I don't know what to think. My mom tells me it could be a warning sign. Someone else told me just don't be afraid because that's what the demon wants. I just want to hear from people who aren't superstitious or religious. I need a rational explanation.
What about this experience makes you feel as though it's got a negative connotation, aka "demonic"? You didn't go into that very well. Because it freaks you out? And you watched some youtube? That's pretty self centered, and not reflective of what's actually going on.
Quote from: JBCuzISaidSo on September 10, 2016, 08:27:58 PM
What about this experience makes you feel as though it's got a negative connotation, aka "demonic"? You didn't go into that very well. Because it freaks you out? And you watched some youtube? That's pretty self centered, and not reflective of what's actually going on.
Sorry I'm not being clear about what I'm saying. The youtube video is what led me into looking up stuff about demons. This screen flickering happened when I was on a site talking about demons and how to get rid of them. If I was looking at anything else and this happened, like if I was looking at stuff about video games, I would've thought nothing of it. But this happened the way it did unfortunately. I try to be rational, but my head fucks with me.
I don't understand what you mean by me being self-centered. What did you mean by that?
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 10, 2016, 08:44:30 PM
I don't understand what you mean by me being self-centered. What did you mean by that?
Well, it's like the good book says, "seek and ye shall find". If you were looking up video games and this happened you would not have sought any further query, like you said. But no, you were seeking demonic happenings, and lo and behold, you found one. That was YOU specific.
Us heathens are rolling ours eyes.
Quote from: JBCuzISaidSo on September 10, 2016, 08:56:00 PM
Well, it's like the good book says, "seek and ye shall find". If you were looking up video games and this happened you would not have sought any further query, like you said. But no, you were seeking demonic happenings, and lo and behold, you found one. That was YOU specific.
Us heathens are rolling ours eyes.
I would be considered a heathen too according to most Christians. I'm agnostic. My problem is it's gotten harder and harder for me to think rationally as I've gotten older. I've seen so many anecdotes about ghosts, demons, etc. that it's worn me down. I don't know what to think and I don't trust myself. My biggest fear about this is that, if real, would prove the existence of God and that I'm going to hell.
This shit I was raised to believe. It's mental terrorism. To teach a kid with a developing brain that if I don't believe in this Invisible man in the sky who claims to love me more than anyone ever could, he'll send me to an eternal torture chamber.
I don't handle this shit well at all. I'm a little on the autism spectrum (was diagnosed with pdd-nos). I don't handle things as well as normal people. And I have a hard time communicating whether via text or real life.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 10, 2016, 07:43:21 PMI come across a site called www.gods-and-monsters.com. I look at the part about demons. It has a list of 72 demon names you shoudn't say as well as link to how to get rid of demons. As I get to the part about getting rid of demons my screen starts flickering and making static noises for a couple of seconds and my internet momentarily goes out.
This has really consumed me since then because no matter how I try to rationalize it, there's always this nagging voice saying "could've been a demon". In my apartment complex, around that time of morning, sometimes the power goes out or the lights start dimming like they're about to go out. This is the only thing I can think of. I don't remember specifics except for the flickering computer monitor.
I'd like to hear what others think of this. I know this all sounds ridiculous but please don't make fun of me over it. This has made me sick. I don't know what to think.
Try a little experiment. Most public libraries have a computer lab. Load it up on as many computers as possible and see what happens. I guarantee you they won't go all wonky.
The almost certain explanation to your conundrum is that your initial experience was because of a computer hiccup that you associated with demons because you were looking at that at the same time (cum hoc fallacy).
Quote from: Hydra009 on September 10, 2016, 09:41:28 PM
Try a little experiment. Most public libraries have a computer lab. Load it up on as many computers as possible and see what happens. I guarantee you they won't go all wonky.
The almost certain explanation to your conundrum is that your initial experience was because of a computer hiccup that you associated with demons because you were looking at that at the same time (cum hoc fallacy).
I did some experimenting a day or two after this happened. The 72 demons mentioned in the Lesser Key of Solomon that I was told not to say their names, I said every one of the names. I played around with a ouija board app on my phone which I heard some story of some girl allegedly being possessed because of it. I blasted some of the most satanic heavy metal I could find. After that, nothing happened. Nothing out of the ordinary. I've looked up stories about possession before. Nothing happened. I try to look at it from a demon's perspective, "What do I have to gain by scaring this human? It might make him turn to God if I do it and that's something I don't want". I always thought that a real possession would confirm the existence of God to a lot of people. Wouldn't that be the last thing a demon wants?
Despite all of these experiments and rationalization, the nagging thoughts of "maybe it could have been" still happens. I just want them to go away. I just want peace of mind. Ain't religion great? It's not enough that I have real life problems, but now because of my religious upbringing it's created all of these other problems. Life's hard enough without having to worry about going to hell when I die.
I don't know, but I said out loud all 72 demon names from that site plus all the times I played Diablo 1 to 3 and said demonic names. Nothing happened.
The flickering on your computer may very well be a sign of a virus, trojan, or hack and like you said about the flickering lights in your apartment. Could be the apartments the issue.
I'm an atheist but parania and my active imagination go crazy in the dark espicially after watching or reading horror shit. The thrill is amazing, but you have to realize it's not real. I know it's scary, hell I'm a 27 year old man that sleeps with a night light and a wooden Japanese sword by me.
QuoteI always thought that a real possession would confirm the existence of God to a lot of people. Wouldn't that be the last thing a demon wants?
See, I read all that as "I don't know, but I once read some scary shit then I projected my own fears onto that scary shit, which I then believed!"
There's quite a few of us deconverted that were also raised to fear invisible things by (fundies) total believers, who then tossed aside every excess of Christianity as purely silly later on. I'm not trying to laugh at you, but you are projecting onto the "demons" exactly what you're fearing by their being real.
Plus, "the most satanic heavy metal"? Please share!
Accidently downloading a demon into your computer system happens all the time, and they are hard to get rid of. Eventually, they work their way out of your computer and hide out in hard to get to places in your home. Dark places under the sink, and of course under the bed are prime cover. They like places without light that you have to blindly reach into and feel around. Then they latch onto your arm or leg, and drag you right into their hiding spot, where they can get into your mind.
Currently, there are several types of anti apparition software available. I've found the free ones are just as good as the pay ware versions, but you have to register for both kinds. Demon Blocker is user friendly and effective against all the currently known demons. Devil Busters is a good one also, and periodically scans all your files automatically. Evil Spirit Mop and Bucket will get rid of just about any demon, as long as you get to them right away before they gain a foothold.
These things work too. I have used several anti demon technologies for 12 years and haven't had one demon get into my computer during the entire time, while my friends are constantly hammered by evil spirits on a weekly basis.
Evil Spirit Mop! Better than Sims FreePlay....
Nope.
The world is irrational and supernatural. Those who disagree define the irrational as stupidity and the supernatural as delusions. They find ways to dismiss experiences others have or they have ... that don't fit their cookie cutter. I have had minor paranormal experiences.
If you have thoughts and experiences that are outside of the rational and natural ... according to them, you need to get an education, and see a counselor.
In my case, you mentioned demonic names. They have no power in themselves, but they do in context. Magic is psychosomatic. Others will ignore or dismiss the psychosomatic. But if you are suffering from a psychosomatic problem, it is real to you. It may or may not be therapeutic for someone to say to you ... you are crazy.
This life is both Heaven and Hell at the same place. This life is both past, present and future at the same time. Which you experience is a result of your circumstances and your POV. If you want to cure demonic possession, you need to change your circumstances and/or your POV.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 10, 2016, 10:34:58 PMI played around with a ouija board app on my phone which I heard some story of some girl allegedly being possessed because of it.
Oh man...that exists? And a story about it exists? :biglaugh:
QuoteNothing out of the ordinary. I've looked up stories about possession before. Nothing happened.
Well, there ya go. Myth busted.
QuoteI try to look at it from a demon's perspective, "What do I have to gain by scaring this human? It might make him turn to God if I do it and that's something I don't want". I always thought that a real possession would confirm the existence of God to a lot of people. Wouldn't that be the last thing a demon wants?
Doesn't matter since it's entirely fictional.
QuoteDespite all of these experiments and rationalization, the nagging thoughts of "maybe it could have been" still happens.
"Despite every indication that demons aren't real, I'm going to consider it plausible that demons are real." *le sigh*
Is laughing and ridiculing me supposed to help me? I realize this is silly to most of you but it was something that was consuming me. Believe me, if I could've just shrugged it off, I would have. And I wouldn't have come here.
I think I should get to the root of my problem. If demons exist, does that mean the Christian God exists? And because I failed to believe in the right things, am I going to go to hell for all eternity? That's the root of all of this. This fear of hell that comes and goes. I've never been able to shrug it off.
If the answer is no, I couldn't give a shit whether demons existed or not. It's not demons I really fear, it's hell.
I'm feeling better today. hopefully in a month I'll dismiss this as nothing.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 12:46:51 PMIs laughing and ridiculing me supposed to help me?
I tried to make it really obvious that I was laughing at the fact that there's a Ouija app and accompanying scary story about it, not at you. *shrugs*
But come to think about it, a story about a computer on the fritz while looking at a site about demons and being spooked by that then saying demon names out loud and seriously expecting some sort of response is pretty goddamn silly.
Get help, man.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 12:46:51 PM
Is laughing and ridiculing me supposed to help me? I realize this is silly to most of you but it was something that was consuming me. Believe me, if I could've just shrugged it off, I would have. And I wouldn't have come here.
I think I should get to the root of my problem. If demons exist, does that mean the Christian God exists? And because I failed to believe in the right things, am I going to go to hell for all eternity? That's the root of all of this. This fear of hell that comes and goes. I've never been able to shrug it off.
If the answer is no, I couldn't give a shit whether demons existed or not. It's not demons I really fear, it's hell.
I'm feeling better today. hopefully in a month I'll dismiss this as nothing.
I used to be a Christian. Letting go of the bullshit isn't just a simple choice, and there are these little things you are dealing with that would still pop up even though you've already intellectually come to grips with the problem, but it goes away. It did in my case. Your early indoctrination is not something you can simply discard. It runs deep, and some can never escape it's malicious control.
Good luck, and I'm sorry for making a joke out of this. I know the pain in coming to grips with reality, but it is not without its rewards, either.
Quote from: SGOS on September 11, 2016, 01:15:28 PM
I used to be a Christian. Letting go of the bullshit isn't just a simple choice, and there are these little things you are dealing with that would still pop up even though you've already intellectually come to grips with the problem, but it goes away. It did in my case. Your early indoctrination is not something you can simply discard. It runs deep, and some can never escape it's malicious control.
Good luck, and I'm sorry for making a joke out of this. I know the pain in coming to grips with reality, but it is not without its rewards, either.
Thank you!
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 10, 2016, 10:34:58 PM
I did some experimenting a day or two after this happened. The 72 demons mentioned in the Lesser Key of Solomon that I was told not to say their names, I said every one of the names. I played around with a ouija board app on my phone which I heard some story of some girl allegedly being possessed because of it. I blasted some of the most satanic heavy metal I could find. After that, nothing happened. Nothing out of the ordinary. I've looked up stories about possession before. Nothing happened. I try to look at it from a demon's perspective, "What do I have to gain by scaring this human? It might make him turn to God if I do it and that's something I don't want". I always thought that a real possession would confirm the existence of God to a lot of people. Wouldn't that be the last thing a demon wants?
Despite all of these experiments and rationalization, the nagging thoughts of "maybe it could have been" still happens. I just want them to go away. I just want peace of mind. Ain't religion great? It's not enough that I have real life problems, but now because of my religious upbringing it's created all of these other problems. Life's hard enough without having to worry about going to hell when I die.
It seems like you have replaced one mythology with another.
Quote from: JBCuzISaidSo on September 11, 2016, 12:09:28 AM
See, I read all that as "I don't know, but I once read some scary shit then I projected my own fears onto that scary shit, which I then believed!"
There's quite a few of us deconverted that were also raised to fear invisible things by (fundies) total believers, who then tossed aside every excess of Christianity as purely silly later on. I'm not trying to laugh at you, but you are projecting onto the "demons" exactly what you're fearing by their being real.
Plus, "the most satanic heavy metal"? Please share!
Yes, my real fear is that something like this existing could prove that a god exists who wants to send me into an eternal torture chamber if I fail to believe in him and don't follow his rules. If demons can exist without the existence of god, then I couldn't care less.
Also, Venom and Mercyful Fate.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 12:46:51 PM
If the answer is no, I couldn't give a shit whether demons existed or not. It's not demons I really fear, it's hell.
I'm feeling better today. hopefully in a month I'll dismiss this as nothing.
It's just your mind playing tricks on you. Some people believe they've had experiences with magic fairies. The human mind can pretty much be made to believe in anything, no matter how silly. Unicorns, God, flat Earth, etc. There are literally people who believe we're living inside a hollow Earth, and others who believe we are living inside a snow globe. This shows you what the human mind is capable of being tricked into believing. Our minds mess with us. That's what they do best. I've been attacked by a demon when I was half awake. I understand how easily the brain is fooled though, so when I got up, I laughed about it and never let it get to me. You should try to do the same. If you can't completely get over it, that's fine and that's normal. I don't take the idea of ghosts or demons seriously at all, but during or after watching a scary movie, I get creeped out and feel that rush. That's completely normal.
Fear not the Christian hell. Over the course of human history, people have believed in hundreds of thousands or probably even millions of different gods. The Christians are no more likely to be right than any of the others. Why do I think you should not take the threat of Hell seriously? The brain is responsible for consciousness. When your brain dies, your consciousness goes away and you just don't exist. You can't remain conscious without your brain, so I really think you are worrying about nothing. There is no evidence of any soul that carries on after death, and if the soul was responsible for our consciousness after death, why isn't it responsible for our consciousness right now? What do we need brains for anyway if that were the case? We wouldn't. I hope this helps.
don't let fear control you. Fear is a stupid emotion that causes irrational thinking.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 02:07:52 PM
Yes, my real fear is that something like this existing could prove that a god exists who wants to send me into an eternal torture chamber if I fail to believe in him and don't follow his rules. If demons can exist without the existence of god, then I couldn't care less.
Also, Venom and Mercyful Fate.
I'd like to see the chain of logic that demons existing could prove a god exists.
First, there is no evidence for demons. It doesn't make any difference how many people make claims to the contrary. People have been doing this for centuries, but there is no evidence.
Second, if there were actual demons, why would that prove a god? Which god would it prove? Many believers don't believe in Hell. What tells you they are wrong? While they may constitute a minority, they have the exact same amount of evidence for Not Hell as the majority has for Is Hell, specifically exactly zero.
Third, why would God even consider sending you to Hell for not believing in him when he fails to provide you with undeniable evidence? Does that sound at all fair to you, especially for a loving God? Maybe God would send you to Hell for murdering your mother. But for not believing in him? Let's try to temper your fears with a smudge of reason. You are creating possibilities that are all over the map and logically contradictory. You are torturing yourself with wild extreme scenarios. You are trying to turn God into some wild maniac, and if he was really that vindictive and unpredictable, then we are all fucked, including the Baptists and the Mormons.
In fact, you do this for good reason. You have been indoctrinated by your religion to reject reason and logic. In religion, everything is possible, even the craziest illogical and psychotic ruminations. Because God can do anything; He can be the worst sadist and most merciful friend at the same time. It's nuts. So now, every time you attempt to test reality with your intellect and reason, you have this childhood training pulling on you to reject logic and return to fear and anxiety. It's your religious training feeding itself on your vulnerability. It desperately needs you to stop thinking, or it dies.
Reality might not be a paradise, but I would suggest that it makes more understandable sense than what you seem to have gotten out of your religion at this point.
If your recovery follows the same path as mine (and I doubt that it does or probably ever will), you are at a place right now where I was in the early stages of my personal growth. Coming to terms took longer for me than most others. I spent too much time wallowing in the bizarre fears of my religious upbringing. You need to move on. These fears will go away unless you have a chemical imbalance, in which case you will need something else than what you might find here.
Be good to yourself. Don't torture yourself. You can be good to yourself and still be a good person. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 10, 2016, 07:43:21 PMIt has a list of 72 demon names you shouldn't say as well as link to how to get rid of demons.
0/10, didn't see Bloody Mary on the list.
Bloody Mary.
Bloody Mary.
Bloody Mary.
[spoiler](http://www.scaryforkids.com/pics/scary-mary.jpg)[/spoiler]
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 02:07:52 PM
It's around 7 in the morning and I'm looking up stuff about demons and possession. I come across a site called www.gods-and-monsters.com. I look at the part about demons. It has a list of 72 demon names you shoudn't say as well as link to how to get rid of demons. As I get to the part about getting rid of demons my screen starts flickering and making static noises for a couple of seconds and my internet momentarily goes out.
This has really consumed me since then because no matter how I try to rationalize it, there's always this nagging voice saying "could've been a demon". In my apartment complex, around that time of morning, sometimes the power goes out or the lights start dimming like they're about to go out.
See a correlation there? You happened to be looking it up at the time you routinely have power issues.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 02:07:52 PM
Sorry I'm not being clear about what I'm saying. The youtube video is what led me into looking up stuff about demons. This screen flickering happened when I was on a site talking about demons and how to get rid of them. If I was looking at anything else and this happened, like if I was looking at stuff about video games, I would've thought nothing of it. But this happened the way it did unfortunately. I try to be rational, but my head fucks with me.
You said yourself that if this had happened anywhere else it wouldn't have bothered you. You're freaking yourself out over nothing. Your mind is picking out the things that mean something to your fear and ignoring anything which doesn't fit the pattern you're expecting to see.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 02:07:52 PM
Yes, my real fear is that something like this existing could prove that a god exists who wants to send me into an eternal torture chamber if I fail to believe in him and don't follow his rules. If demons can exist without the existence of god, then I couldn't care less.
Then address this fear. Instead of talking to the people you normally talk to, talk to people of different religions. Talk to 3 or 4 people from different faiths. Let each know that you're talking to the others. Talk to each about what the others told you. You will quickly find that they all stop trying to help you and start bashing each other. Each will tell you exactly what is wrong with the other religion. And each will have an excuse for why something isn't wrong with their religion that sounds legitimate. A Catholic, for instance, will tell you that they don't worship Mary, they're just asking her to talk to God on their behalf. A Jehovah's Witness will explain that their founder wasn't a false prophet, he just got a little overly zealous with the end of the world predictions. And then they'll go back to bashing each other.
In the light of the hatred between Christian faiths it's easy to see that there's nothing to it. You're working yourself up over nothing. You've got this mentality where you're looking for "signs". Do you know why people started asking gods for signs? Because they couldn't get specifics, but they could get anything they wanted from "signs". If you look for signs you'll find what you're looking for every time because it's YOU who chooses what is and what is not a sign and it's YOU who assigns meaning to it.
But look at what you're telling us. You've been paranoid "for the last week", but all you mentioned actually seeing is a screen flickering that you admitted wouldn't have been a big deal to you if you hadn't been doing what you had been doing obsessively for a week now. You read some stories, you watched some videos, you freaked yourself out, you started obsessing and likely spending a LOT of time doing this and then, since that's what you're spending your time doing now something innocuous happened while you were doing it and it freaked you out.
My advice is that you address the root problem that caused you to start looking into all this nonsense in the first place. You don't just decide to start looking up demons and have that lead you to irrational beliefs. You started with the irrational belief AND THEN started looking for evidence to support it. You either want to be afraid or you are afraid and looking for an excuse to hold some belief. You don't need an excuse. If you want to believe in fairies and magic, believe in fairies and magic. Whatever makes you happy. If you don't want to believe in fairies and magic then I would suggest you start talking with a psychologist or psychiatrist. You have some underlying issues there which can't really be dealt with on a forum full of not-psychologists. Your mind is playing tricks on you and you have to discover the underlying reason for that and deal with that directly. Then the symptoms will disappear on their own.
:rockout:
Venom:
https://youtu.be/JgbKU7-iVHI
Mercyful Fate (I like Venom more):
https://youtu.be/UnWzCuhrsbE
It is your own anxiety needlessly doing that to you. Not knowing why something is happening does not make it super natural. There are a myriad of natural explanations. Our species evolved with a very flawed sense of perceptions. But no, there are no demons haunting anything. It is simply your own lack of knowing what is really going on. The good news is there are no demons or gods or evil spirits.
Humans can have very real psychological issues and mental illness that in combo with a lifetime of being told myths are real can cause them to make very delusional claims. No, it does not make one crazy. But it does explain how human's don't understand their own brain functions.
Quote from: Brandon81 on September 11, 2016, 12:46:51 PM
Is laughing and ridiculing me supposed to help me? I realize this is silly to most of you but it was something that was consuming me. Believe me, if I could've just shrugged it off, I would have. And I wouldn't have come here.
I think I should get to the root of my problem. If demons exist, does that mean the Christian God exists? And because I failed to believe in the right things, am I going to go to hell for all eternity? That's the root of all of this. This fear of hell that comes and goes. I've never been able to shrug it off.
If the answer is no, I couldn't give a shit whether demons existed or not. It's not demons I really fear, it's hell.
I'm feeling better today. hopefully in a month I'll dismiss this as nothing.
Glad you are feeling better. Hope you come to feel better still. Sorry ... if the Pope exists, with a billion followers, does that mean that Jesus exists? Actuall no, it doesn't. Same with demons. What if polytheism is correct, then does that mean Jesus exists? No, just means that Jupiter is having a good laugh. Demons are gods of your enemy ... as your gods are demons to your enemies. It is theistic politics. Goes back to Zoroaster in ancient Persia. The Jews, Christians and Muslims copied from the Persians, 2500 years ago.
Look up the etymology of 'demon.' You'll see that the entire concept of demons is just Christianity once again demonizing (heh) a positive facet of pagan beliefs.
Needs more wizards.
(http://www.e-recordfair.com/image/data/Uriah-Heep.jpg)
Quote from: pato15 on September 15, 2016, 08:38:40 PM
Look up the etymology of 'demon.' You'll see that the entire concept of demons is just Christianity once again demonizing (heh) a positive facet of pagan beliefs.
That search produced a quantity of information I was completely unaware of. Who would have thought that demons were benign or even outright positive entities at one time. It's no surprise that Christianity incorporated them into its new religion, but then designed them to be evil, since the only positive force Christianity seems to accept is Jesus. I don't know how many people actually looked up the entomology, but I think it would have been helpful if a link to some source were included in your post. It just makes it easier to read from a source you base your claim on, and is always appreciated.
About my most helpful hit was this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon#Etymology for those who may be interested.
QuoteThe Greek conception of a daimÅn notably appears in the works of Plato, where it describes the divine inspiration of Socrates. To distinguish the classical Greek concept from its later Christian interpretation, the former is anglicized as either daemon or daimon rather than demon.[citation needed]
The Greek terms do not have any connotations of evil or malevolence. In fact, εá½Î´Î±Î¹Î¼Î¿Î½Î¯Î± eudaimonia, (literally good-spiritedness) means happiness. By the early Roman Empire, cult statues were seen, by pagans and their Christian neighbors alike, as inhabited by the numinous presence of the gods: "Like pagans, Christians still sensed and saw the gods and their power, and as something, they had to assume, lay behind it, by an easy traditional shift of opinion they turned these pagan daimones into malevolent 'demons', the troupe of Satan..... Far into the Byzantine period Christians eyed their cities' old pagan statuary as a seat of the demons' presence. It was no longer beautiful, it was infested."[4] The term had first acquired its negative connotations in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, which drew on the mythology of ancient Semitic religions. This was then inherited by the Koine text of the New Testament. The Western medieval and neo-medieval conception of a demon[5] derives seamlessly from the ambient popular culture of Late Antiquity. The Hellenistic "daemon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.
Quote from: pato15 on September 15, 2016, 08:38:40 PM
Look up the etymology of 'demon.' You'll see that the entire concept of demons is just Christianity once again demonizing (heh) a positive facet of pagan beliefs.
Socrates said he had a daemon ... it is what we could call a conscience. The other Athenians didn't have one, and executed him for introducing a new god (without official permission). Demon comes from Indo-European ... a deva in Vedic Hinduism ... all of which are gods. Same origin as Dios (a name for Zeus), Deus and Adios muchachos.
Quote from: SGOS on September 16, 2016, 08:17:30 AM
That search produced a quantity of information I was completely unaware of. Who would have thought that demons were benign or even outright positive entities at one time. It's no surprise that Christianity incorporated them into its new religion, but then designed them to be evil, since the only positive force Christianity seems to accept is Jesus. I don't know how many people actually looked up the entomology, but I think it would have been helpful if a link to some source were included in your post. It just makes it easier to read from a source you base your claim on, and is always appreciated.
To be honest, for the time being I'm only able to post via mobile, and I would have no clue how to post a link this way. In fact, I'll be proud of myself if I managed to quote your post correctly. But your point is well taken.
I'm the closest you will ever get to a demon encounter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV1-MA_xyx8
Quote from: pato15 on September 17, 2016, 01:19:43 AM
To be honest, for the time being I'm only able to post via mobile, and I would have no clue how to post a link this way. In fact, I'll be proud of myself if I managed to quote your post correctly. But your point is well taken.
That's OK. When I first got here, figuring out how to use the text editor window, just the very basics of it, was a significant learning curve. While it's still time consuming, it's now second nature. At times it was challenging, even recently there have been new things I've learned how to do with it.
I'd like to thank everyone who helped me with this problem. I believe what happened was just a coincidence.
I'm going through some hard times right now. I've never been so uncomfortable in my life. My emotions are mostly negative. Fear, anger, and depression are what I mostly feel on a daily basis(mostly fear). So I'm more prone to irrational thoughts. I can't even remember what happiness feels like. Maybe Hydra009 was right. I need to seek help. I'd like to be able to just go one day without feeling any of these emotions. That would be nice.
You obviously want help, but it's not going to do you any good to turn to a fantasy solution which would only feed these fears.
Quote from: widdershins on September 27, 2016, 10:27:23 AM
You obviously want help, but it's not going to do you any good to turn to a fantasy solution which would only feed these fears.
Many years ago, my mother was in the hospital dying of cancer. There was a young woman in her ward who also had cancer. I believe everyone in her ward was in dire straights. That young woman would lay there quietly all day until the doctors came to examine her, and then she would get hysterical and start screaming for God, "God, please have mercy. Please have mercy." She would continue screaming and begging God for mercy as long as the doctors might find another lump or lesion. When the doctors left, she would calm down again. I was 22 at the time, still more or less partial to the idea of a god, but that experience was a turn off. Fear based on a fantasy; I couldn't help think about how psychologically damaging religion could be. Thank you, Christianity for making that woman's death even more horrifying than necessary.
Simple answer: There's no such thing as demons, so any claims that there are demons is wrong.
Tho you might see/imagine that demonic nun from watching the Conjuring 2. Remember that it isn't real, it's scary as 1st but it isnt real.
(https://media.giphy.com/media/4pOQKujxHaMKs/giphy.gif)
Only if you promise to never be stupid on the Board again.
Quote from: Atheon on September 27, 2016, 08:21:58 PM
Simple answer: There's no such thing as demons, so any claims that there are demons is wrong.
ANY supernatural, or needing magic to exist, claim. Pretty much is all total shit. Demons, angels, ghosts, life after death.
ALL. SHIT.
There are enough actual problems in the world without worrying about non-existent ones like demons. See a therapist about the demons; vote about real problems.