I find myself wondering about the origins of the concept of demons after hearing many witches speak of them. I was under the impression that demons were concepts from other religions, such as Judeo-Christainity and perhaps Hinduism (?).
The concept of human evil is one thing but when we talk of demons and evil entities, I cannot figure out what we know and what do not know. Nor why witches speak of something I have always associated with Christain theology. And on another note; most information I try to find on the internet about demonology is closed for repairs or closed down etc. What gives, I wonder?

curiouser and curiouser,
Ravenheart

I don't know much about demons. My take on it was that demons are entities that were never human. What that really is? I don't know. I am not a religious person in the sense that I do not take the Bible/Christianity as literally as some do. I think there's more to the universe than we know, or may be even capable of understanding at our current level of existance.

I believe there is evil that exists in forms that can posses people. I believe evil entities also exist that haunt people and/or places. These entities are not human. What are they? Well that's the question isn't it? We are a young species with much to learn yet. Great topic!

a bit late,but none the less and interesting question. the demon's are supposedly the spawn of the devil. do they exist? certainly. but attack's are rare. they do not have the final say as to what damage they may inflict on a human. it is possible to force them if given the time to tell you who they are.

I agree with what Pandora has said. If my memory is correct, the idea of the existance of demonic entities in some form or another is fairly universal in most religions, not just Judeo-Christianity.

At one time, I probably would have scoffed at the thought of demons taking over a human being. However, I've known too many sane, rational human beings who have claimed to have some sort of experience regarding some type of possession.

I've told this story before on the board, but it is a good example. Just after college, my husband took a job teaching home-bound kids, those who for various reasons were unable to attend public school. One little girl in particular had an interesting case history. She was a tiny six year old, small for her age, but seemed to have the strength of an adult male. The final straw for her in school came when she hurled the teacher's desk across the room. I was teaching at the school at the time, so I know that part of the story to be true. The child had been put on various medications, but none seemed to help. She would fly into violent rages and was considered too dangerous to be around other children (and most adults).

Now, keep in mind, my husband is a good man; but, he is not an imaginative one. I know him and I know there is no way he could ever create a story like this. James does have a strong religious background, but is by no means a zealot. He is an extremely rational person. For some reason, perhaps it was the religious background, this little girl was more subdued around James and didn't fly into the violent rages when she was with him. She didn't like him and didn't want him around, but most of her time was spent cowering in a corner away from him or refusing to make eye contact with him. James is a very gentle, soft spoken person, but this child feared him.

One day in particular, they were having a standoff. She was curled up in a ball, refusing to do her work and James was sitting a few feet away from her. He'd heard rumors of demonic possession about the child, but didn't take it too seriously. At his wit's end about the child, a thought came into his head, "Okay kid, if you really are possessed, go over there and pick up that pair of tennis shoes." The words had not been spoken, but the child raised her head, got up, picked up the tennis shoes, walked over to where James was sitting and plopped them at his feet. He said she had the most evil smile he had ever seen on a human being. Was the kid a mind reader, was it pure coincidence, or was something more sinister at work?

Sometime after that incident, a meeting was called about the little girl, which is routine for kids in such programs. A panel of doctors along with school officials, and the parent were present to discuss the child. Various doctor's offered opinions such as schizophrenia, etc...When they came to the mother, they asked what she felt the child's problem was. She replied, "She's been Hoodooed." As it turns out, the mom was very open about participating in a pretty negative form of Voodoo that was becoming popular in that community. Perhaps she had done some spells in her home without asking for protection? I don't have the answer to that one.

A few months later, the family moved to another town, about 100 miles away and the little girl was said to have been doing much better. Maybe whatever plagued her decided not to follow.

Strangely enough this question plagues me to some extent.
While I will not say that demons do not exist I also have not seen evidence of one. I have met evil spirits. I come in contact with places that I will just away from. But so far all the evil spirits I've come in contact with are/were people.
I've come to believe that some spirits will present themselves as demons or devils. All kids who play with Ouija boards don't all contact Satan.
Carrie's story is good but that doesn't mean the girl was possesed by a demon. Human beings without the aid of demonic possession are capable of amazing feats of strength and psychic abilities. The child could be/have been possessed or under the influence of a malicious spirit but not necessarily a demon.
Given that negative enitities are liars, especially to themselves, what they present or state can't be taken as true.

But we are only human beings after all and the universe is large and full of things we do not know.

Demons do exist just look at the "EXORCIST" thats a good exsample of real Demon possession dont know what the cause of a possession is i have heard storys of some Satanist's performing there **** in houses that leaves Evil spirits lurking aroung the house! I guess no one knows what Demons really are or from if anyone heard about this story where these American troops where sent to a Island somewhere out of no where this big creature pop out they shot it dead but i read this on some website it looked Evil but no one knew exsactly what it was i guess theres alot of things on this earth we dont even know as said.

um, The Sixth Sense, the Exorcist was a movie. A movie they claimed was based upon a real event but that doesn't verify the existance of demons.

As I stated above I can't say they exist or not but we need to be critical of 'evidence' we use to establish belief. Believe in whatever you wish, just try to use something other than a movie to establish that belief. Just because someone states it was based upon a real event doesn't mean that event was in fact how they portrayed the event in the movie or what the creator of the movie believes is true.
I'm not arguing against your belief. Just making a suggestion that using a movie as critical proof of something's existence is not good support of a belief.

Hi all I am new here...

I see there are many different beliefs and opinions here on what demons are, which is always good. I love learning different sides of things from others.

In my understanding though, demonic hauntings are extremely rare on the earth plane, as it is not there natural state of being, they dwell in darkness and void, and can not sustain them selves in an existence so unnatural to them such as the physical plainfor any period of time. Many negative hauntings that some believe are demonic and demons plaguing there house, are often just negative and bitter human souls who were bad in life and have continued on with there negative ways in death.

Negative and scary hauntings can often be the result of no spirit or demon whatsoever, but the result of an individual living person them selves. It is believed by many that people who hold in feelings of suppressed emotional events that might have happened to them from coming out, can build up a dark and oppressive energy, which can result in some very scary and strange phenomena happening, such as apparent poltergeist activity, and Telekinesis, nightmares, and the feeling of being taken over, or a foreboding feeling of someone watching them. Many negative hauntings have been resolved by one of the people living in the location realizing there own suppressed and hidden fears and emotions they might have kept at the back of there subconscious mind, and then dealing with them emotional problems in a positive way, and venting them in a way that doesn’t harm others. The core of many hauntings can be in some cases the dark energy coming from the emotions of those living there.

If in the rare event a demon is haunting someone or a place, its good to recognise that demons are not the horned hooved devils of the bible or Torah, they are non human entities that have been born into existence by the actions of other human beings, by such negative things as war, murder, rape and other actions which caused negative emotions, such as fear, hate, intolerance, and envy, amongst others.

Many occultists and people of a spiritual nature don’t see demons as "fallen angels", but dark energy forms that have been created by the actions and thoughts of evil and negative human beings on earth, that came from people who live there lives through fear and anger, often via dark rituals, which then manifests its self into the astral world, which in most cases will just be absorbed into the astral, but in rare cases will become strong enough and will form its own will and consciousness and become a thinking aware being.

These demons can occasionally (very occasionally) effect a place or building, if they are powerful enough. These demons are often called "Demonic thought forms" or "Astral Larvae" and even "Elementals" (Not to be mistaken with Nature Spirits)

Its because of these demonic energies that some places can have these problems, which have witnessed murder and other traumatic events or dark rituals, as these energies can linger in the place they happened, and sometimes cause what some may know as a demonic nonhuman haunting. Its why many places that have seen murder and wars seem to have a strange aura, and supernatural things happening in or on them.

Science has proven that everything is energy, and that energy can not be destroyed.

Think of something tragic happening like a mass murder, think of all that hate, anger, fear and suffering that went on within the walls or the land it took place, think of that as energy, negative energy that doesn’t just vanish into nothing. It lingers over time, and can even become powerful enough to become conscious of its self, and become thinking, and can feed on other energies around it by attaching it self to someone, causing them people to become what others might call “psychic vampires”.

Most negative energy is absorbed into the astral, but sometimes as just said, it can be strong enough to be self aware, and will act in the way its nature is, and because it came from an event such as murder, it is going to be evil and negative in nature.

They cant be reasoned with, or bargained with, as they don’t think like humans, they are simply a pure negative source of energy, that is being what it was created as. And the only way they can be dealt with is by cutting of its life force that allows it to remain in this world. The energy it requires to live here is fear and hate, people in hauntings often fear what is in there home or become angry, so unwittingly help feed the evil entity that is there.

There are many stories of the people in a haunted house where an evil entity exists standing up to the negative entity and refusing to fear it anymore, and the problem vanished literally over night.

How many times have you walked into a room where a harsh argument had just taken place, and you could feel the atmosphere? And felt somehow uncomfortable, and could cut the atmosphere with a knife? Or have you ever walked into a room when everyone is having fun and are happy and you feel the positive atmosphere and feel comfortable? Well its this kind of energy I am talking about. Its comes from us living people so its important to live life with good and positive emotions and stop doing the things that might cause evil to manifest. We make our own demons, and we and we alone are responsible for them.

Faeden,

I respect your beliefs and even ascribe to most of them, but I do not think that this precludes the existence of demons as fallen angels or spirits in their own right. The nature of demons as supernatural means that we can only speculate as to what they are, (as we have no way to prove anything one way or the other). Any scientific evidence to explain a phenomenon does not preclude an, as yet undiscovered, spiritual reason for the phenom.
I understand that you have the courage of your convictions, so, I suppose it is the way your post seems so "matter-of-fact" to me, that rubs me the wrong way a bit. I just hope that even with your convictions that you will remain open-minded to the fact that we really just do not know the answer and that sometimes our convictions are only "whistleing-in-the-dark" in order to allay our fears that there may be some other reason for a things existance. It is interesting to note that, the belief in demons seems to predate Christian theology, going back to the ancient Sumerians. I suppose we always seek to explain things that make us uncomfortable, but one belief does not necessarily rule out anothers belief and I guess, I want to know if you agree with me on this?
Thanks,
Ravenheart

Hi Ravensheart.

Thanks for your reply. My post was only based on my own study and investigations into these things, and what seems most likely based on my findings. It is true what you say, at the end of the day it is only ever going to be speculation. But what I wrote is what makes most sense to me personally. No one has to believe what I suggested, take on board what I have said, and investigate it, its the best all of us can do. Listen to others and use there knowledge to help ones self understand our own truths, because at the end of they day humans are always going to have there own truths to things, as we were all made individuals.

The idea of fallen angels and Satan ect doesn’t make me uncomfortable, it just doesn’t make any sense to me when I look into it more.

The biblical idea of demons to me doesn’t add up and even contradicts its self, I don’t wish to go too deeply into religious theology here, as it can often become very heated. But the idea of fallen angels and angels rebelling from God seems very suspect of the human imagination, based on ones fears of the unknown and need to scare people into conforming to there own ideas. The demons from the Abrahamic belief system are so human like and have such human characteristics they can only be (in my opinion) the result of the human psyche and mind.

Thanks again for your reply.

Faeden

[ December 27, 2006, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: Faeden ]

I think you' both deserve and A+ for your reply's but he or she who has not met said demon has no way' of knowing the end result,until the attack.is over.they do not conform to any type of reasoning. if you are a live after the attack'consider your self lucky. count me a lucky survivor.

Faeden,

I did not mean to imply that anything was making you uncomfortable, I only meant to say that it is a human pitfall that we can sometimes fall into. Perhaps, I have taken offense where none was intended, but I was percieving you as having a "this is how it is" sort of attitude, which is a big turn off for me. Now, as to why I perceived it that way, I am not sure, but I had to check it with you to be sure and I hope you can understand that.
Peace,
Ravenheart

Hi RH

No not at all, I was not offended. I was just sharing what I believe these things to be based on my own observations. Not to worry, as I said I love other peoples opinion on these things, its how we learn and the main function of forums.

Take care
Faeden

Thank you for being understanding... if there is one thing I hate, it is arrogant people with "better than thou" attitudes! I do not tolerate that nor do I allow the people I care about to be subjected to it. You know what I mean? I am generally easy-going, but this one type of person brngs uot the worst in me, and I am relieved to know that I was mispercieving your intentions. I admire you for continuing to remain open-minded and tolerant of others!!!

Ravenheart