How big is a demon?

by Terry 69 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  mummatron

  Depends. How big is your Canaanite idol or your multiple personalties disorder?

  Seriously though...http://www.crivoice.org/demonsot.html - An interesting read on the translation. I've pasted the conclusion:

  In summary, there is no Hebrew word that can be translated as "demons" to communicate what that word implies in English. There does lie behind the Old Testament conception a basic animistic and mythological world view with which the Israelites are in dialog. But they are using the terms and in dialog with such conceptions, not because they accept them or are dominated by them, but precisely to deny the validity of such mythological world views. The biblical writers use the terms not to accept what they represent but precisely to reject it. It is clear that there was a popular belief among Israelites in such things as ghosts and the mythological creatures of Canaanite religion. But the biblical tradition as it stands moves beyond such popular mythological conceptions to a vision of a Creator, a sovereign God who is in sole control of the world, and does not share that with anything or anyone. So again, there are no "demons" in the Old Testament, only idols that are rejected as "no-gods."

  The New Testament accounts of 'demonic possession' resemble various forms of schizophrenia, epilepsy etc. Without modern medical advances and methods of diagnosis such as brain scans, people needed some way of explaining these episodes.
• 

  Terry

  Does your salvation concern you? Since this is what is truly important! (not the size of a demon but its intent).
  
  Scripture very clearly teaches that demons are real (In the Gospels alone, the word "demon" is used thirty-two times, "devil" and "Satan" both appear fourteen times, and the phrase "the evil one" appears five times.).*

  Here is the problem, Ixthis: the more I examine the history of the bible, the more apparent it becomes that the stories we read are oral transmissions of a great many retellings over a number of years.

  Exact words are unlikely. Accurate meaning? Not at all likely. By the time these stories were committed to writing the damage to fact and history was a done deal.

  The New Testament did not consist of HOLY WRITINGS at the time they were written. Did you know that? They were letters and biographical stories compiled and shared. The idea that they were GUIDED by holy spirit was a later notion. If those writings were considered HOLY do you really think we would haved LOST EVERY ONE OF THE ORIGINALS? Suffice to say we can't be reasonable and conclude stories about demons are factual.

  It is, in the light of what we now know, most likely epilepsy and mental illness that led superstitious people to conclude demons were at work.
• 

  wannabefree

  Chariklo said:

  Speaking hypothetically, I don't think either type of being is subject to physical laws, so re4ality can't be brought into it since they belong to a realm outside reality.

  I tend to agree with this statement partially. I believe they are subject to laws, but since they aren't physical beings (therefore in a realm outside of the reality that is known to humans), they simple are different. Light can pass through a window, but obviously a human can't without breaking it (I've seen them try), and technically a window isn't a solid object. Down to the molecular level, nothing really exists as a solid, its physics, if the molecules of a spirit creature are different than what we perceive as a soild, perhaps at a molecular level the way the laws of physics affects us has a different effect on them. ???
• 

  tec

  We can't do the following: we can't say I'm going to believe everything UNTIL somebody DISPROVES it.

  No, we can't do that.

  We also cannot adamantly deny the possibility of something that some have bore witness to... just because it has yet to be quantified.

  Tammy
• 

  finallyfree!

  well i asked my friend who is a demoness (female spirit) and it cant be quantified from a physical/human understanding.

  demons are spirits and can posess something as big as an elephant to a tiny mouse. they lurk in populated areas to perform their perverse workings.

  i guess the average size of a demon is 7-9 ft in its spirit realm, but like fog in the human realm. moving amongst and thru the masses, taking its true spirit form occasionally.

  shes such a nympho
• 

  Satanus

  Some are the size of chihuahuas. Those, you can give a swift boot, to be rid of them.

  S
• 

  ixthis

  Or smoke them ... demons do not like smoke.
• 

  Satanus

  I sometimes roll them up in a paper. They are hard to light, though. They crackle as they burn.

  S
• 

  Shanagirl

  Hi I'm a newbie here. I've been out of the JW's about 10 years. My whole family and I left for all the obvious reasons stated here on this board. I've contemplated my spirituality during this time. Upon first leaving, I continued to pray but not to Jehovah. It was too reminiscent of the witness god. So I prayed to Jesus. Over the years, I always maintained a close relationship to God, and just viewed him as Heavenly Father. Recently I researched deeply into the Gnostic Scriptures spoken of in the Nag Hammadi Library. I felt these writings best fit with my own perception of God is and who Jehovah is not. , The creation story from Genesis and what it is and is not. I've learned that the creator of our own universe, is the chief "Archon" who eminated other demi gods, and these elohim were the creators of matter and chaos, the physical perishable life that comes from matter. This chief Archon is called Yaldabaoth, the blind god, who is later worshipped with his elohims by the earliest Hebrew tribes, who eventually name Yahweh, who boasted he was a jealous god, and besides me there are no other gods. I've read the Secret Book of John, one of the Apocraphon books of early Christians. Jesus explains much of this to the apostle John son of zebedee. It really shows how the Christ came from the ineffable unnameable Father of all..... So facinating to read this after being force fed Watchtower giberish. Truly comforting and refreshing to see that Christ is the emmnation of the Pure light and afterthought of this immeasurable loving God above All. Christ taught this God of Love and Light. He never aknowledged the jehovah gods of the bloody Old Testament. These few teachings have been so freeing and I really get them.

  I really wanted to share this with you all. Thank you for taking the time to read my words. I guess what I'm saying is that the Old TestamentHebrew god is the cruel bad tempered , punishing, jealous, confusing god Jehovah (yaldabaoth)
• 

  ixthis

  Terry, yes indeed I am aware of the history of the Church and subsequently the Bible. I am not Protestant so I do not believe that the bible simply fell out of the sky and where I come from is that history along with divine direction work together to provide direction for the Church.

  The bible developed as an outcome of issues that the early Church had to encounter. A dispute had arisen in Antioch over the adherence to Old Testament laws. The matter could not be settled and outside help was sought for ... the leaders of the [then] Antiochian Church and the community which had earlier dispatched the Apostle Paul and Barnabas brought the matter to jerusalem for consideration by the apostles and elders who where there. The matter was discussed, debated and a written decision made ... that decision was from James, the step-brother of the Lord and the first Bishop of jerusalem ... his solution to the problem was agreed to by all concerned at what was known at the time as the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-35) ...

  It is amazing but we can actually refer back to the pages of the Books of Acts to see how this all developed. The "chrismation" of the visible Church at Pentecost. On that day the Holy Spirit descends on twelve apostles in an Upper Room - 12 men who were simple and illiterate and by the afternoon some 3,000 people believed in Christ and were baptized!! The Scriptures go further to record that when the first community began they were devoted to the Apostles and prayer (Acts 2:42). This faith then spread throughout Judea (Acts8:5-39), to Antioch and then the Gentlies (Acts 11:19-26). We find "converts" and new churches all throughout Asia Minor and the Roman Empire ...

  We discover from the New Testament that the Church had her share of problems and not all was perfection ... Specific individuals (even within the church) sought to lead her of the path that the apostles had established and these issues had to be dealt with along with the errors that these people invented - even whole communities lapsed on occassion and were called to repentance.

  Example: The Church in Laodicea (Rev 3:14-22)

  So, yes I am aware of how the early church developed and how the bible developed ... we see that in the early church scores of such councils (as the Council of Jerusalem) met to settle matters of dispute and to deal with the issues that did not adhere to the Apostolic faith.

  I do not see that as myth or story telling or fabricated stories ... if all was a lie it would have no foundations to spread so quickly around the world!