Last week, I came across an unusual tidbit of JW folklore that I had all but forgotten. After a brief discussion of provincial politics with my mother, she made the comment (regarding our provincial Premier) that every time a government is elected, Satan appoints a demon to oversee and direct it.
Now, I'm not sure if this is unique to JWs, but the idea is based on the following scripture:
"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia." Daniel 10:13
In this scripture, an angel is speaking to Daniel, so it is assumed that the kingdom of Persia, must also be a spirit creature. JWs have extrapolated the idea that every kingdom has its own demonic guide. This is a rather old concept, which appears to remain on the books, but may not be used much anymore.
Now this raises a few questions:
1. I am curious about the logistics of this demon guidance. Is it necessary for the government leader to hold a seance to get his instructions? If so, how often must it be held? Or, does the demon visit his office periodically? Does he make an appointment? It would be rather embarrassing to have the Prince of Evil sitting in your waiting room, flipping through old magazines.
2. I had assumed that this applied only to national governments, but my mother (who is much more knowledgeable in these areas) assures me that it also applies to provincial (and, I assume state) governments. But, why stop there? Is there a demon appointed to school boards, city councils, and municipalities? Does the dogcatcher get his own demon, too? Does my son's high school student council get a demon?
3. Do bigger governments get bigger demons?
4. Do the ruling demons ever get together for conferences - like the G8? If so, that must be one hell of a party (pardon the pun).
5. Is it acceptable for a Witness to accept assistance from (welfare, unemployment insurance, pension, policing, education, etc) or work for a government that is run by demons? If so, how does this differ from working for a church or the military? Are those demons less acceptable than regular civil servant demons?
6. What kind of a moron could actually take this stuff seriously?
My sister is quite well acquainted with our former Premier. I have asked her to pose these questions for me.
Edited by - RunningMan on 29 July 2002 15:58:16