So we all know that "crazy" brother or sister. Every Kingdom Hall has one. They give the best comments (from a hilarious perspective), have experiences with the "demons", but most importantly, they are on about 10 deifferent kinds of medications. Well it's pretty easy to dismiss their stories about their personal experiences with "the spirit realm". And with the "crazies", those stories are a dime a dozen.
But I got to thinking, there are SOME stories involving the demons, that are not from schizophrenic loopies. In fact, in my circuit there are two well known stories. Being ambiguous as possible:
One involved an elder (sub-CO), a smart man, and his wife. They were not drooling WT drones as most witnesses are. They own their own business and have a nice home a cars. But after inheriting a mounted deer head, they awoke that night to some banging in the house. When the elder came to the hallway to investigate, (ball bat in hand) the mounted head was floating and started to chase him. Slamming the bedroom door shut, he got his wife out of the house, went back in, and yelled scriptures at it until in fell limp on the ground. He took it outside and burned it. Even now, they refuse to talk about, or be involved in, anything remotely associated with demonism.They would have no reason to make up a story. So what was it?
Another story involved 4 of the 10 members of the BOE in the Hall I grew up in. While helping a young man to leave his worldly (and honestly, weird) lifestyle behind, 4 elders met with him in the Library of the Kingdom Hall. During the meeting however, the young man was flung into the walls (damaging them) and into the book shelves containing the Bound Volumes (knocking them down). One elder pissed his pants (and he admits to it this day), another ran OUT of the Hall, and the other two just tried saying Jehovah's name and speaking scriptures. It didn't work, and for 6 or 7 minutes the young man was beat up. The paramedics had to be called. He spent 9 weeks in ICU, but never suffered another "demon attack" again. He is now CONVINCED this is the truth. Also, we had to use the local building fund to repair the damaged walls and buy new bookshelves. And every meeting afterward seemed to have a local needs about the dangers of spiritism. I remember the CO and DO making quite a few trips to our hall after that experience. Eventually someone from the branch had to be sent to calm down the congregation. (Brother Geoffrey Jackson BEFORE he served as a member of the GB.)
As you may know, I'm leaning toward atheism. But stories like this make me wonder. Can there be a spirit realm but no God? If these things are not demons, then what are they? I've heard about 100 demon stories over the years, 95% of them are rubbish, I am sure. But every once in a while...one comes along that just creeps me out. And I would never believe it if it weren't backed up by evidence (or told by credible individuals). But like the second story, 4 elders, physical damage to the Kingdom Hall, visits from HQ regarding it? I'd feel foolish DENYING it happened.
Anyways, share your experiences or thoughts on this subject!