Monday, June 6, 2011

What is a Demon?


I’ve been talking for a couple of weeks now about demons and exorcism, but I haven’t really taken the time to define exactly what a demon is, mostly because people generally know what they are. But I figure I should probably take a little time to define what demons are (from my viewpoint) so there isn’t any confusion to what I’m talking about.

There are actually several different beliefs in demonology to what demons are depending on the religion and individual. In some of the very early religions, demons were simply spirits or creatures that roamed the earth. They weren’t necessarily good or evil, they just existed.

Today most people’s ideas on demons come from Christianity. Christian demons are quite different because they’re thought to be fallen angels. They fell after deciding to follow Lucifer, who believed he was more powerful than God. Their punishment was being thrown out of heaven and being forced to roam the earth. Eventually it’s thought they will be thrown into Hell, along with Lucifer. But until then, the demons (and Lucifer) are free to tempt, harass, and trick humans as much as they like.

In Christianity, God is fond of giving beings the option of choice. He gave the angels the option of following Lucifer and gives humans the option of following him or whatever else they like. Of course, there are always consequences to our choices. Most people would agree that demons made the wrong choice.

When I talk about demons on here, I’m picturing the Christian version of demons. I believe they look like angels (although they can change the appearance of their physical form) and are ultimately trying to bring harm to humanity. Of course, everyone has a different perspective on what demons are and how they interact with the world.

How do you picture demons?

5 comments:

  1. I think anything evil can be construed as a demon.

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  2. I can agree with that. I think it is interestingt that early demons weren't really considered evil.

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  4. Maybe when demons first existed, they were left to their own devices. Since the majority of anything with a high degree of sentience thinks about itself more than others (as per survival) it morphed into something completely selfish. Hence, evil is not far behind. Just a possibility.

    Demon- a non-human entity that thrives on the misery or pain of another. While some people are evil, they are not demonic as they are human. Yes, any alien species that wants to see our destruction and suffering would fall in this category. They can also torment animals and be considered demonic in my eyes without contacting any humans.
    Oh, and they must gain some benefit out of the fear response.

    I believe humans are just the most fun to mess with when it comes down to it. We have so many rationalizations when it comes to the paranormal. What is more fun than shaking a scientist down to the core and watching him never be the same?
    Weird enough, most people that get in tangles with demons are religious. Is it because they know the signs, or are more... naive?

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  5. You have some really interesting theories Jennifer! I agree that demons might also enjoy bringing fear to animals as well as humans. And i'm not sure exactly what causes the correlation between religous belief and encouters with demons. It could be argued either way. You could say religous people are more naive so see more, or say scientific people see less because they aren't looking for the signs.

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