Demons and Christianity

[Occams Barber]

One of the many things which has surprised me about Christianity, since joining CF back in 2012, is the apparently widespread Christian belief in the existence of demons. Attributing various negative events and strange experiences to demonic activity is a regular occurrence in this Forum, leaving the impression that belief in demons is broadly accepted by Christians.

In a recent example, I came across an opinion that so-called ‘aliens’ were actually (probably) demons and that alien cults were likely to be demon inspired. This is only one of many instances where I've seen demonic activity described as the cause of a negative event.

I’d be interested in hearing informed Christian opinion on the concept of demons particularly as it relates to the following questions:

What is a demon?

Is belief in the actual (as opposed to metaphorical) existence of demons and demonic activity an across-the-board Christian belief or is it confined to certain denominations or Christian sub-groups?

How do Christians differentiate between things caused by demons and naturally (including human) caused events?​

Please note that I am not advancing a personal opinion for or against the existence of demons. I’m curious about how they are perceived by Christians.


OB

 

[thecolorsblend]

I believe they are very real and very dangerous.

However, I acknowledge that if somebody does not believe in God, it's really asking too much for them to consider the possible existence of demons. If I don't believe in Bigfoot (and I don't) then why would I believe in the Loch Ness Monster (which I also don't)?

 

[Occams Barber]

I believe they are very real and very dangerous.

However, I acknowledge that if somebody does not believe in God, it's really asking too much for them to consider the possible existence of demons. If I don't believe in Bigfoot (and I don't) then why would I believe in the Loch Ness Monster (which I also don't)?

I appreciate your reply TCB but, as I mentioned in the final para, I'm not here to argue for or against the existence of demons. Obviously as an atheist I'm unlikely to believe.

My interest is in how Christians see demons as part of an ongoing attempt at understanding Christianity.

OB

 

[.Mikha'el.]

I really need to read more closely. At first glance, I thought the title of this thread was Democrats and Christianity.

 

[Occams Barber]

I really need to read more closely. At first glance, I thought the title of this thread was Democrats and Christianity.

Here ... borrow mine

OB

 

[topher694]

One of the many things which has surprised me about Christianity, since joining CF back in 2012, is the apparently widespread Christian belief in the existence of demons. Attributing various negative events and strange experiences to demonic activity is a regular occurrence in this Forum, leaving the impression that belief in demons is broadly accepted by Christians.

In a recent example, I came across an opinion that so-called ‘aliens’ were actually (probably) demons and that alien cults were likely to be demon inspired. This is only one of many instances where I've seen demonic activity described as the cause of a negative event.

I’d be interested in hearing informed Christian opinion on the concept of demons particularly as it relates to the following questions:

What is a demon?

Is belief in the actual (as opposed to metaphorical) existence of demons and demonic activity an across-the-board Christian belief or is it confined to certain denominations or Christian sub-groups?

How do Christians differentiate between things caused by demons and naturally (including human) caused events?​

Please note that I am not advancing a personal opinion for or against the existence of demons. I’m curious about how they are perceived by Christians.


OB

Here's my take:

Most Christians believe in demons to some extent because we believe in Jesus and Jesus dealt with them directly several times, as did the early church. It takes some biblical gymnastics to attempt to explain them away.

What are demons? In spite of what some might say there is no direct biblical text stating what they are exactly. There are 2 primary and solid theories with indirect biblical evidence. 1) that they are fallen angels. 2) that they are the spirits of the nephilim... the offspring of fallen angels and women. They are demons because their spirits were not born of God in heaven, so they remain on earth after death. The third option is a combination of 1 & 2.

How do we differentiate between natural & demonic? This is where you will see the most craziness. Some give them zero credit or authority to cause any sort of issue while others see them around every corner causing every conceivable inconvenience in their lives, no matter how big or small. My belief and experience is that it is somewhere in between. Most of the bad stuff that happens in our lives is just natural circumstances or the results of our own bad decisions. The demonic comes in in 2 main areas. It will reinforce the bad things (that it didn't cause) by trying to make us feel lost, shame, hopeless, miserable, prideful, angry and the like so that we continue to make more poor decisions. The Bible calls this oppression. And second: demons are not omnipresent, they aren't infinite in numbers, meaning they can't just hang around us all day every day. They show up at opportune moments and "push our buttons" if you will. Giving us a nudge to make that poor decision, to blow up in anger, to give into temptation. They are opportunists. The Bible calls this "fiery darts". Of course this isn't comprehensive and there can be varying levels of it, but in my experience that is the most common manifestation.

 

[Sketcher]

What is a demon?

A spirit being that chose to follow Satan in his rebellion against God. Hence the term "fallen angel."

Is belief in the actual (as opposed to metaphorical) existence of demons and demonic activity an across-the-board Christian belief or is it confined to certain denominations or Christian sub-groups?​

The mainstream Christian belief is that they are literal beings.

How do Christians differentiate between things caused by demons and naturally (including human) caused events?​

If witchcraft actually works, it's demons.

Other events are harder to prove. I believe that demons can cause certain afflictions as described in the Gospels and Acts, but I don't believe that demons are the only cause of some of those afflictions. Some Christians frequently credit/blame demons for almost every instance of the afflictions, or anything bad. I believe that works in the interest of the demons themselves, and against the interests of the Christians. I personally believe that demons have to keep a lower profile today, since they cannot reproduce, but the human population has exploded since Jesus was here. That means the ratio of demons to humans has gone down considerably, which means they need to be a lot more efficient and make better use of force multipliers than at any time in the past. Part of that means exploiting the fear/belief that there's a demon behind everything bad or questionable.

 

[Barney2.0]

Demons are angels corrupted by their own sin just like man, the difference between the sin of man and angels however is that the former is a tragic accident while the latter was a crime committed on purpose, thus the former is one that can be repaired and fixed while the latter can’t. Satan and his angels aren’t given an opportunity to repent or be forgiven since they sinned out of their own desire, no one tempted Satan to sin, adam was tempted and tricked like a small child thus is not considered guilty, yet he suffered the consequences of his mistake through physical and spiritual corruption passed on to all his children and their descendants. Demons and Satan specifically are the authors of all evil. Man commits evil under the influence of the sin placed in his heart by Satan, thus every evil thing man has done can be attributed to demonic influence, without demonic influence we’d still be immortal and incorruptible right about now. But it’s not like man isn’t guilty of committing evil in of themselves, man still has free will to choose evil and follow demonic influences and sin, man however can follow God and resist demonic influence if he is a true Christian and believer by heart. My theology is mostly Eastern based so some here might disagree with me, but you can read what Saint John Chrysostom says about Satan and demonic influence:

CHURCH FATHERS: Three Homilies on the Devil (Chrysostom)

 

[PloverWing]

Is belief in the actual (as opposed to metaphorical) existence of demons and demonic activity an across-the-board Christian belief or is it confined to certain denominations or Christian sub-groups?​

​

This is one of those points that varies across the liberal-to-conservative spectrum in Christianity.

I see demons as a mythological or metaphorical way of speaking of the power of evil. I think this "metaphorical" view is fairly common in the moderate-to-liberal wing of my own denomination, and probably amongst liberals in other mainline denominations as well. (I'm humble enough, though, to acknowledge that there's much in the universe that I know nothing of. It's possible that demons or other spirit-beings exist in some realm beyond my experience -- who knows?)

The New Testament era writers seem to have believed in demons as literal beings, so many moderate-to-conservative Christians adopt their world view and believe in demons as well.

 

[Occams Barber]

Thanks @topher694 for a very clear explanation. It raises a few questions but please regard them as rhetorical - I'm not expecting you to answer on behalf of Christianity

Most Christians believe in demons to some extent because we believe in Jesus and Jesus dealt with them directly several times, as did the early church. It takes some biblical gymnastics to attempt to explain them away.

My impressions agree with 'most Christians believe in demons' but I have a vague sense that the more mainstream Protestant churches may be less inclined to openly say so for fear of being embarrassed. Catholicism is seen to be associated with demonology via the concept of exorcism but I wonder if this reflects actual Catholic doctrine or is a product of fiction novels.

1) that they are fallen angels. 2) that they are the spirits of the nephilim... the offspring of fallen angels and women. They are demons because their spirits were not born of God in heaven, so they remain on earth after death. The third option is a combination of 1 & 2.

I'm no Bible expert but the 3 things you've mentioned seem to fall into the biblical literalist camp. I wonder, if I were not a Bible literalist, would I still accept this explanation for the origins of demons.

How do we differentiate between natural & demonic? This is where you will see the most craziness. Some give them zero credit or authority to cause any sort of issue while others see them around every corner causing every conceivable inconvenience in their lives, no matter how big or small.

This is perhaps the most concerning aspect of demons. Whether or not they exist, it concerns me when I see problems with normal, particularly medical/psychological, causes attributed to demonic activity. The question of whether demons exist is separate to the question of what specifically they are responsible for.

OB

 

[topher694]

Thanks @topher694 for a very clear explanation. It raises a few questions but please regard them as rhetorical - I'm not expecting you to answer on behalf of Christianity

Anytime. I appreciate the civil and sincere tone of your questions and this discussion. You're right I can't speak for Christianity as a whole, but I can attempt to give some of my thoughts and experiences on your questions for whatever that is worth. (btw, I pastor a church and lead a inner healing and deliverance ministry, so I do have extensive and direct experience)

My impressions agree with 'most Christians believe in demons' but I have a vague sense that the more mainstream Protestant churches may be less inclined to openly say so for fear of being embarrassed. Catholicism is seen to be associated with demonology via the concept of exorcism but I wonder if this reflects actual Catholic doctrine or is a product of fiction novels.

Your not wrong. What I have seen first hand is this from pastors: "I don't like to give the devil mic time". That's the clean easy way of believing in it, but never talking about it. Many protestant churches are afraid to talk about it because: A) it's not pleasant B) some people take it too far and they don't want to appear associated with those people and C) they don't understand it themselves and have no desire to. I think movies like the Exorcist probably have shaped the public and church view on deliverance and unfortunately there are some groups out there that reinforce that view... but most deliverance is nothing like that.

I'm no Bible expert but the 3 things you've mentioned seem to fall into the biblical literalist camp. I wonder, if I were not a Bible literalist, would I still accept this explanation for the origins of demons.

Well, if you believe in literal demons, it would stand to reason you would need to believe in a literal origin of them. But more to your point I think perhaps #2 the nephilim is what some might hesitate about, with the whole giants thing and all, and I get that. But remember I said the Bible does not explicitly say, all sources of demons are just best guesses. Those are the most common ones I have heard.

This is perhaps the most concerning aspect of demons. Whether or not they exist, it concerns me when I see problems with normal, particularly medical/psychological, causes attributed to demonic activity. The question of whether demons exist is separate to the question of what specifically they are responsible for.

Agreed. And it is the most frustrating for me. I have seen the power of inner healing and deliverance first hand and there is no doubt about it for me or those who have been through it. It's not hollywood. It's not loud and crazy. It's not throwing up and speaking in demonic voices. It's largely freeing and uplifting and revolves mostly around forgiveness. However, when folks get caught up in what you've mentioned above it undermines all that we do. Some have even gone so far as to use it as an excuse for everything bad they've ever done. That's not deliverance. In such situations I always remind myself that this issue (blaming demons instead of taking responsibility) is not new, and it's not about them accepting or rejecting deliverance, it's a character issue they'll need to face at some point, just like all of us.

So there you go. Thanks again for the civil dialog.

 

[topher694]

I believe they are very real and very dangerous.

However, I acknowledge that if somebody does not believe in God, it's really asking too much for them to consider the possible existence of demons. If I don't believe in Bigfoot (and I don't) then why would I believe in the Loch Ness Monster (which I also don't)?

I found it on the internet, so it must be true.

 

[Occams Barber]

A spirit being that chose to follow Satan in his rebellion against God. Hence the term "fallen angel."

I don't think I've ever heard before that demons were actually fallen angels. Is that a personal belief or is it generally accepted as correct?

The mainstream Christian belief is that they are literal beings.

@PloverWing in post #9 is suggesting that churches at the more liberal end of the continuum would be less likely to acccept demons as literal fact. What do you think?

If witchcraft actually works, it's demons.
Other events are harder to prove. I believe that demons can cause certain afflictions as described in the Gospels and Acts, but I don't believe that demons are the only cause of some of those afflictions. Some Christians frequently credit/blame demons for almost every instance of the afflictions, or anything bad. I believe that works in the interest of the demons themselves, and against the interests of the Christians. I personally believe that demons have to keep a lower profile today, since they cannot reproduce, but the human population has exploded since Jesus was here. That means the ratio of demons to humans has gone down considerably, which means they need to be a lot more efficient and make better use of force multipliers than at any time in the past. Part of that means exploiting the fear/belief that there's a demon behind everything bad or questionable.

If demonic acts are proven with successful witchcraft it raises the question of how you know it's successful witchcraft. I had considered mentioning witchcraft when I wrote the OP but felt I was pushing things a little too far out of the range of mainstream Christian beliefs.

It sounds like your demons are in need of a decent course in management. If we accept your view, that would suggest that demons have become less effective as the population increases. Why would reproductive inability mean that demons need to keep a lower profile today? Can demons be killed?

As I mentioned to @topher694, I would agree with the potential problems of over-attributing stuff to demons. My interest is in understanding where Christians draw the the line between natural and demonic. I'm not sure that successful witchcraft answers that question.

OB

 

[Occams Barber]

Anytime. I appreciate the civil and sincere tone of your questions and this discussion. You're right I can't speak for Christianity as a whole, but I can attempt to give some of my thoughts and experiences on your questions for whatever that is worth. (btw, I pastor a church and lead a inner healing and deliverance ministry, so I do have extensive and direct experience)


Your not wrong. What I have seen first hand is this from pastors: "I don't like to give the devil mic time". That's the clean easy way of believing in it, but never talking about it. Many protestant churches are afraid to talk about it because: A) it's not pleasant B) some people take it too far and they don't want to appear associated with those people and C) they don't understand it themselves and have no desire to. I think movies like the Exorcist probably have shaped the public and church view on deliverance and unfortunately there are some groups out there that reinforce that view... but most deliverance is nothing like that.


Well, if you believe in literal demons, it would stand to reason you would need to believe in a literal origin of them. But more to your point I think perhaps #2 the nephilim is what some might hesitate about, with the whole giants thing and all, and I get that. But remember I said the Bible does not explicitly say, all sources of demons are just best guesses. Those are the most common ones I have heard.


Agreed. And it is the most frustrating for me. I have seen the power of inner healing and deliverance first hand and there is no doubt about it for me or those who have been through it. It's not hollywood. It's not loud and crazy. It's not throwing up and speaking in demonic voices. It's largely freeing and uplifting and revolves mostly around forgiveness. However, when folks get caught up in what you've mentioned above it undermines all that we do. Some have even gone so far as to use it as an excuse for everything bad they've ever done. That's not deliverance. In such situations I always remind myself that this issue (blaming demons instead of taking responsibility) is not new, and it's not about them accepting or rejecting deliverance, it's a character issue they'll need to face at some point, just like all of us.

So there you go. Thanks again for the civil dialog.

You're welcome. I think one of the problems in talking about this is that it comes with some awkward 'Medieval' baggage which may make it difficult for more liberal churches to discuss openly.

Thank you again for a clear explanation without the usual barrage of Christian jargon and endless, vague Bible quotes.

OB

 

[Occams Barber]

​

This is one of those points that varies across the liberal-to-conservative spectrum in Christianity.

I see demons as a mythological or metaphorical way of speaking of the power of evil. I think this "metaphorical" view is fairly common in the moderate-to-liberal wing of my own denomination, and probably amongst liberals in other mainline denominations as well. (I'm humble enough, though, to acknowledge that there's much in the universe that I know nothing of. It's possible that demons or other spirit-beings exist in some realm beyond my experience -- who knows?)

The New Testament era writers seem to have believed in demons as literal beings, so many moderate-to-conservative Christians adopt their world view and believe in demons as well.

Do you know if the Anglican Church has an official position on demons? My guess is 'no' but it's also possible that it is carefully non-committal. I suspect (but don't know) that you may be right about this attitude extending to other, more liberal churches.

While I have no personal problem with people believing in demons, as I've said in other posts in this thread, I am concerned where reasonable natural explanations are pushed aside in favour of demonic activity. This is a particular concern when it comes to psychological phenomena like hallucinations and auditory illusions. Even Christians can apply Occam's Razor usefully.

OB

 

[Swan7]

What is a demon?

Is belief in the actual (as opposed to metaphorical) existence of demons and demonic activity an across-the-board Christian belief or is it confined to certain denominations or Christian sub-groups?

How do Christians differentiate between things caused by demons and naturally (including human) caused events?

Please note that I am not advancing a personal opinion for or against the existence of demons. I’m curious about how they are perceived by Christians.

1 Timothy 4:1
Things taught by demons could be the explanation of these "aliens" True to the name, but not how they appear.

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age is Satan, he and his fallen-followers influence the minds of unbelievers (those that do not believe in Christ).

James 2:19
Yes, demons do know about Christ and are afraid of Him, as you will see in further verses. This is why there are so many accounts to Jesus' holy name in people's testimonies. Casting demons out in the name of Jesus Christ (so long as they believe in Him) is very prevalent.

Matthew 8:31
Demons fear Jesus Christ.

Luke 8:30
Demons like to copy-cat God's plans. After Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, He abides in His believers by the Holy Spirit. God, from the OT, used to be housed in a temple; because of God's Son, Jesus Christ, He now resides in us. Satan and his fallen-followers like to copy that act. Instead of enriching our lives, like the Holy Spirit does, they want to destroy all of humanity - and it's not always obvious: 2 Corinthians 11:14

Acts 19:13-16
Here is what I was talking about before (James 2:19) where faith in Jesus Christ must exist in order to cast away demons.

Mark 1:21-27
Demons are fallen angels of God, they reject Him and hate Him with their entire being. Because we, humans, are made in the image of God they also hate us. They are deceptive in nature, but like God, need to be invited into your "temple". If one gives them ground to take over, they can make one's life an actual living Hell.
Normally they are unseen beings, but every so often can be seen or felt by their presence.

***

To answer your other question how Christians can differentiate between demons and human events:
Christians use discernment in these cases and sometimes we need to ask God for clarity of what is going on. Christians cannot be demon-possessed, but can certainly be attacked by dreams or other outside sources.

Sometimes people just decide to do evil: Defamation of character/slander, hate speech/crimes, liars/deceivers, thieves/con-artists, etc.

I hope this helps in some way or another in your endeavors.

 

[Occams Barber]

Demons are angels corrupted by their own sin just like man, the difference between the sin of man and angels however is that the former is a tragic accident while the latter was a crime committed on purpose, thus the former is one that can be repaired and fixed while the latter can’t. Satan and his angels aren’t given an opportunity to repent or be forgiven since they sinned out of their own desire, no one tempted Satan to sin, adam was tempted and tricked like a small child thus is not considered guilty, yet he suffered the consequences of his mistake through physical and spiritual corruption passed on to all his children and their descendants. Demons and Satan specifically are the authors of all evil. Man commits evil under the influence of the sin placed in his heart by Satan, thus every evil thing man has done can be attributed to demonic influence, without demonic influence we’d still be immortal and incorruptible right about now. But it’s not like man isn’t guilty of committing evil in of themselves, man still has free will to choose evil and follow demonic influences and sin, man however can follow God and resist demonic influence if he is a true Christian and believer by heart. My theology is mostly Eastern based so some here might disagree with me, but you can read what Saint John Chrysostom says about Satan and demonic influence:

CHURCH FATHERS: Three Homilies on the Devil (Chrysostom)

Thank you for your reply. The problem I'm seeing is that it it doesn't really address the OP which asked about the nature of demon belief across Christian denominations.

While I asked about demons your answer focused on the evil nature of man. While interesting, it unfortunately didn't address the sorts of issues I raised.

The one thing I can take from your post is that the church you belong to (presumably an Eastern based Orthodox church) has a strong association with the concept of demons.

OB

 

[Occams Barber]

1 Timothy 4:1
Things taught by demons could be the explanation of these "aliens" True to the name, but not how they appear.

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age is Satan, he and his fallen-followers influence the minds of unbelievers (those that do not believe in Christ).

James 2:19
Yes, demons do know about Christ and are afraid of Him, as you will see in further verses. This is why there are so many accounts to Jesus' holy name in people's testimonies. Casting demons out in the name of Jesus Christ (so long as they believe in Him) is very prevalent.

Matthew 8:31
Demons fear Jesus Christ.

Luke 8:30
Demons like to copy-cat God's plans. After Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, He abides in His believers by the Holy Spirit. God, from the OT, used to be housed in a temple; because of God's Son, Jesus Christ, He now resides in us. Satan and his fallen-followers like to copy that act. Instead of enriching our lives, like the Holy Spirit does, they want to destroy all of humanity - and it's not always obvious: 2 Corinthians 11:14

Acts 19:13-16
Here is what I was talking about before (James 2:19) where faith in Jesus Christ must exist in order to cast away demons.

Mark 1:21-27
Demons are fallen angels of God, they reject Him and hate Him with their entire being. Because we, humans, are made in the image of God they also hate us. They are deceptive in nature, but like God, need to be invited into your "temple". If one gives them ground to take over, they can make one's life an actual living Hell.
Normally they are unseen beings, but every so often can be seen or felt by their presence.

***

To answer your other question how Christians can differentiate between demons and human events:
Christians use discernment in these cases and sometimes we need to ask God for clarity of what is going on. Christians cannot be demon-possessed, but can certainly be attacked by dreams or other outside sources.

Sometimes people just decide to do evil: Defamation of character/slander, hate speech/crimes, liars/deceivers, thieves/con-artists, etc.

I hope this helps in some way or another in your endeavors.

Hi Swan

Thank you for your reply. You obviously put in a lot of effort to put it together.

Can I give you a tip? We atheists are very rational (OK - regimented ) in our thinking. The best way to discuss things with us is to answer things point by point. That way you can be sure you've directly addressed the issues which were raised.

That said - you have addressed the issue of how a Christian might decide if something is demon caused or not. Your answer was 'discernment' which is something Christians often refer to. The problem with discernment is that there is no clear way of knowing if a discernment is actually correct. Wrong discernment, especially when it attributes something with a natural explanation to demonic causes, can result in real problems. I have no problem with the general idea of discernment as long as it includes considering the natural factors (i.e. non-demonic).

In other words I think that discernment is most effective when it also takes account of factual information along with any sense of God's will. I'm not a Christian but I suspect even God might agree that factual information is a very useful tool when deciding what is the best course of action.

OB

 

[Sketcher]

I don't think I've ever heard before that demons were actually fallen angels. Is that a personal belief or is it generally accepted as correct?

Generally accepted.

@PloverWing in post #9 is suggesting that churches at the more liberal end of the continuum would be less likely to acccept demons as literal fact. What do you think?

My answer to that could easily taken to be against the forum rules.

If demonic acts are proven with successful witchcraft it raises the question of how you know it's successful witchcraft. I had considered mentioning witchcraft when I wrote the OP but felt I was pushing things a little too far out of the range of mainstream Christian beliefs.

Witchcraft as I understand it is an attempt to perform supernatural acts, and not asking God to do it. It need not be motivated by a belief in demons as Christianity represents them. However, since we hold other religions to be false, and demons to be purveyors of lies, it makes sense that they would on occasion make a spell appear to work, or a dead person appear to talk to relatives, or whatever. That would strengthen the deception of the people that would be practicing or observing the witchcraft.

It sounds like your demons are in need of a decent course in management. If we accept your view, that would suggest that demons have become less effective as the population increases. Why would reproductive inability mean that demons need to keep a lower profile today? Can demons be killed?

I don't believe they can be killed. I believe they have been adjusting over time, which means they have been adjusting their tactics. I don't believe they can spend as much time on individual people anymore, which means they would be choosing deception over possession, generally speaking. Deceive a person, and he'll destroy himself and possibly others. Less work than possessing him for years, the demon is free to do other things while the person is doing what he wants him to do.

 

[Occams Barber]

Generally accepted.

I'll provisionally accept your opinion pending any alternative opinion.

My answer to that could easily taken to be against the forum rules.

We are birds of a feather

Witchcraft as I understand it is an attempt to perform supernatural acts, and not asking God to do it. It need not be motivated by a belief in demons as Christianity represents them. However, since we hold other religions to be false, and demons to be purveyors of lies, it makes sense that they would on occasion make a spell appear to work, or a dead person appear to talk to relatives, or whatever. That would strengthen the deception of the people that would be practicing or observing the witchcraft.

So, your argument is that, since demons lie and witchcraft deceives, witchcraft must prove demonic success. I'm not seeing the logical linkage.

I don't believe they can be killed. I believe they have been adjusting over time, which means they have been adjusting their tactics. I don't believe they can spend as much time on individual people anymore, which means they would be choosing deception over possession, generally speaking. Deceive a person, and he'll destroy himself and possibly others. Less work than possessing him for years, the demon is free to do other things while the person is doing what he wants him to do.

OK - demons have switched from possession to deception because they are less able to cope as the population grows and their numbers remain static. Is this a personal opinion or is it backed up with a more general interpretation of doctrine/theology?

As a general observation - my questions related to demons and Christianity as a whole. What I appear to be hearing from your posts is a personal view which may not be supported by broadscale Christian opinion.

OB