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?
