Today we see that casting out demons from people and places or the more moderate practice of chasing away their influence and temptations by prayer and blessings is big business. At an extreme, people are forking out a fortune to evangelists and clergy and others to banish cancer or avert cancer striking. I wonder did Jesus get paid? It is telling and worrying that the gospels won't say one way or the other. Was Jesus charging for treating demons or preventing them getting in the first place? He blamed the victim if the demon came back in Matthew 12 so he had a loophole that looks very suspicious.   Occultists like that try to put the demon in or make the person think they are demonised.  That trick is a hallmark of the occult.  No occultist claims to succeed all the time and seeks ways to make out the victim blocked or reversed the magic.

If there is nothing occult about Catholicism, why is its favourite angel the Archangel Michael?  Michael is often invoked during occult rites to bless water and magic circles.  The Church thinks that the forces and beings evoked in magic are just demons pretending to be good.  In saying that it condemns itself! 
Demons, evil spirits or devils are terrible entities according to the Bible and the Christian faith. They rule the universe, they are servants of Satan who is a liar and murderer who deceives and tempts the whole world. They love getting people to sin so that they might be trapped and damned in Hell forever with them. They were complicit in the murder of Jesus Christ who is supposedly God incarnate and the only perfectly moral and good man. Like God, they can communicate with you without you actually being aware of it or hearing voices. They torment and possess some people and have to be driven out by an exorcist. That is the doctrine but is it true?
While explaining why people believe a doctrine does not make it untrue, it does make people untrue and unreliable sources of information about it.

So why do people believe in demons?
You would assume that it is because they think exorcism stories are factual.  They guess that the faith is telling the truth about the existence of demons who may or may not be able to possess people. But few can give you any decent evidence.  You have to assume demons are real before you can say the evidence points to them. If you see a brick floating in the air, what is doing it may be from another realm but it could be anything.  It could be the ghost of your dog who died last year managing to do it.
The real reasons for demon belief, especially when it is strongly held, are these four. 

1 They want to believe in demons because they want to hate them. This is basic self-abuse and vindictive. A lot of hate is not the burning type but which is put away to simmer at the back of the mind.

2 They believe because they fear the unknown and are thinking the worst - that demons actually exist. This is not healthy and leads to fear which leads to hostility. When you don't know something, assume the best probabilities not the worst ones. Possibilities do not count but if they did you would have to choose the kindest and nicest ones.
3 They want others to fear demons to keep them in line.  It is commonly said that being involved in the occult or doing harm to others lets demon influence come to you and they may even end up living in you for they find you so bad that you make a great home.  Jesus spoke of people who sweep the house, meaning their own body, to make a home for them.  If you are possessed by evil then getting possessed by demons is the least of your worries.
4 They clearly may also be people who have fallen prey to cranks who want them to believe in demons to scare them.  
Belief in demons is the problem not demons. It makes you a kind of a demon deep inside.  If demons are not real or are real but don't possess then the idea that they do possess and are real will be demon enough.  Beliefs cause reactions.  If there are real demons then they will just love that!
Demon belief gets worse if you believe in horrific possessions.  It is inevitable that it will make you virulently hate.  It does that already yes but that does not mean it cannot give rise to new forms of hate.
Those who have nothing but contempt for demons very easily start to extend it to political leaders who are seen as emissaries of evil and the demonic.  If you cannot call up a demon to get to know it properly and hate it you will need a human to focus on.  Hate for demons can only happen if you are thinking of people you know who you consider evil.  You need somebody to model your demons on.

Christians and others fear evil spirits. 

Christians say that the evil spirits are not interested just in harming us but in doing us the worst harm imaginable which is luring us into the eternal despair and eternal misery of Hell. Hell is seen as a tragic separation from God who is the only source of happiness according to Catholic belief. The evil spirits are supposed to hate God so they want to get people away from him. They also bear a violent rage towards his creatures and want them to suffer.

If it is wrong to encourage any fear of demons or if exorcisms are a form of fanatical abuse then any failure to challenge belief in demons is enabling the harm.

Catholics claim that there are examples of possession where a demon controls the victim's body and makes them curse and attack others and blaspheme. Catholics assume that there may be some kind of mental illness unless there are signs of supernatural agency such as the alleged demon knowing things the victim cannot know. The notion of a demon doing miracles to make its presence known is a strange one. And what if rather than using its powers to hurt the victim it uses them to murder people at a distance? The exorcists encourage the demon to wield its magical powers which is totally irresponsible. People calling on demons to do magic is hard dark occult. The exorcists are saccharine children of the Devil if there is a Devil!

It is dangerous to plant the thought in people's minds that a possessed person could be as dangerous as the witches of medieval times.

Christians tend to believe that demons do not possess people but merely influence them and may influence and co-operate with mental illness to do harm. With this, you never can know when it is the mental illness talking or the demon.

In either case, the demon goes out of its way to give its presence away. It acts like it wants the Christians to come along and put it out by prayer or exorcism.

The way those alleged spirits behave indicates that they are not evil or crazy but stark raving crazy. 

They rant and rave through allegedly possessed people and even attempt to mutilate the host bodies.

Some Christians believe that Uri Gellar is assisted by demons to do his miracles. These demons are craftier and like Satan pretend to be nice and kindly. But why do these miracles not happen when he is tested under strict laboratory conditions? If there are demons then they are irrational. 

An insane spirit is a contradiction. Only evolved organic living beings may become insane. Insanity is a body thing. If we are going to start believing in insane souls then we could and indeed should end up accusing normal people of having them. In life, it is important that we have no assumptions or beliefs that put others at risk of harm. It is different if there is overwhelming evidence that the beliefs are correct but the evidence is controversial and at the end of the day you are listening to "experts". You would not accept a human testimony that urged you to do or believe dangerous things so why make an exception when the testimony comes from religious people?

Jesus believed in demons and encouraged belief in them and has therefore done untold harm.
 

If there is nothing occult about Catholicism, why is its favourite angel the Archangel Michael?  Michael is often invoked during occult rites to bless water and magic circles.  The Church thinks that the forces and beings evoked in magic are just demons pretending to be good.  In saying that it condemns itself!

Demons, evil spirits or devils are terrible entities according to the Bible and the Christian faith. They rule the universe, they are servants of Satan who is a liar and murderer who deceives and tempts the whole world. They love getting people to sin so that they might be trapped and damned in Hell forever with them. They were complicit in the murder of Jesus Christ who is supposedly God incarnate and the only perfectly moral and good man. Like God, they can communicate with you without you actually being aware of it or hearing voices. They torment and possess some people and have to be driven out by an exorcist. That is the doctrine but is it true?

While explaining why people believe a doctrine does not make it untrue, it does make people untrue and unreliable sources of information about it.

So why do people believe in demons?

You would assume that it is because they think exorcism stories are factual.  They guess that the faith is telling the truth about the existence of demons who may or may not be able to possess people. But few can give you any decent evidence.  You have to assume demons are real before you can say the evidence points to them. If you see a brick floating in the air, what is doing it may be from another realm but it could be anything.  It could be the ghost of your dog who died last year managing to do it.

The real reasons for demon belief, especially when it is strongly held, are these four.

1 They want to believe in demons because they want to hate them. This is basic self-abuse and vindictive. A lot of hate is not the burning type but which is put away to simmer at the back of the mind.

2 They believe because they fear the unknown and are thinking the worst - that demons actually exist. This is not healthy and leads to fear which leads to hostility. When you don't know something, assume the best probabilities not the worst ones. Possibilities do not count but if they did you would have to choose the kindest and nicest ones.

3 They want others to fear demons to keep them in line.  It is commonly said that being involved in the occult or doing harm to others lets demon influence come to you and they may even end up living in you for they find you so bad that you make a great home.  Jesus spoke of people who sweep the house, meaning their own body, to make a home for them.  If you are possessed by evil then getting possessed by demons is the least of your worries.

4 They clearly may also be people who have fallen prey to cranks who want them to believe in demons to scare them. 

Belief in demons is the problem not demons. It makes you a kind of a demon deep inside.  If demons are not real or are real but don't possess then the idea that they do possess and are real will be demon enough.  Beliefs cause reactions.  If there are real demons then they will just love that!

Demon belief gets worse if you believe in horrific possessions.  It is inevitable that it will make you virulently hate.  It does that already yes but that does not mean it cannot give rise to new forms of hate.

Those who have nothing but contempt for demons very easily start to extend it to political leaders who are seen as emissaries of evil and the demonic.  If you cannot call up a demon to get to know it properly and hate it you will need a human to focus on.  Hate for demons can only happen if you are thinking of people you know who you consider evil.  You need somebody to model your demons on.

Christians and others fear evil spirits.

Christians say that the evil spirits are not interested just in harming us but in doing us the worst harm imaginable which is luring us into the eternal despair and eternal misery of Hell. Hell is seen as a tragic separation from God who is the only source of happiness according to Catholic belief. The evil spirits are supposed to hate God so they want to get people away from him. They also bear a violent rage towards his creatures and want them to suffer.

If it is wrong to encourage any fear of demons or if exorcisms are a form of fanatical abuse then any failure to challenge belief in demons is enabling the harm.

Catholics claim that there are examples of possession where a demon controls the victim's body and makes them curse and attack others and blaspheme. Catholics assume that there may be some kind of mental illness unless there are signs of supernatural agency such as the alleged demon knowing things the victim cannot know. The notion of a demon doing miracles to make its presence known is a strange one. And what if rather than using its powers to hurt the victim it uses them to murder people at a distance? The exorcists encourage the demon to wield its magical powers which is totally irresponsible. People calling on demons to do magic is hard dark occult. The exorcists are saccharine children of the Devil if there is a Devil!

It is dangerous to plant the thought in people's minds that a possessed person could be as dangerous as the witches of medieval times.

Christians tend to believe that demons do not possess people but merely influence them and may influence and co-operate with mental illness to do harm. With this, you never can know when it is the mental illness talking or the demon.

In either case, the demon goes out of its way to give its presence away. It acts like it wants the Christians to come along and put it out by prayer or exorcism.

The way those alleged spirits behave indicates that they are not evil or crazy but stark raving crazy.

They rant and rave through allegedly possessed people and even attempt to mutilate the host bodies.

Some Christians believe that Uri Gellar is assisted by demons to do his miracles. These demons are craftier and like Satan pretend to be nice and kindly. But why do these miracles not happen when he is tested under strict laboratory conditions? If there are demons then they are irrational.

An insane spirit is a contradiction. Only evolved organic living beings may become insane. Insanity is a body thing. If we are going to start believing in insane souls then we could and indeed should end up accusing normal people of having them. In life, it is important that we have no assumptions or beliefs that put others at risk of harm. It is different if there is overwhelming evidence that the beliefs are correct but the evidence is controversial and at the end of the day you are listening to "experts". You would not accept a human testimony that urged you to do or believe dangerous things so why make an exception when the testimony comes from religious people?

Jesus believed in demons and encouraged belief in them and has therefore done untold harm.
 

If there is nothing occult about Catholicism, why is its favourite angel the Archangel Michael?  Michael is often invoked during occult rites to bless water and magic circles.  The Church thinks that the forces and beings evoked in magic are just demons pretending to be good.  In saying that it condemns itself!

Demons, evil spirits or devils are terrible entities according to the Bible and the Christian faith. They rule the universe, they are servants of Satan who is a liar and murderer who deceives and tempts the whole world. They love getting people to sin so that they might be trapped and damned in Hell forever with them. They were complicit in the murder of Jesus Christ who is supposedly God incarnate and the only perfectly moral and good man. Like God, they can communicate with you without you actually being aware of it or hearing voices. They torment and possess some people and have to be driven out by an exorcist. That is the doctrine but is it true?

While explaining why people believe a doctrine does not make it untrue, it does make people untrue and unreliable sources of information about it.

So why do people believe in demons?

You would assume that it is because they think exorcism stories are factual.  They guess that the faith is telling the truth about the existence of demons who may or may not be able to possess people. But few can give you any decent evidence.  You have to assume demons are real before you can say the evidence points to them. If you see a brick floating in the air, what is doing it may be from another realm but it could be anything.  It could be the ghost of your dog who died last year managing to do it.

The real reasons for demon belief, especially when it is strongly held, are these four.

1 They want to believe in demons because they want to hate them. This is basic self-abuse and vindictive. A lot of hate is not the burning type but which is put away to simmer at the back of the mind.

2 They believe because they fear the unknown and are thinking the worst - that demons actually exist. This is not healthy and leads to fear which leads to hostility. When you don't know something, assume the best probabilities not the worst ones. Possibilities do not count but if they did you would have to choose the kindest and nicest ones.

3 They want others to fear demons to keep them in line.  It is commonly said that being involved in the occult or doing harm to others lets demon influence come to you and they may even end up living in you for they find you so bad that you make a great home.  Jesus spoke of people who sweep the house, meaning their own body, to make a home for them.  If you are possessed by evil then getting possessed by demons is the least of your worries.

4 They clearly may also be people who have fallen prey to cranks who want them to believe in demons to scare them. 

Belief in demons is the problem not demons. It makes you a kind of a demon deep inside.  If demons are not real or are real but don't possess then the idea that they do possess and are real will be demon enough.  Beliefs cause reactions.  If there are real demons then they will just love that!

Demon belief gets worse if you believe in horrific possessions.  It is inevitable that it will make you virulently hate.  It does that already yes but that does not mean it cannot give rise to new forms of hate.

Those who have nothing but contempt for demons very easily start to extend it to political leaders who are seen as emissaries of evil and the demonic.  If you cannot call up a demon to get to know it properly and hate it you will need a human to focus on.  Hate for demons can only happen if you are thinking of people you know who you consider evil.  You need somebody to model your demons on.

Christians and others fear evil spirits.

Christians say that the evil spirits are not interested just in harming us but in doing us the worst harm imaginable which is luring us into the eternal despair and eternal misery of Hell. Hell is seen as a tragic separation from God who is the only source of happiness according to Catholic belief. The evil spirits are supposed to hate God so they want to get people away from him. They also bear a violent rage towards his creatures and want them to suffer.

If it is wrong to encourage any fear of demons or if exorcisms are a form of fanatical abuse then any failure to challenge belief in demons is enabling the harm.

Catholics claim that there are examples of possession where a demon controls the victim's body and makes them curse and attack others and blaspheme. Catholics assume that there may be some kind of mental illness unless there are signs of supernatural agency such as the alleged demon knowing things the victim cannot know. The notion of a demon doing miracles to make its presence known is a strange one. And what if rather than using its powers to hurt the victim it uses them to murder people at a distance? The exorcists encourage the demon to wield its magical powers which is totally irresponsible. People calling on demons to do magic is hard dark occult. The exorcists are saccharine children of the Devil if there is a Devil!

It is dangerous to plant the thought in people's minds that a possessed person could be as dangerous as the witches of medieval times.

Christians tend to believe that demons do not possess people but merely influence them and may influence and co-operate with mental illness to do harm. With this, you never can know when it is the mental illness talking or the demon.

In either case, the demon goes out of its way to give its presence away. It acts like it wants the Christians to come along and put it out by prayer or exorcism.

The way those alleged spirits behave indicates that they are not evil or crazy but stark raving crazy.

They rant and rave through allegedly possessed people and even attempt to mutilate the host bodies.

Some Christians believe that Uri Gellar is assisted by demons to do his miracles. These demons are craftier and like Satan pretend to be nice and kindly. But why do these miracles not happen when he is tested under strict laboratory conditions? If there are demons then they are irrational.

An insane spirit is a contradiction. Only evolved organic living beings may become insane. Insanity is a body thing. If we are going to start believing in insane souls then we could and indeed should end up accusing normal people of having them. In life, it is important that we have no assumptions or beliefs that put others at risk of harm. It is different if there is overwhelming evidence that the beliefs are correct but the evidence is controversial and at the end of the day you are listening to "experts". You would not accept a human testimony that urged you to do or believe dangerous things so why make an exception when the testimony comes from religious people?

Jesus believed in demons and encouraged belief in them and has therefore done untold harm.