Your thoughts on the real Emily Rose...

Yes, that's a true statement. Often in the non christian world relief comes from giving them some offering, in whatever shape that may take, where as in the Christian faith, they are commanded to leave in the name of Christ, who they oppose. Appeasement is kind of like making a deal with the devil. You scratch my back, and I will scratch yours. Christians are commanded to resist the Devil, not appease.

 

Ah, but Shamans banish them by taking them from the possessed and vomiting them out of this world. In cultures I've read about in Daniel Pinchbeck's book, "Breaking Open the Head", they were forced out.

Christianity isn't the first religion to do that with 'demons', and certainly it is not the most effective at it either. At least, not any more or less than other cultures. I agree that 'buying out' does appear to be weaker, but even that is not a unified approach throughout non-Christian faiths.

 

The Bibles foundation is built on truth. Fear often makes us think twice. Fear can save our life, if that fear is based on truth. The Bible states, that the fear of God, is the beginning of wisdom. It would be the Devil who would tell you the bridge is fine to cross, when it is not. You might have confidence as you drive over it, but you might learn to late the mistake you have made, when the cables break away.

 

Well Shamans may believe they banish them, but they also encourage them to occupy their body during ceremonies. The Bible strictly forbids this kind of activity, because you are truly playing with fire. If Shamans engage in this kind of pratice, it really comes down to who is useing who. It should come as no surprise, that Shamans have a high rate of suicides. When you play the Devils games, you often pay the Devils price. Demons have been on the earth long before Christianity, yet Christians know who they are dealing with, and they know the one who has authority over them. Shamans have demonstrated by their beliefs, and pratices, they do not.

 

On the contrary, they have expressed alternative beliefs.

I'll research your statements on Shamanic suicide rates. If what you say is true, though, I do give them credit. Taking on a demon without outside help is quite a difficult task, and expelling them on your own, from another, into yourself and then from yourself -is quite an accomplishment. That's just my first impression.

Again, I take into account you may be right with the statistics, but as to who knows 'what they are dealing with' and who has 'authority' - that is not something easily proven.

 

Taken from a Shaman's website. Very informative. I'm not saying I agree or disagree. Just an alternative outlook on things.

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/default.html


"Many of these signs or symptoms can be explained away by modern medical science. Seizures and convulsions are symptoms of epilepsy. Personality changes can indicate hysteria, or schizophrenia, or other psychological malfunctions. Lewd and obscene acts can indicate mental disorders. Having sexual thoughts, if taken seriously as a sign of demonic possession, would indicate nearly all of the modern population is possessed, especially the men. Distended stomachs can indicate malnutrition and other medical disorders. Also, having knowledge of future events or information is known as clairvoyance by many occultists and Neo-pagan witches which they consider a special spiritual gift. In light of such evidence it seems the term demonic possession is hardly functional anymore.

Such advanced knowledge is the reason why the Catholic Church has cautioned their priests to investigate the medical and psychological aspects of the person before performing the rite of exorcism. At present, the one main basis for declaring a person possessed seems to be a violent revulsion toward sacred objects and texts.

Neo-pagan witches strongly deny any association with the Devil. While some do not believe in the essence of evil and hold that the belief in the Devil is a Christian creation; almost all hold a deep and abiding respect for the free will of all living creatures, and do not believe they should interfer with this freedom of will. This theory of thought is embodied in the Wiccan Rede, which simply states, do what you will, but harm no one."

 

I can speak from personal experience on this because of my encounters with two of them back in the 1970s. If it had not been for the aid of a group of Christians, I'm not sure where I would be today. I could hear the demons, and some in this group of Christians could both hear, and see them. When commanded to leave, one of them refused to do so, I could hear the terror in his voice when they said he was going to be destroyed with fire. One of the woman present could see him burning up on the floor. For about 6 months time, I had numerous encounters with them. They would paralyze me, they would shake my bed when I would try to sleep, threaten me with death, badger me with voices. I had encounters with shadow people, and a strange light would orbit my room light. There was distant drums and chanting. All of it came to an end when they were commanded to leave in the name of Jesus Christ. When one of them was leaving he was calling Jesus Christ a false prophet, who died and had never been reserrected. They kept saying He was a liar, when in fact, I knew, they were the liars.

 

How about when a person finds that where ever he goes it's raining. Like sleeping in his bed, and it only rains over his bed, or say he goes to a restaurant, and it only rains over his table. Or when bite marks appear on his arms, or claw marks. Or how about when a person begins to levitate. Don't you think that might be a possibility to consider possession? The fact is, demonic activity is masked by modern day tag names, and often if a person is to violent, he is simply drugged up, or locked away never to be seen or heard from again. And witches can deny any association with the Devil all they want, but the Bible states there are to spiritual forces at work in the world today, and unless they are following Christ, according to scriptures, they are not following God.

 

The Christian God, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

The Bible states there is only one true God, and it indicates there are many false one's. Not following the true one, will result in a negative outcome.

 

Intolerance? Denying any other possibility.

 

If you have verifiable facts, the question of intolerance fades. The Bible can be judged on it's fulfilled prophecies, it's historical accuracy, and recent new discoveries, which are revealing the truth of some of it's more miraculous stories.

 

Like oh so many other phenomenons spanning across the globe, from all times and places.

 

There is no phenomenos here. The Bible has given some great stories. Yet the questions have always been, are they true. In just recent years they have found the Red Sea Crossing Site, and Mount Sinia. The findings are incredible. From Pharoahs coral incrusted army, to Mount Sinia's burnt mountain top, they are finding the evidence that proves the truth of the Bible.

http://www.bibleprobe.com/exodus.htm
http://www.bibleplus.org/discoveries/redsea.htm
http://www.arkdiscovery.com/MtSiniaPAX.htm
http://www.harpazo.net/easterngate.html

 

Facts are true, but opinions about facts are fruitless. There will be endless debate. Let us observe the facts, let us see 'what is'.

 

What they have found are facts, even around the Red Sea Crossing Site carved in granit is the extra Biblical story of the splitting of the Red Sea. The pillars the Bible said were erected by Solomens workmen have been found with his name carved in them. Here there is no debate.

 

Absolutely correct. There is no debate here. The debate starts not when you say, "This is The Red Sea as described in the Bible, These are the Pillars by Solomen", but when you say, "This is proof of God. This is proof that -everything- the Bible also contains is verifiable fact." Because there is equal evidence to support the contrary. We can agree on the "what", but the "why" remains in question. That's all I am saying.

For you, it is God. It is literal. It is true.

For me, it is the way the culture perceived the world, using religion to describe things they both did and did not understand. The black mountaintop, the parting of the Red Sea, etc.

These are the "why's" that differ.

 

The Jews may not of understood how the events occured, but they knew who made them happen. The stories are accurate this can be seen. To dismiss God from this accuracy would be a mistake, for these events were supernatural. The story in the Bible matches the stories found chiseled in stone around the site. The remnants of Pharoahs army is on the Sea floor between the pillars. If you can't understand what went on here, the reality is, you don't want to understand. The Bible tells the story, the world states it's untrue. Researchers find the evidence backing up the Biblical account. But now you say, well they were just using religion to describe things they did not understand. Actually, they did understand, and they wrote it down in a Book. You have their story, you have a number of other worded accounts, but the same story chisled in stone, you have the evidence on the sea floor, and the surrounding areas. And this is why God states, that men would rather believe a lie, than the truth. And you know, God was right.

 

We believe that ghosts and spirits are demons from hell.

 

Pharoah's army may be at the bottom of that bed of water due to natural events that ancient cultures viewed as acts of the supernatural. To be honest, even hauntings today are being disproven as something other than the paranormal or supernatural. There's a different story to every fact. There's no real way to discredit this one, and I suppose there is no real way to convince you of that either.