So says the latest Awake or was it WT.
mentioning the case of the demon possessed boy in Matthew ????
hearing voices isn't neccessary demon possession!
Epilsepy may B sign of demon possession
by badboy 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
Matty
That's interesting, I'll have to take a look at that. I know Matthew and Luke disagree with the diagnosis and this has previously been explained away in that the boy was supposed to have both epilepsy and demon possession, but I don't think it has been expanded upon to such a degree before.
-
teenyuck
Can someone scan this?
Since I might be demonic, I would like to provide proof to my mother. (I have epilepsy; adult onset....come to think of it, it *came upon me* after I left the dubs....OMG!!!)
That must be it. I became demon possessed after living with my soon to be husband. Jehovah must have told the demons "have at her....she is dead to me."
I am stunned that they would promote this. This is old. The common thinking, until docs could figure out what was happening, was that the person was possessed by demons.
Some people with epilepsy will have an *aura* before. They know their brain is going to go haywire for a while and they can take precautions.
I have grand mal seizures that would frighten anyone. Thankfully, they are only when I am asleep, so my husband has the honor of watching me twitch, moan and bite my tongue.
Hearing voices is not a sign of epilepsy. Perhaps schizophrenia. Which is not uncommon in people with epilepsy. However, the two do not go hand in hand.
I really need a scan of this if someone can find it.
-
wednesday
Over the years i have seen the WTS say that they think it is possible for the demons to possess someone who is already mentally ill or has seizures etc, b/c their mind is weakened and left open to this. Also they said the demons are cruel and do sometimes possess mentally ill people just b/c the are so cruel.
-
teenyuck
From the Epilepsy website: www.efa.org
Seizures are a symptom of epilepsy. Epilepsy is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce sudden bursts of electrical energy that disrupt other brain functions. Having a single seizure does not necessarily mean a person has epilepsy. High fever, severe head injury, lack of oxygen--a number of factors can affect the brain enough to cause a single seizure. Epilepsy, on the other hand, is an underlying condition (or permanent brain injury) that affects the delicate systems which govern how electrical energy behaves in the brain, making it susceptible to recurring seizures.
Is epilepsy ever contagious?
No, epilepsy is never contagious. You cannot catch epilepsy from someone else and nobody can catch it from you.
What causes epilepsy?
In about seven out of ten people with epilepsy, no cause can be found. Among the rest, the cause may be any one of a number of things that can make a difference in the way the brain works. For example, head injuries or lack of oxygen during birth may damage the delicate electrical system in the brain. Other causes include brain tumors, genetic conditions (such as tuberous sclerosis), lead poisoning, problems in development of the brain before birth, and infections like meningitis or encephalitis. Epilepsy is often thought of as a condition of childhood, but it can develop at any time of life. About 30 percent of the 125,000 new cases every year begin in childhood, particularly in early childhood and around the time of adolescence. Another period of relatively high incidence is in people over the age of 65.
Here is some info from a "History of Epilepsy" website:
EPILEPSY: AN HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Basic concepts surrounding epilepsy in ancient Indian medicine were refined and developed during the Vedic period of 4500-1500BC. In the Ayurvedic literature of Charaka Samhita (which has been dated to 400BC and is the oldest existing description of the complete Ayurvedic medical system), epilepsy is described as "apasmara" which means "loss of consciousness". The Charaka Samhita contains abundant references to all aspects of epilepsy including symptomatology, etiology, diagnosis and treatment.
Another ancient and detailed account of epilepsy is on a Babylonian tablet in the British Museum in London. This is a chapter from a Babylonian textbook of medicine comprising 40 tablets dating as far back as 2000BC. The tablet accurately records many of the different seizure types we recognize today. In contrast to the Ayurvedic medicine of Charaka Samhita, however, it emphasizes the supernatural nature of epilepsy, with each seizure type associated with the name of a spirit or god - usually evil. Treatment was, therefore, largely a spiritual matter.
The Babylonian view was the forerunner of the Greek concept of "the sacred disease", as described in the famous treatise by Hippocrates (dated to the 5 th Century BC). The term "seleniazetai" was also often used to describe people with epilepsy because they were thought to be affected by the moon’s phases or by the moon god (Selene), and hence the notion of "moonstruck" or "lunatic" (the Latinized version) arose. Hippocrates, however, believed that epilepsy was not sacred, but a disorder of the brain. He recommended physical treatments and stated that if the disease became chronic, it was incurable.
While both Hippocrates and the Charaka Samhita provided this less spiritualized understanding, the perception that epilepsy was a brain disorder did not begin to take root until the 18 th and 19 th Centuries AD. The intervening 2,000 years were dominated by more supernatural views. In Europe, for example, St Valentine has been the patron saint of people with epilepsy since medieval times. Sites where St Valentine was thought to have lived or visited became pilgrimage destinations to get cured. These sites included Rome and Terni (where St Valentine was Bishop) in Italy, Ruffach in France (where a hospital for epilepsy was later built), Poppel in Belgium, and Passau in Germany.
In the 19 th Century, as neurology emerged as a new discipline distinct from psychiatry, the concept of epilepsy as a brain disorder became more widely accepted, especially in Europe and the United States of America (USA). This helped to reduce the stigma associated with the disorder. Bromide, introduced in 1857 as the world’s first effective anti-epileptic drug, became widely used in Europe and the USA during the second half of the last century.
If the dubs are promoting that someone can be possessed and demonized because of or due to seizures, they need to be reported. Really. I will do it, I just need a scan. The Epilepsy Foundation will jump on this.
-
Mulan
'"demon possession" may be sign of epilepsy' is more like it!
There is a seizure disorder that responds well to fasting, in fact some have been cured by fasting, when no other treatments would help. It seems to me Jesus said something about that along the lines of "some spirits can only be expelled by prayer and fasting".
Stupid dumb heads. That's all epileptics need is to be branded as demon possessed.
Hearing voices is not a sign of epilepsy. Perhaps schizophrenia.
Or the above. Good call.
Our second son has a seizure disorder, although at 37, he hasn't had one in many years. His are triggered by reading and playing video games. Extremely rare, by the way. He has to stop reading when he feels the symptoms, and it will stop. If he keeps reading, when too tired, it will happen.
-
Reborn2002
Mulan said:
Stupid dumb heads.
Wow, that is the most vulgar I have ever heard you get!
They must've really P'd you off for insinuating that people unfortunate enough to suffer from epilepsy are now possessed by demons!
I agree with you though. Jehovah's Witnesses are pathetic excuses for human beings. In fact, I rate them somewhere far below animals such as cats and dogs and barely above insects and bacteria.
-
teenyuck
Stupid dumb heads. That's all epileptics need is to be branded as demon possessed.
That is the problem....they were branded as demon possessed for thousands of years. In the last 150 years many in-roads were made in the medical community to dispell this myth.
The problem is the the WTBTS is actually re-promoting an obsolete idea....at least to anyone with a functioning brain.
I really need to get a scan of this.
This is the type of crap I hear all the time. When I finally tell people I trust that I have epilepsy, they look confused. They ask all kinds of questions, like "is it contagious, is it mental illness." I am amazed by the lack of information and the inability of people to look beyond what some nun or priest told them 50 years ago.
I want to let someone in the foundation know this idea is being promoted by a current religion...in print no less.
Tina, grinding my teeth so I don't scream at the computer.
-
Francois
Epilepsy a sign of demon possession? What friggin century are we living in anyway, the second? Or are we just re-living the Inquisition here? This is the most disgusting thing I've heard coming from the WTBTS in a looooooooong time.
Epilepsy a sign of demon possession my aching ass. Next thing you know, farting with be a sign that you have eaten demonized food.
I'm sorry. I have to go take a nap. This is too much all at once. My "disgusted at the ignorance" meter just pegged so hard, it's bent almost double. I'll say one thing for those boys in Brooklyn, it takes a LOT of balls to come out in print and say something so totally stupid at that. And it IS stupidity we're talking about here, not ignorance. Sheer stupidity.
Demon possession. I have a theory about that, but I'm going to have to rest up a bit before I key it in. This little aside has sucked every bit of energy I had left right outta my body. I'll be back later.
francois
-
teenyuck
Mulan, your son has classic aura's if he knows they are coming...
Here is an interesting website that shows famous people who more than likely had epilepsy