Casting Out DEMONS

by Cold Steel 40 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Cold Steel

  If someone believes they're being plagued with demons or they have problems with hauntings, things moving by themselves or hearing voices or footsteps, who they gonna call?

  I know they take demons very seriously, so who in the congregation do they go to when they need to bring out the big guns? Do they try to handle it themselves or is this a job for the elders? Or is there someone else who handles these matters? And when they attempt to cast out demons, do they use the name of Jehovah or Jesus? Or both?

  Does anyone have any first- or second-hand stories they can relate? Some time ago we discussed objects people had acquired from worldly people at garage or lawn sales that were thought to be possessed. In those cases the items were merely disposed of by throwing them away or giving them to another worldly person. I don't think any attempts were made to actually cast the demons out of, say, a Pink Floyd audio CD. (My grandma used to have hand fans from funeral parlors in the house, and our JW family members weren't happy to have them lying around! I don't know why...they worked just fine!)
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  EverApostate

  I have not seen anyone reporting to elders about demon possessed persons. This whole demon casting is a misunderstanding or ignorance of mental or health Issues during ancient times.

  Of course the WT advises its flock not to buy anything from Church Garage sales, to avoid demons, which is bronze age stupidity
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  redvip2000

  They just destroy any items that they think are possessed. Amazing what what people are willing to believe in.
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  EverApostate

  I heard from a JW sister that her unbelieving relative had bought her a piece of clothing from a christian charity and her dog was continuously barking. Once she got rid of it, it stopped barking. Very amusing to recollect that now.
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  TD

  Does anyone have any first- or second-hand stories they can relate? Some time ago we discussed objects people had acquired from worldly people at garage or lawn sales that were thought to be possessed.

  Interesting question. The belief that demons could be inadvertently brought into your home via inanimate objects was a hysteria of the 1960's that seems to have been triggered by a 1959 book written by a French Monsignor on the dangers of the spirit world.

  In the U.S., the book's sensationalistic message quickly spread across denominational lines and even into pop-culture via horror movies like Rosemary's Baby.

  The JW's bought into this idea more than most and "demon stories" were common fare at informal gatherings. People would talk in all seriousness about books that wouldn't burn even when gasoline was poured on them or about objects that would mysteriously reappear in the home after they were thrown away. Some of these stories even found their way into JW literature and can still be read today, especially in their Yearbooks.

  That seems to have changed though. Those stories virtually disappeared from JW literature and while some (mostly older) JW's still believe in this stuff, younger JW's tend to be a little more skeptical. (That's my impression anyway..)
  
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  Londo111

  The JW teachings on this is that miraculous gifts ceased after the death of the apostles, this would include casting out demons.

  With that in mind, a JW remedy would be say Jehovah aloud, which the demons are said to be adverse to hearing, and to look for any activity or item recently purchased that might be associated with "spiritism" and to get rid of it. For some reason, burning a suspected item is often a go to solution. The elders might be called, but they would likely do more of the same.
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  James Mixon

  Six ways to get rid of those pesky demons..(1) Use gemstones ,I guess they are scared of shiny things. (2) Cleanse the space, get some holy water,(make sure it's Holy water and not some old dish water). (3) Use special herbs and remember each herb has a specific use and tackles different kind of demon, the urban demons a little happy herbs (weed) may work. (4) Pray it may work, but if they are smoking a little herbs you are wasting your time. (5) Clear your aura, no comment on this one. (6) Try stop believing, now that makes a lot of sense...
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  scratchme1010

  I know they take demons very seriously, so who in the congregation do they go to when they need to bring out the big guns?
  

  JWs don't believe in exorcism, so I'm not sure what you mean about "bring out the big guns".

  In my experience, if someone believes they're being plagued with demons or they have problems with hauntings, things moving by themselves or hearing voices or footsteps, that person (please bear in mind that I am talking exclusively about my experiences) also hear voices, has invisible friends, have severe OCD and depression, and/or has been through severely traumatic experiences (suffering PTSD).
  

  As much as I want to take the issue of demons and hauntings seriously, I have no reason to do so based on my own experiences and the people I have heard talking about it.
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  moreconfusedthanever

  This is a point of interest to me as our family had demon experiences and I have several stories of first hand experiences which perplex me. If God does not exist then what is the explanation for these experiences? They are not always just suffered by one person which could be disregarded as mental issues but if 2 or 3 in the room witness the same thing how is that possible?

  I am pretty much a born in. I was always told to call out to Jehovah as the demons are scared of him and they will flee. My mother was hot on not inviting them into our house by shows watched on TV and music listened to. She was having issues with them from a young age and the JW ability to give her a plausible explanation and remedy was the big factor in her choosing this religion for her family.

  I remember after an incident in our house - it's 3am and the radio in the living room turns on by itself and someone seems to be going through the stations. This was in the days where the tuner was a knob that required turning. I heard it and she heard it. She yells to me to stop it and go to sleep and I yell back that it's not me. She wakes dad and he goes into the living room and turns off the radio. My sibling slept peacefully. - because my sibling slept through the event it was decided that he was the source of the invasion as demons leave the one who invited them alone. The afternoon was spent with mum going through their CD collection and destroying any that gave her bad vibes.

  Another one does involve a second hand ring. Apparently every time mum wore the ring she would turn nasty. She took it off and put it in the garden shed for a bit. Then tried wearing it again and she turned nasty. The ring was ditched in the bin but mysteriously​ reappeared a few days after the rubbish collection. She just threw it away again.

  She was pioneering when she was invited on a study. The woman was morbidly obese and talked to demons living in her house. The demons put her in hospital with a broken hip. They were angry at her for studying and threw her around the house and beat her up.

  Never once was it suggested to get help from elders. The answer was always calling on the name of Jehovah and being hypervigilant about not inviting them into your life in the first place.
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  deegee

  .............who they gonna call?

  Ghost Busters of course!
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9We2XsVZfc