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"Thought Insertion" and Christianity

JohnClay

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From Wikipedia
Thought insertion - Wikipedia
Thought insertion is defined by the ICD-10 as the delusion that one's thoughts are not one's own, but rather belong to someone else and have been inserted into one's mind. The person experiencing thought insertion will not necessarily know where the thought is coming from, but makes a distinction between their own thoughts and those inserted into their minds. However, patients do not experience all thoughts as inserted; only certain ones, normally following a similar content or pattern.
This made me think of Christianity. I think many Christians would believe that demons, the devil or maybe God can insert thoughts into their mind.... though in their case their belief isn't a delusion. What do Christians think?
 

Petros2015

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CallofChrist

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Personally, I don't think demons can insert thoughts into Christian's minds, but I do believe God can, if he wants to. I don't think that God has audibly spoken to me or anything, but I do feel he has, on occasion, alerted me to things. I really don't go around looking for subjective experiences, though. It isn't healthy to look for omens in everything that happens in the world.
 
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timothyu

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Traditional thinking passed from the blind to the blind has a greater influence on Christians than any outside force, especially when the subconscious seems to give us thought from out of nowhere. Useless information often kicks back until a word or a sound and the like triggers it into action. Most are more willing to go with the flow than question and come to their own conclusions. Hence most will defend their sect before the Gospel of the Kingdom. Tradition has even gotten them following a different gospel.
 
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SavedByGrace3

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In my books about Prophesying and Speaking in new tongues, I refer to a term used by Steven Pinker: "mentaleze." To put it simple, mentalese is the subconscious root of all thought and speech. It is the wordless language below language. All thoughts begin with mentalese. We clothe mentalese with the vocabulary of our earthly language.
When Christians prophesy by the spirit of Christ in them, they are drawing from a thing I call "spiritese." It is the language below the language from our spirit. If we can articulate the words in our own language, then we are prophesying. If we cannot express the "spiritese" with articulate language, but we vocalize it anyway, it comes out as tongues.
If we commune with God, or demons, or angels... and these spirits commune information into our spirits, then what results is "spiritese." We may not be able to distinguish where this spiritese is coming from. It may sound like our own thoughts. Wisdom is knowing and saying that what I am thinking may not be my own thoughts. They may have been communed into me.
This is the essence of utterance and inspiration.
 
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HTacianas

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From Wikipedia
Thought insertion - Wikipedia

This made me think of Christianity. I think many Christians would believe that demons, the devil or maybe God can insert thoughts into their mind.... though in their case their belief isn't a delusion. What do Christians think?

"Thoughts" within Christianity are best described as logismoi. A logismoi is a thought that enters the mind unwillingly. Monks long ago stopped trying to discern between logismoi caused by one's own mind and logismoi that may be a demonic influence. They found that regardless of where the thought originates from it is best to deal with the thought rather than -for the most part- trying to decide its origins.

Those thoughts can be benign or they can be evil. And anyone can experience it. Sit alone in a quiet room and silently recite the Lord's prayer over and over. Eventually you will become distracted by errant thoughts and begin thinking of other things. It could be something that happened earlier, it could be a shopping list, or it could be anything else. It could be an evil thought. But regardless of the thought's origins you have to ignore it and move on.
 
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St_Worm2

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Hello @JohnClay, here's the first Biblical example of Satan "inserting" his thoughts into a human mind.

Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!
5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The devil and his demons still operate in the lives of believers in the same way today (though I doubt that they appear in some sort of physical form like Satan did in the case of our progenitors), whispering deceptions, lies and 1/2 truths into our ears (so to speak), and by doing so, hoping that they can convince us to doubt God/doubt what He tells us in the Bible and listen to/believe them instead.

BTW, while the Bible tells us that the devil and/or his demons are capable of influencing (tempting) us (even though we cannot see him/them now like our progenitors did in the Garden). It also tells us that God sets limits on what they can do to us when they are tempting us, so that their influence over us is never overwhelming/never too much for us to handle .. 1 Cor 10:13 (and He goes even further than that by providing us with ways to escape all of the temptations that we face every day so that we don't choose to act on them by sinning).

--David

1 Corinthians 10
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

.
 
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JohnClay

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Hello @JohnClay, here's the first Biblical example of Satan "inserting" his thoughts into a human mind.
I had assumed that the serpent was speaking in an audible way rather than simultaneously speaking inside of Adam and Eve's minds....
 
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Skye1300

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I don't think God or the devil puts thoughts in a person's mind. God will put things on my heart, bring things to my attention etc but He doesn't put thoughts in my head. I don't think the devil can put thoughts in people's head either. The devil is a manipulator and can prey on people's emotions and vulnerabilities, but he can't actually put thoughts in your head. I think it's more like how a magician ocan create illusions to make you think you see certain things or make you misinterpret things. r how a con artist can manipulate you to make you think certain things are true. You may think unwanted thoughts because of that, but they are your thoughts.
 
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Margot Lugo

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When God has given me the information I needed, it has come in the form of sudden awareness of a situation that I needed to quickly act upon. I have never heard His voice. I really don't think I would be able to. My perception of Him is that His communication style is an eternity ahead of my ability to grasp in my human brain. He loves us so much that He created a remarkable prayer system that beats every device known to humankind. I have so much to be grateful for because He has given me gentle leads at the moment I most needed them.
 
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Margot Lugo

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Personally, I don't think demons can insert thoughts into Christian's minds, but I do believe God can, if he wants to. I don't think that God has audibly spoken to me or anything, but I do feel he has, on occasion, alerted me to things. I really don't go around looking for subjective experiences, though. It isn't healthy to look for omens in everything that happens in the world.
I agree wholeheartedly. Your message is replete. God Bless you!
 
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CallofChrist

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He loves us so much that He created a remarkable prayer system that beats every device known to humankind. I have so much to be grateful for because He has given me gentle leads at the moment I most needed them.

Prayer is so special! You are correct in that it is remarkable.
God bless you.
 
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Rachel20

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Did Satan insert a thought into Peter's mind?

Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Matthew 16:22-23
 
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BobRyan

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timothyu

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Did Satan insert a thought into Peter's mind?
Would you not question a friend that was willing to die for a cause? Jesus' point was that God had a plan for Him and Peter suggested a plan not of God, therefore as satan means adversary, he was acting in an adversarial way to the will of God, like we all do. Was the thought put there or was he simply putting his will before God's will, like we as humans are all prone to do when faced with something contrary to our thinking?
 
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