Demonology

[Abd_Yesua_alMasih]

Modern Charismatics focus a lot upon demons etc... and their manifestations into this world. Also throughout history there have been times this has been a popular topic. The bible is rather silent into the theology behind all this and seems only to offer examples of when it has happened.

What did the reformed writers say about all this? What are all your opinions? Do demons still lurk in the shadows today? Can people still have demons enter into them or assail them? What do we say to people who have seen such things happen (ie. that classic story I possibly read in the guys book (?) where his wife enters her childs bedroom and sees a doll dancing around on the floor)... How do we as reformed Christians answer such unwordly events?

I certainly do not want to sound like a 'rational scientist' and say all this is impossible as those sceptics dont make much sense to me. Biblicaly wise I would have to say these things can still happen and from the testamonies of trusted people I know these sorts of things still do happen.

Opinions?

 

[Scott]

Demons exist and still plague man. Their our our chief adversaries (we struggle against principalities and powers. . .), after our own internal sin. When Christian presence increases, demonic influence is limited. Athanasius made this point in the early church, claiming that demons had been removed from the Christian areas, at least in terms of being able to possess people. Tertullian made the same point in the early church, noting that exorcisms still occur but that they are rare because so many had occurred already. Indeed, the ability to perform exorcisims was one of the chief apologetic methods of the early church according to Tertullian and others.

So today, in areas that have Christian influence, overt demonic activity is rare. In pagan areas, it still occurs. I know missionaries, including reformed missionaries, who testified to demonic activity in remote pagan areas.

These ideas are often hard to grapple with for those of us in the West, where a materialistic / naturalistic worldview prevails, at least among the educated. I struggle with this myself, not so much at an intellectual level as an experiential level.

Scott