by MARTINLEYSHON 56 Replies latest jw friends
Hi Missbehave
I have been watching Colin Fry 6th sense and another American medium of late. Now if you recall any such viewing would result in a direct invitation for the demons to enter your home. Guess what, during the last 6 years nothing has happened.
As a further note: I actually got assigned that "Demon" hour talk outline---here is some of the stuff the society actually put into this talk:
* ECTOPLASM! - this is supposed to be kind of like a sticky amoeba-like thing that can come out of the demonized medium's body and take on the form of a dead person or other such demonic terror. It was treated as a mysterious reality in the most extreme cases. It could, however be beaten back by either turning on the lights or shouting forth the divine name and praying loudly. Sometimes it would lose shape and splatter out over the floor like spilled cream corn.
* OIUJA BOARDS - this is actually a direct leased-line telegraph to Satan himself. It will spell out instructions to doubt the Watchtower Society, have unclean thoughts, perform unnatural acts, etc.
* ROCK MUSIC - demonic influence has long been suspected in this area. Just look at their costumes and lifestyles...
* INCUBUS/SUCCUBUS - mainly a danger to middle aged single sisters, although even young girls, old ladies, and sometimes brothers are not immune. Sex dreams or night fantasies are not innocent at all - this is how Satan works on our brothers and sisters...some have even reported feeling the touches of an "invisible presence".
* EXORCISMS - may have to be done in extreme cases. Usually, the demon has some physical object medium that can be broken (as in mirrors) or burned with fire (books, for example) while shouting forth the divine name and praying loudly. However, the movie Exorcist is false in that Catholic priests have no power over Satan.
and on and on (with so-called real stories) ad absurdum...
I always felt creepy giving that talk (although it was very popular and at least the audience did not usually sleep through it). My problem with it was that if JWs hated such ugly things so much, then why were we popularizing them and giving them credence?
Glad to be free of this nonsense and without guilt for ever even beliving it a little,
James
Have you read Biography of Satan by Kersey Graves?
Here is a (non-exhaustive) list of beings that do not really exist:
Angels
Bunyips
Centaurs
Demons
Dragons
Elves
Fairies
Genies
Ghosts
Gnomes
Goblins
Gods
Goddesses
Golems
Gryphons
Hobbits
Leprechauns
Mermaids
Ogres
Pixies
Sasquatches
Trolls
Unicorns
Vampires
Werewolves
Wizards
Yeti
Zombies
Fairies.... I coulda sworn I seen some in San Francisco.... Guess not.
* ECTOPLASM! - this is supposed to be kind of like a sticky amoeba-like thing that can come out of the demonized medium's body and take on the form of a dead person or other such demonic terror. It was treated as a mysterious reality in the most extreme cases. It could, however be beaten back by either turning on the lights or shouting forth the divine name and praying loudly. Sometimes it would lose shape and splatter out over the floor like spilled cream corn.
I've seen this stuff before. It was used as a salad dressing at a congregation picnic I once attended. I spent the rest of the day eating KAOPECTATE®
W
Little toe,
Thanks for the book reference. I am going to read it. I am a Christian and a bible reader, as you know from my previous posts. But, lately I have been questioning whether Satan always refers to an actual person or is representative of what the nature of evil is.
I started questioning because I was reading that during the last supper, Jesus mentioned to the disciples that one of them at the table with them would betray him. Well, they all responded by saying, not I. Then Jesus said the next one who dips his bread is the one. And of course that was Judas. Next, the bible says "satan entered into Judas", however, no one seemed to notice this occuring, not even Judas. They just went about thier business as usual. So I started thinking that maybe here what Christ meant is that "evil thoughts" entered into Judas not Satan himself. Because how could this have happened under the Apostles noses and they not notice or make reference to it? Does this make sense, or am I way off?
I admit not everything in the Bible should be taken literally. There is a lot of good information of morals and every day living and hope for the future. But, we need to understand from what perspective where the bible writer coming from and what they did believe about satan and demons. But somehow we do have to reconcile that with the claims of actual demons in the bible. I always wondered though, how come no one today has seen satan or these demons? Or does anyone believe their has been possessions?
Anyway that can add some information on this, I would like to listen to their views. Including you, LT. thanks.
funky derek, I have to politely and respectfully disagree with you. Sasquatch lives in my neighborhood. We discovered this last summer at the annual neighborhood barbecue and pool party. He took his shirt off to get in the pool and people ran screaming, gathering up the children, fleeing in panic. We were all traumatized.
We are not inviting him this year.
Yes, I do believe in them.
I once watched "The Entity" with a JW - about a woman in the USA who was raped by a demon - supposedly a true story and it reinforced my belief. I think it depends on the individual too - if you believe in God, logically you must believe in heavenly life too.
Don't dismiss anyone's experience with the supernatural if you have not experienced it.
They don't want people to be generally aware of their existence.
Just think, if everyone on Earth knew about their existence, they would lose the only advantage they have - that off scaring us to death and tricking us.
Many of my friends have had supernatural experiences, and they didn't necessarily go dabbling in stuff. They were just going about their normal lives minding their own business.
I started to lose my belief in Satan and the demons when I was still very much an active Witness. What started that was a Watchtower study about Satan. It stated that there were very, very few references to Satan in the Hebrew Bible. I really wondered why.
Think about it. The Witnesses teach that the serpent in Eden was really Satan, who would become mankind's geatest enemy. Only God forgets to mention that for several thousand years! "Oops! Sorry folks, I forgot to warn you about this incredibly powerful and diabolical and evil enemy you have, who also happens to be invisible to you!"
Like many biblical and JW ideas, it just didn't make any sense to me.
Then I began researching about Satan, and found out that the concept of a devil and demons developed over time, and it can clearly be seen in the Bible. You start out with the fallen angel in the book of Job (about the only real reference to him in all the OT), and by Jesus' time, you've got all sorts of demon possessed folks and Satan tempting Jesus.
No, I have no belief in Satan or demons. I also, as an elder for many years, saw no evidence for the demons, beyond a little hysteria and wild imaginations. There always seemed to be some sister with marginal mental health who was being "harassed" by the demons.
S4
