Summary Of Demon Possession Book Editor: John Warwick Montgomer Summary By Darryl Record
			Introductory Note: Dear Reader: Many people relegate the topic of demons and demon possession to the genre of fairy tales.  However, this is not consistent with the Bible.  If the Bible is true, and we have demonstrated that it is, then what it says is true.  The Bible clearly teaches that Satan and the demons are fallen and rebellious angels who seek to tempt and deceive humans into sin and destruction.  One of the best books on this subject is entitled Demon Possession.  This book draws upon experts in theology, history, psychology, missiology, and literature who discuss the subject of demon possession from a Christian perspective in relation to their respective fields.  I would encourage you to read the book yourself but in the meantime, I believe this summary will help you have a more balanced view of the demonic. The # indicates that there is a footnote in the original document. If you would like me to send you this document as a WORD attachment, please e-mail me at fisherofmenintl@yahoo.com. In Christ's Service Darryl Record Part One: Demonology in the Bible 1.  The Demythologization of the Demonic in the Old Testament  It is very difficult to be objective in this field.  As fallen humans, we are naturally attracted to evil.# We need the whole Bible, especially the Old Testament to protect us from delusion.#  The Old Testament Cultures were very preoccupied with the demonic.# The presence of Yahweh as Israel caused them to not focus on or sacrifice to the various demons.#  Satan did not have the power of the Satan of the Exorcist.# The Old Testament teaches that demons are mere creations, humans are responsible for their own sins, and because people should focus on Yahweh and not the evil.  The New Testament talks more about the demonic but even though there is more emphasis it is only as a contrast to the superiority of Christ.#      2.  Response  Demythologizers leave no room for any supernatural or demonic activity but believe that the cause-effect order of nature is a closed system.#  Mickelsen, a Christian, believes in a "controlled continuum" or the "freedom of God."#  Kinlaw demonstrates that God as the creator is the cause of all, including evil, but is not the "blameworthy cause."# Chambers argues that Satan desires to create but is only able pervert God's creation.# 3. Jesus and the Unclean Spirits  All of the exorcisms by Christ follow the same pattern:  the situation, the challenge to Jesus, Jesus rebukes and exorcises the demon, the demon leaves, and the impact on the observers.#  Jesus' exorcisms paralleled his other miracles in authenticating his deity.#   Healings and exorcisms of gentiles was from a distance.#  These exorcisms lead to charges that he was demon possessed and insane, his family believed the latter.#  These accusations result in Jesus warning of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.# The Pharisees charged that Jesus was in league with Satan in his exorcism yet they, themselves did exorcisms.#  The scripture also warns against using the name of Jesus as a magic formula.#  Even though the people viewed Satan and demons interchangeably, Jesus viewed Satan as superhuman in power and intelligence while demons were regarded as dangerous but subhuman in intelligence.# 4.  Response  This paper questions whether Mark focused on the deeds of Jesus to show his power or to make a doctrinal point.#  To ignore all of Jesus' miracles is to be aligned with Form Criticism.  Healing diseases and exorcism both were intended to defeat Satan, who ruled in part through sickness.#  The demonology of the Old Testament and inter-testamental period should have been discussed. Jesus' emphasis on the demonic raises questions about demonology in our day. Animism teaches that demons are disorganized but Christianity teaches that they are part of an "organized lethal organization"  which is not subhuman in intelligence.# Part Two: Demonology in History and Law 5.  The Occult Revival in Historical Perspective    Occult activity starts with soft core activities which lead to the hard-core occult. Practitioners of the hardest levels come from the ranks of those who began at the lowest levels. 66-67  There are some positive uses of astrology in the Bible such as the Magi.#    Astrology gained massive popularity following WWII which coincided with the decline of Protestant Christianity.#  Some practitioners attempted to put a Christian face on it but the more occultic practitioners presented it as clearly anti-Christian.  Duke University has studied of parapsychology.#   There have been a number of scientific studies into psychic phenomenon and psychics have been used in criminal detection and in military research.#   Chinese ancestor worship originated as an attempt to avoid the possession of the living by ancestral spirits. The symptoms are identical to demon possession.# John Neuvis, missionary to China, reported that these spirits could be driven out by simple prayers of exorcism and in some cases, persistent Bible reading in the area.#  The Catholic Church accepted St. Catherine's predictions  but rejected  Nostradamus.   The influx of Eastern missionaries such as Yogi, Krishna, and Moon has come in direct competition with Christians in reaching students.#  Transcendental meditation has come into schools and even some Catholic monasteries.# 7           There are two theories about witchcraft's origins: they worship a male horned god and a female goddess similar to Ashtaroth and Diana or they are purely occult and that even pagans rejected them.#    The Catholic church executed many during the Inquisition but the Protestant reformers dismissed witchcraft as superstition and later the Enlightenment continued the trend. 80  In late 19th and early 20th centuries, witchcraft resurfaced and as laws against it were repealed, began to gain popularity.#  The rise of rock music popularized it.  The media is silent because witchcraft has become established and accepted.#     After the embarrassments of Salem and the Enlightenment, Christians began to overlook the demonic.#  In recent times, the decline of Protestantism has opened the door for the occult.# 6. Not Suffering Witches to Live  Christians should repent for the witch trials without giving ammunition to critics.  While a tragedy, it was smaller than the Nazi holocaust which was the result of atheism/humanism. # Many critics attack the witch trials at the level that any belief in demons is irrational but they refuse to look at the evidences the demonic or for the incarnation of Christ, which justifies a belief in the demonic.  The judges of the witch trials were not dishonest.#  The torture of suspected witches was not  from Christianity or from the Catholic church but from the revival of Roman law which reappeared in the Catholic church in the 1100s.  In England, the law was based more on Mosaic law and not on Roman law because of the Bible.  Therefore, torture, and secret tribunals were not allowed until after 1500 as the crown attempted to hold on to power.          Torture came into being as Roman law was revived. At first it was  opposed by theologians but eventually it was accepted by Canon law which resulted in the Inquisition.  Torture was accepted in England because witchcraft was considered such a heinous crime that any means were acceptable to stamp them out. #  Even though witchcraft is said to be worthy of death in Exodus, modern Christians are not bound by the Old Testament law.  Laws should regulate actions but not beliefs. Therefore, harmful occultic practices could be outlawed but not merely personal beliefs.# Part Three:  Demonology in Literature 7.  The Cosmocrats: Diabolism in Modern Literature  Satan has universal literary appeal, even among people who do not believe in his existence.#   To remove the devil from the "magical,"  we must first recognize his reality.# Many people will acknowledge the Creator but will not recognize the reality of Satan.# The self will of fallen humanity is Satan's strongest ally.# Belief in God and Satan presuppose each other.#  God turns the Devil's evil works around to fit his will.#  There are five main ways which Satan interferes directly with human beings; demonic impressions/expressions, repression, obsession, oppression, and possession.  It is unclear if a believer can be possessed because of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  But an unrepentant believer can open themselves up to demonic oppression and possibly possession.#  Any philosophy which rejects the supernatural, including secular humanism, is demonically inspired.# Satan tempts to do the right thing but for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way.# Demonic activity may include depression and distress.#  Not all possession ends in exorcism, but in suicide, other violent deaths, or insanity.#  In humanistic times, the name of Christ is often little more than a magical word and therefore has no power.# Part Four: Demonology in Anthropological Perspective 8.  Spirit Possession as it Relates to Culture and Religion  Western theologians, doctors, and psychologists refuse to think outside their scientific worldview when it comes to cross cultural studies of demon possession.#        In order to study demonic phenomenon, the research must believe that they exist.  Secular anthropologists often fail to take demon possession seriously.  There are always fake possessions but this does not prove that there are no authentic cases.# It is also a cultural coping mechanism to avoid taking personal responsibility for ones actions, a cover for sexual molestation, or conflict.#    In central possession cults, a shaman is possessed in order to provide for the needs and morality of the group.  In peripheral possession someone who is either very downtrodden or very motivated is possessed and often made ill.#  EB Tylor theorized that demon possession was related to  as merely a stage in human evolution.#  John L. Neuvis a missionary/anthropologist in China found that the possessed had super intellectual powers and no memory.#   In Haiti, Voodoo is prevalent.  In possession cases, people perform physical activities which are beyond their capabilities and later have no memory of the event.#   Sometimes possessions have come about involuntarily.# Successful forms of Christianity in Haiti are very opposed to Voodoo.#  In Brazil, they use drums to call spirits of the dead.  A UCLA study linked the rise of spiritual speech and the increase of millenarian cults.158   Spiritual encounters have been recorded across class, privilege, and even outside of stress situations.# The personality change is extreme in possession cases.#  Some researchers have unwittingly become possessed.# 9.  Possession, Trance State, and Exorcism in Two East African Communities  Islam and Christianity impacted the spiritual practices of the Nilotic and Bantu.#   The Muslims adopted the indigenous exorcism rites while the Christians did not recognize demon possession.  This hurt the Christian’s credibility and many Christians continued to the shamans for exorcisms when Christian missionaries would not help them.# Often the community involvement in the exorcism helps to restore the weak.# Part Five: Demonology on the Mission Fields 10.  Demonism on the Mission Fields    The differences in the way Westerners and Easterners think impacts their views of the spiritual.#  Easterners tend to think in terms of a continuum while Westerners think in terms of categories.#  The spirit world is ordered in terms of the Spirits’ power.#  Easterners tend to be relativistic and reject the idea that one individual can possess absolute truth.#  Easterners tend to believe that they are at the mercy the various spirits which make up their animistic world.#   Evil is intelligent and real.# The demonic can operate through creating division, be closely related to specific actions, objects and locations, violent personal and cultic possession are real occurrences.# 11.  Demonism on the Mission Field: Problems of Communicating a Difficult Phenomen  Many missionaries around the world have reported  similar demonic phenomena.#  Because Westerners scoff at the occult the local people do not relate their experiences.# Missionaries are often arrogant and prejudiced in these matters.  Because they reject the demonic in the modern world while affirming it in the Bible, they are seen as hypocritical.# Missionaries need to respect the host society, acknowledge the occult, and be skeptical of reports that lack detail. # Part Six: Demonology Viewed Psychiatrically 12.  Hysteria and Demons, Depression and Oppression, Good and Evil   If we believe in a literal God of the Bible, we must also believe in the reality of the demonic.# There appear to be some common patterns that appear from reports of encounters with the demonic through exorcisms, which include outside, personality, intelligence, and a change of moral character which hates Christ.#    13. Commentary on Hysteria and Demons  There are both Biblical, and extra-Biblical reports of demons.# Christians and non-Christians are vulnerable to demonic influences.#  If Christians believe that only the Holy Spirit can influence them, they are vulnerable to Satan.#  If one habitually sins, it can lead to a state equivalent to demon possession.# 14.  Psychological Observations and Demons  Few psychologists want to admit that theologians and philosophers were the first to write about human behavior.   As son as behaviorism was proposed, they readily accepted it because it rejected all supernatural occurrences.#  Christian psychologists must reject empiricism and naturalism and believe in a literal devil.  Secular psychologists can only acknowledge the natural phenomenon even in the case of demon possession.#  Often they spend their time trying to explain away the supernatural.#  The Bible does not give an exhaustive list of demonic symptoms.#  Even though Satan can control storms and disease, mostly he tempts people.#  Recently there has been a shift more toward values, personal responsibility, and confession of sin.#  One symptom of demonism is that the victim will have an adverse reaction to Scripture reading.# 15.  Commentary on Psychological Observations on Demonism    There needs to be some criteria to diagnose, classify, and treat demoniacs.#   Demonism should be studied by a panel of judges and different methods should be used based on the desires of the patient.# 16.  Reflecting on the Demonic: A Psychiatric Perspective  The increase of occult activities, the helplessness of psychiatrists to meet their patients needs, and the numerous references in the Bible show that there is more to this subject than we presently know.#  As a result, we need to improve our diagnostic techniques so that we can give focused treatment.# The increase of demonic activity seems to indicate that we are in the “last days.”#  People who become involved in the occult open themselves up to demonic invasion.# A born-again Christian who is submitted to God cannot be possessed.#  Most cases of demon possession are viewed as schizophrenia by secular psychologists.# 17.  Taste and See  A common cure for demon possession in the 1930’s in China was stoning, unless Christian missionaries could intervene.# People who do not have a Christian understanding often rely on drugs and if possession occurs it can imitate mental illness. #  Successful exorcism depends on two or three people who have faith in Christ.# Part Seven: Demonology and Pastoral Care 18.  Problems and Procedures in Exorcism   The author, as pastor and psychiatrist often sees misdiagnosis between mental illness and demonism that result in unnecessary, “deliverance.”#  In order to diagnose demon involvement one must look at the victim’s history with the occult, symptoms of mental illness and demonic involvement, phenomenon around the victim.#  Our power over demons comes from the power of Christ and not in our own sincerity.  We need a strong grasp of Biblical truth and be willing to die before compromising our faith.# 19.  Victims Become Victors  The reason for the increase in the demonic is because we have denied the deity of Christ and looked to science to meet our needs instead of God.#  Many people are directly and indirectly involved with the occult.#  Occult practitioners are escapist, superstitious, victims of demonic deception.#  Pastors either deny the problem, over-react, or give more attention to the demons than to Christ.#   Biblically, demons are tools of Satan, the Christian is safe in the center of God’s will, and demons should be silenced.#  In counseling, keep Christ at the center, insist on the lordship of Christ instead of mere deliverance, consider the victims will, and maintain your own spiritual and emotional balance.# 20. Demonology Today  Demonic oppression impacts our culture at every level in often ways that seem innocent.# The occult is self-made religion.#   Involvement with the occult includes government programs, businesses that use ESP, high schools, and colleges.#  There may be some scientific forms of psychic phenomenon but it mostly opens an individual to demonic influence. Satan uses the same Gnostic doctrines of the first century.#  Even Christians are using ouija boards, séances, and horoscopes while seminaries deny a personal devil.# 21. Response   Demon influence is very widespread from the obvious occult, government programs, and corporations.#  Christians fall prey to Satan’s counterfeits when they seek power beyond the Scriptures, sometimes this takes the form of “God told me,”  experiences.#  Ultimately submission to God, prayer, and Christian community blocks demonic activity.# 22.  Satan and Demons: A Theological Perspective  Biblical teaching about Satan has long been distorted.#  In the Old Testament, Satan, while powerful was still restrained by God.  In the New Testament, Satan has some control.  Although, demons can possess people there is only one instance where possession was identified with mental illness.#  Jesus defeated Satan but a life that does not have the power of God is vulnerable to demons.#    Demons are behind idols, blind people to the Gospel, and ultimately Satan will be incarnate as the anti-Christ.#  The gifts of discernment appear to be available to all Christians.#  Looking at Satan through the eye of Scripture helps us to see his ultimate defeat.#   Demon possession is rare and the people are still “not beyond the sovereign claims of God.”#  Because Christians fail to recognize the power that Christ has over the demonic, missions are hindered because people live in constant fear of the demonic.#  If someone is genuinely demon possessed, exorcism in the name of Jesus should restore the original personality.#  Christians need to interpret scientific evidence through the lens of the Bible.#  Mental illness is disorder of the mind while demon possession is a bondage of the will.# 23.  Criteria for the Discerning of Spirits    Though all Christians may not have a specific gift of discerning spirits, all need to test the spirits.# 347.  There are some criteria that could suggest demon possession including, personality change, physical change, mental changes, spiritual changes, and deliverance through exorcism.#  Christians need to determine Truth through empirical fit, no contradiction, and the ability to live it out consistently.#  The Holy Spirit and angels can be distinguished from Satan and demons in that the former seek the pleasure of God, submit to God’s word, and primarily focus on the Gospel, while the latter do everything in there power to  hinder these things.# 24.  Satan and Demonology in Eschatological Perspective  We need to view Satan and demons in the perspective of the future because of their ultimate defeat.#  Demons as personal and both have and are powers.#    Exorcisms show the victory of Jesus over the demonic.#  The defeat of evil is assured in the future.#