Witness World discussion about Demonic Influences

by DevonMcBride 41 Replies latest jw friends

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  DevonMcBride

  I just saw this on Witness World web site and had a few laughs. How many of you were this pathetic when you were a witness?

  Devon

  Demonic influences -- does it affect who you purchase from?

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 12:49 am
  Annie Member Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 164 Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia	Ever since I can remember being in the truth, since the dark ages, you know , I have met many Witnesses who will not purchase anything from a garage sale or thrift shop because they feel that you're taking the chance of bringing something into your home that might have been previously owned by someone who practiced spiritism or anything to do with the occult. How do you feel about that? I bought something second hand that to be honest did make me a bit nervous. I was told by an Elder that the best test to see if something could be 'bad' is if you see things "floating" around your house. Now I haven't seen anything floating except my emotions. Granted there are alot of stress contributing factors in my life, but not until recently has it gotten worse. So what do you think? Should I question the item I bought based on my emotions skyrocketing all of a sudden for no reason or is it "safe" as long as nothing is floating around. Now please when I say floating... I am being funny, but as Witnesses you know, we have heard of some horror stories. Because of an experience I had as a child with my father in Puerto Rico I was very fearful of anything demonic. But I took it overboard. I wouldn't even buy a second-hand car unless I knew who the owners were. After I was convinced to not be so overly cautious and started buying things from garage sales, things in my life went DRASTICALLY down. Now this was about 10 years ago. Up until recently I just stopped buying stuff secondhand. So what do you think?
  _________________ Bright is the light, Proverbs 4:18 Song No. 111

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 1:02 am
  Polly Pan Administrator Joined: 20 Nov 2003 Posts: 207 Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada	Well if I stopped buying second hand, my children and I would be naked and sitting on a bare floor in an empty house, because buying new is not a luxury I can entertain. I've had problems before with demon influence. Never had anything floating through the air, but an inanimate object did speak to me and on another occasion I walked into a wall of ice in my living room... and knives would set themselves out on my counter at night in a nice even row. Just the yesterday my daughter and I were in a second hand store and I spotted the coolest ceramic figurines of an old man and woman with bundles on their backs.... the expressions on thier faces was amazingly detailed but as I stood there looking at them I got the chills run over my body.... RED FLAG RED FLAG Needless to say I didn't buy them. In the cases I mentioned above it was always something easily identifiable.... the tv stand I bought decided to talk... so I threw it off the balcony into the parking lot below, all the while praying out loud to Jehovah. The knife and ice incident could be traced back to books I borrowed from a workmate. If you've bought something and you keep "going back to it" as a source of problem. Then more than likely it is. Jehovah has given us a pretty powerful tool called a conscience... sometimes we don't always realize it's working... My suggestion would be to remove the object from the house for a time and see if you change, or the situation changes. You'll know Annie, before too long. And before you do anything at all... Pray. We need to remember demon influence isn't always voodoo, spooky stuff and easily seen. Often times it's a blockage of our prayers or a sudden decline in spirituality.
  _________________ "When you look for the good in others, you discover the best in yourself." ~ Martin Walsh

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 1:05 am
  wiserone Member Joined: 13 Dec 2003 Posts: 56 Location: Vancouver Island	personally I have worried little about it. I have never had difficulty this way. I think that the greater the worry about it happening, the more likely it is TO happen. It's almost like inviting it because it becomes like an open door. Paul said in 1cor 10:25 - "everything that is sold in a meat market keep eating,making no inquiry on account of your conscience". In vs 28 he says that if you are told that it is questionable, don't eat it. Same with second hand stuff. I buy in good conscience. If I know that it was used by someone inappropriately, then of course I would not buy it. Conscience. Just use common sense and conscience. If you are bothered, don't do it. I think bad things happen to us through time and circumstance and our own foolish decisions and choices. My experience, anyway. Judy ps - like Pauline, as a child I had experiences with 'stuffs', and know when to listen when the hairs on the back of my neck raise!

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 1:31 am
  Songwriter Administrator Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 534 Location: Nicholasville, KY	A sister I knew in eastern KY had problems with demons before she got the Truth. She said that because of that she had a sensitivity to them even after she was baptized. So if something or someone was demonized she could sense it, somehow. I don't know if that's 100% accurate but it's what she said. Btw, that sister eventually left the Truth so I can't call her up and ask for more details, if I wanted.
  _________________ Mike. {:~) "It is a glory for a man to desist from disputing, but everyone foolish will burst out [in it]." -- Proverbs 20:3

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 1:53 am
  Annie Member Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 164 Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia	Well you know that's an interesting point that things DO happen. And more so if your spirituality is suffering. I thought about that when I considered my life 10 years ago. But our spirituality was okay. I used to preach in the women's prison and conduct a WT there. Two sisters would take turns every week. We had to be in extremely good standing for that and be approved by the prison's priest. My daughters as teenagers made their own arrangements to go witnessing in the Public Market at 6 AM. Well anyhows... Polly I would have been totally FREAKED out!!! But you said that when something keeps coming back to you, bothering you... That does make me think. I don't want to govern my life on it coulda been or might be... kind of thinking, but sometimes for the sake of "if in doubt, do without" I'll probably just get rid of this ring.
  _________________ Bright is the light, Proverbs 4:18 Song No. 111

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 2:02 am
  Annie Member Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 164 Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia	Songwriter I just read your reply. So the sister left the truth? You see that's what I mean. We have to be so cautious. But it's like Wiseone said, just keeping up with our studies, our meetings, etc. really fights the demonic influences. I am surprised though with all the freaky personal experiences.
  _________________ Bright is the light, Proverbs 4:18 Song No. 111

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 2:28 am
  Polly Pan Administrator Joined: 20 Nov 2003 Posts: 207 Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada	She said that because of that she had a sensitivity to them even after she was baptized. So if something or someone was demonized she could sense it, somehow. Songwriter wrote: You make a very accurate statement Mike. When my parents were yet in the truth they had a terrifying encounter of many months with demon influence, that to this day (46yrs later) still affects my brothers dreams. I won't go into details but suffice to say it's what good horror movies are made of these days. My mother especially can sense the demons like a bloodhound... LOL. But seriously, I've been out in service with her and we'll be walking up a walkway and she'll comment about sensing "something". Trust me when I tell you, I listen. She just knows. Annie ... not to undermine the existance of the demons, but you can sometimes be your own worst enemy (not you persay, but any of us) You shouldn't... I repeat shouldn't dwell on this, just like Judy said above. Don't get yourself worked up over the "what-if's" you have Jehovah on your side... he's so much more powerful, why even the demons "know and shudder". Pray and stop overly stressing. ((hug))
  _________________ "When you look for the good in others, you discover the best in yourself." ~ Martin Walsh

  Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2003 2:55 am

  Annie Member Joined: 02 Sep 2003 Posts: 164 Location: Sunshine Coast, Australia

  Thanks Polly Pan I will. I don't want to start a thread about horror stories. But I am just trying to reason it out. My daughters tell me that they have memories of their father turning into a roaring lion or something. And you know something, I'm getting chills right now just thinking about it; but I have always told them that it's not true. So they say that I have blocked it out of my memory. But you know... sometimes I do see the vision of it in my mind and I refuse to believe it. That's it.. hehehe lots of prayer to Jehovah. The other day a 'study' (not mine, but a personal friend of mine) was coming to pick me up to go to the Book Study. Two hours before, I had the second panic attack ever in my life. It's like snowing in Rochester, NY for over a month, snow piled up everywhere, it's in the mid 20s, and I had to stand outside in the cold because I couldn't breath and I was burning up. Needless to say I was too sick and weak to make it to the meeting. But strangely enough the BSO knew I was in town. ???? He asked for me which caused this friend of mine to call me to take me to the meeting. This Elder lives on the Assembly grounds. He's an Australian, former missionary, who is now living in Rochester. He did visit us in Australia. I asked Aussie if he told him if I was in America, Aussie said no. So you see... Jehovah IS stronger, of course... hehehe
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  dh

  they are seriously out of it... sure, i am not one to dismiss things straight away but this is too funny!

  I bought something second hand that to be honest did make me a bit nervous.

  oh really, what the hell did you buy?

  if something could be 'bad' is if you see things "floating" around your house

  mmhmm

  here's the crunch...

  now i haven't seen anything floating except my emotions

  then...

  is it "safe" as long as nothing is floating around

  hahaha

  an inanimate object did speak to me

  I walked into a wall of ice in my living room...

  and knives would set themselves out on my counter at night in a nice even row.

  .

  here come the wise words of theocratic comfort!

  We need to remember demon influence isn't always voodoo, spooky stuff and easily seen. Often times it's a blockage of our prayers or a sudden decline in spirituality.

  .

  If I know that it was used by someone inappropriately, then of course I would not buy it.

  used by someone inappropriately eh... hehe

  A sister I knew in eastern KY had problems with demons before she got the Truth.

  What do you expect if she's from easten KY!

  if something or someone was demonized she could sense it, somehow.

  demonized, what the fuck!

  Mike. {:~)

  okay mike, chill out with the demonic symbols!

  Well you know that's an interesting point that things DO happen

  No, really???

  So the sister left the truth? You see that's what I mean. We have to be so cautious

  Bright is the light, Proverbs 4:18
  Song No. 111

  My mother especially can sense the demons like a bloodhound... LOL

  LOL. But seriously

  conflict of interest?

  .

  dh'
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  Globetrotter

  OMG! This would be pathetic if it weren't so hilarious! Walking into walls of ice! Talking TV stands. Breeding illiterate paranoid nutcases is obviously one of the Society's core competencies.

  Can they ward off Happy Belated Christmas Wishes I wonder?!
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  Odrade

  OMG! that was hilarious. I have GOT to get on one of those Dubby sites just for the laughs! You know what they say about laughter...

  Odrade
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  freeman

  OMG! Are these people adults or kids listening to ghost stories at camp? This is just too pitiful to comment on further.
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  blondie

  In my 40 years' plus in the WTS, there were some sad "nutcases" in every congregation that told their demon stories in a desperate attempt to get attention from the cliques in the congregation. I knew one that was constantly calling up the elders in the wee hours to come over and pray the demons out. Eventually, she committed suicide. But the vast majority had other eccentricities.

  Blondie
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  Nosferatu

  the tv stand I bought decided to talk

  Did you make sure the TV that you put on the stand was off? TVs in the "on" position have a tenancy to talk.

  The second-hand 8-tracks I've bought only talk and sing if I insert them into the player :)
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  Enishi

  Just the yesterday my daughter and I were in a second hand store and I spotted the coolest ceramic figurines of an old man and woman with bundles on their backs.... the expressions on thier faces was amazingly detailed but as I stood there looking at them I got the chills run over my body.... RED FLAG RED FLAG
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  heathen

  Wow that's really strange . They claim to have this sixth sense about demons . I don't know about talking tv stands but with todays technology it was probly some pranksters . Good God to throw the thing off the balcony and pray , it just seems so absurd , I thought dubs sold all their demonic stuff at garage sales themselves .
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  Odrade

  Nah, my mom used to put the demonized stuff out in the garage for a few months. She seemed to think the demons couldn't live out there. Then she would go out there and look at the demonized stuff every once in awhile. When she determined that the stuff wasn't going to get undemonized, she would either dispose of it in the wood stove, or hack it up with a hatchet and throw it in the garbage.

  Odrade