Demon attacks on JW in past, where'd they go?

by thedepressedsoul 56 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  thedepressedsoul

  In the 80's and 90's (maybe even earlier) I remember hearing lots of witnesses talk about "demon attacks". Whether it was someone studying the bible who then started having strange things happen in their house to people bringing stuff home from yard sales and getting personal attacks and horrible dreams resulting in them dystroying stuff they brought home or getting rid of it.

  I also remember hearing a sister say she had to pray in a home with a study because the study started to get attacked. I know 99% of this was probably some being paranoid or half crazy.

  What made these reports stop though? I never hear anyone talk about this stuff anymore or never hear of new accounts of these things taking place. It seemed like a big thing in the 80's and 90's and now it's stopped. Did the demons get tired of attacking JW's? Now it seems more that Satan can attack you through the TV, Internet or slowly start to get to you through your spiritual weakness. What caused the change?
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  Theredeemer

  Now that everyone has a mini camcorder, if its not on video it didnt happen. Back then, word of mouth was enough to prove something was true. In addition, with the internet, we have come to find out that most of these stories are recycled urban legends. The information age has debunked many of the ghost/demon stories. Also, I think we can arguably call this decade as the decade that embraced science.
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  millie210

  I think there is a simple reason.

  The more mainstream the Witnesses have gotten, the more this type of thing has dropped off.

  Its amazing how much of anything will dry right up when it is no longer "cool" to say you experienced it.

  The reverse is true also.
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  Violia

  The WT and AW are full of demon stories from the past. Some time in the 80's a lot less of these stories appeared. Jws began to consider mental illness more often. However I have heard them say privately and from the platform many times that the demons attack the mentally ill more often b/c it is easier. They quit carrying so many stories when people in general became more educated and laughed at their mags. Also they were trying to attract yuppies to the org. The belief in demons etc is common in religions common to poorer less educated people, pentacostals, etc.
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  LongHairGal

  thedepressedsoul:

  I think after the 80s you didn't hear many stories about that anymore.

  I agree with Violia that they tried to attract "yuppies" or more successful types. This is why they stressed they wanted people to dress business-like. Never mind that they don't believe in business and are not even educated, but they want to attract people who are.

  Nothing would be a bigger turn-off than a sister who looks like a bag lady or somebody with a torn little sweater. I think at the start of the 80s the sisters started to get a more "professional" look if you could call it that.

  I guess stories about demons are not compatible with this "professional" look.
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  designs

  Demonic attacks were Big in the 60s, they became part of the experiences at the Assemblies and meetings. Amazing, makes me feel like a little kid being scared by bedtime ghost stories.
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  hoser

  My mom claims she was attacked by the demons, but I am starting to think that she was under a lot of pressure and suffers from some kind of mental illness.

  I attempted suicide a number of years ago and the elders that came to visit me suggested that it was because I had just purchased a house. They said that a former owner must have been demonized, that was why I was so depressed that I tried to do myself in. Turns out that the elders were the cause of my depression. The constant pressure of having to work full time plus for a living and then on top of it always be told that you're not doing enough for Jehovah pushed me over the edge. I quit serving as a ministerial servant shortly after that and my mental state improved greatly.
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  thedepressedsoul

  How did the GB make the stories stop though? Did they stop writing about them, write against them, say it couldn't happen etc...

  I just find it funny how big of a deal they were and how it made so many people believe the demons were real and attacking "God's true people" and now they all but stopped.
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  Apognophos

  Yes, it's true that demon attacks are very passé now, aren't they? I think the reason is mainly that the Society stopped propagating the stories in their literature. Additionally, as said above, people are more (a little) skeptical now.
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  thedepressedsoul

  Glad to know I'm not the only one who noticed this. I remeber being told them before bed by a relative. I loved hearing them and in return she'd love to tell me them! Oh to be a kid again.