My answer would depend on what your beliefs are. Demons exists only in the spiritual realm, so you have to believe in this in order to be talking about it. In my case, since I am a Christian, and the bible and Jesus talk about demons, I believe they exist and that they may influence the world by many means, satan is called the prince of the air or ruler of the authority of the air, "the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" well, I am not disobedient.
Occult influence via TV/Movies/Music
by IMHO 25 Replies latest jw friends
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WTWizard
The whole idea of satan in our music is a scam. And it is unfortunate, because it puts the idea of people conspiring to enslave us in a bad light.
First, you start with all these scare stories about satanic messages embedded in music on purpose. This ruins some people's ability to enjoy the music. Children of parents that believe those scare stories lose the right to listen to such music, while the parents are brainwashed out of enjoying it themselves. Usually, the "satanic message" appears when the record is played backwards, and is very difficult to hear--and then people believe it. They get a random bad experience or one that Jehovah himself causes, and blame the "Satanic" influence in the music. I even heard one scare story about health effects--two short beats and one long beat is supposed to make you physically weaker. They never have evidence, yet parents that don't want their children listening to that music fall for it because it does the job.
This crap has been going on since the 1950s, and I believe longer than that. Ever since Elvis Presley came, I have heard of stories of how filthy and demoralizing the music is. The Beatles and Stones have been accused of having satanic messages encoded within the songs. Yet, I noticed no significant problems from the music itself. You don't get a new song out that has Satanic messages encoded, and with it a rash of Devil worship or a major crime problem.
At the same time, the real culprits are operating from behind the scenes. When those are exposed, they have the "conspiracy theorist" card to play. That music has been falsely claimed to have intentional Satanic messages embedded in it adds weight to the governments' saying all is fine. After all, if the music scares were false, so are the government scares and the One World Totalitarian Government scare. People stop believing in those real issues, and we are now moving closer to the One World Totalitarian Government. We can see real evidence of that in Europe and the Middle East, along with constant price increases and "shortages". You see lies being told about terror attacks--which people fall for (at the time of the attack, the "inside job" theories were as credible as the "satanic message" theory in music). Within a few short years, you are starting to see more and more signs that the real problems of those "conspiracy theorists" are starting to take shape.
Which is more than can be said about the music. The "Satan is in the music" crap is nothing more than a "Wolf!" call--I have been able to access music since it all began, and I am not seeing any evidence whatsoever that the music is producing bad effects. And, aside disguised promotions of Agenda 21+ in movies and TV programs, the same can be said about movies and TV. Nothing more than a distraction issue.
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punkofnice
There is good and evil and stuff inbetween.
TV and the media is no less devisive than a JW DVD promoting guilt fear & phobia to follow a cult.
As I have not had any demonic encounters I remain very sceptical. I'm the same with UFO's, even though I had an experience that seemed to be a classic UFO sighting, I rationalized it away.
If the demons ooze out of the TV, then why doesn't Jar Hoover also do the same?
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trailerfitter
As said...none, there are no demons only other peoples opinions and ideas.
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Resistance is Futile
None, they're not real.
What it really comes down to is that "demonic influence" is a cop-out to excuse people from taking responsibility for their own actions. You take reponsibilty for your actions and how those actions affect the people around you. No, you don't get to blame your behaviour on the influence of "magical invisible spirits".
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Band on the Run
My Internet Explorer is driving me crazy. Demons have figured large in my life. There are no such creatures or spirits! Fear of the nonexistent fostered by the Society to keep people in line is a very real phenomena. Some people seem drawn to fright and seek out demon encounters. The Witnesses were in a demon frenzy when I was a young teen. Fear of them accompanied wherever I went but especially at home. Shower curtains, closets, behind door hinges were objects of vigorous inspection. I thought light would keep them at bay. To this day I sleep with a light on to feel safe.
Curious that we don't see them in museums or zoos. Art works do not portray a consistent portrait of a demon. Michaelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel to Mick Jagger is a wide range. We depict them as ugly and fearsome. The Bible depicts angels in this manner. Everyone is frightened out of their wits when an angel appears. No branch of medicine, except psychiatry, deals with demon possession. Demons sell.
I am embarassed to admit my fear of demons. When I was going to be confirmed, my instructor, a canon, mentioned them in passing with some ridicule towards those who believed. I whispered to him that I was raised a Witness, did not believe in them, but my upbringing had an undesirable impact on me. He smiled and suggested I read C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters with a smile. I went out of my way to hit the closest book store.
C.S. Lewis is very famous as a Christian apologist. He was friendly with Tolkein who wrote Lord of the Rings. Mere Christianity, A Grief Observed, and the Narnia Chronicles are among his works. Screwtape and Wormwood are demons. One is the senior uncle supervising his nephew in the field, corrupting human souls and snatching them from the embrace of Our Enemy. Lewis mocks Satan and all demons. He writes that demons are none of our business. Further, there is no need to fret about them. Demons are not the opposite of God. They are far, far down the corporate ladder. Christ is assured victory. There is no way demons can prevail over God. The battle is already won. Satan must feed on our fears to no good gain. Laughing at Satan is the best reply. I laughed so hard.
I still have residual fear but nothing compared to the past. Voodoo, etc. only works on those who believe in it.
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Twitch
Voodoo, etc. only works on those who believe in it.
Indeed
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jookbeard
even if JC spoke about demonz and The Devil still doesn't mean they exist, the Bible writers could have inherited the legends/myths and fables from hundreds of years previously as people fantasize about witches/gremlins/critters/smurfs/goblins etc even now.
They dont exist and I can prove it.
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BluesBrother
Actual influence by unseen demons? None, Zilch, Na da, Zero....
But people can be influenced by their own fears and imagination. I knew a lad who, when the film was out, went to see "The Excorcist"..He was petrified and kept awake nights by strange noises and whatever.. The Wt land is full of stories about demons and witch doctors and stuff. I treat them all now as nonsense, come to think of it I had a healthy skepticism about a lot of the stories even when I was in..
As for the publicity about Satanic influence in music, I always hated that because it was so obviously false , and I loved The Stones and Led Zep et al. Of course the idea of Satanic influence of popular performers is nothing new, take Robert Johnson, 1930's and Paganini, early nineteenth century, who both used the claim that they had sold their soul to The Devil to explain virtuoso musicianship