Search results

They cannot do so on their own apart from proper ministry from a servant of the Lord. No unbeliever can on his own open his own eyes and transfer himself out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's Son.

Wrong. These are the kinds of comments that are a key reason that a discussion like this is vitally important. 2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God...

These are verses directed to believers. I do not believe that they apply to unbelievers.

You are incorrect in thinking that I do not allow for deception. I agree that television is a big problem, especially for children. The point in this thread is to probe what Scripture does reveal to see what we can and should understand about the causes of demon possession and what we should...

I'm not following what you are getting at here and how your remarks relate to what we should believe are the causes of demon possession.

Hmm. Your comments are interesting and will take time to evaluate. "What should Christians believe about the causes of demon possession?" is not the same topic as the focus of your comments here. I'd like to hear what your views are about the specific topic of this thread.

Of course, sin is an evil activity. Everyone sins, but not everyone is possessed, so there must be something more than just engaging in evil activity. What does God reveal in His Word that helps us to understand what caused some sinners to be possessed but not all? On a broader note, I find...

Because "engaging in evil activities is not an automatic demon possession," why are some possessed but the rest are not?

There are people who are involved in occult practices all over the world that are occult practices that have contact with spirits and possession by the spirits as their stated goals (shamanism, Vodún, Santería, Candomblé, etc.) The people who engage in these activities intentionally do what they...

Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. All unbelievers are under the power of Satan. This reality is not...

I did not say that drugs are demons. How do you know that God does not allow people to be "touched" by demons through the wickedness of others? Similarly, very small children have been trafficked by the thousands by wicked people. Did God not allow them to be "touched" against their will and...

Why do you keep trying to personalize this to me as if I am personally involved in such things? The thread is about establishing sound doctrine about what is and is not true about demon possession. Discussing that subject at length does not mean that I am "in a place where people would do that...

Let's consider some parallels. Suppose a 2-year-old child is kidnapped because of a lapse in parental inattention in a public place and then trafficked by human traffickers. The child is now being held captive against his will. The child did not choose to be in that state. The child did not give...

How is this a right response to the things that I have been saying? Are you saying that even when people through their sinfulness have put themselves in a position to be possessed, they still even then have a choice of whether they are going to be possessed or not even though they have sinfully...

Yes, I do believe in demons. Multitudes of other Christians also believe in demons, but they deny that certain things can cause demon possession. Because the Bible does not seem to reveal anything specific about what has caused people to be possessed and about what cannot cause possession...

In the first instance, the difference is that I would know and believe that drug cartels exist. Concerning those who do not believe that demons exist, they do knowingly and willingly involve themselves in those activities, but they do not, however, thereby knowingly and willingly give demons...

Not really. People who do not believe that demons exist somehow yet knowingly and willingly are complicit with them in giving them permission to possess these people who do not believe that demons exist? How can someone be considered as knowingly giving permission to something that he does not...

Does the Bible say anywhere specifically that these are the means by which people have been possessed? If so, where does it say those things? If not, why not?

Hmm. Your view about possession seems to require knowing, willing permission given by a person to demons as an essential requirement for a demon to possess a person. Is that so? If so, atheists who do not believe in demons and would engage in occult practices to show that demons do not exist...

So then do you believe that David knowingly gave Satan permission to move him to do that unrighteous census? Did Ananias knowingly allow Satan to fill his heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? More pertinent to this discussion, do you believe that the child that we see in Scripture who was possessed...