by Dave Roberts » Mon May 15, 2017 1:12 pm
I'm almost afraid to venture into this subject, but I don't want it to go unanswered. First, I am often baffled by the characterizations that come from many people. There needs to be a careful definition of what the person means who describes someone as "demon possessed." I seldom hear much definition. Second, I believe that all things that destroy, frustrate, or remove meaning from our lives are less than God's intention and therefore by corollary are "demonic." That is much wider than just behavior that may have roots in psychiatric diseases. Third, I find that many of the things that I personally would brand as demonic are the things that are more likely to be social justice issues than mere behaviors of one person. In this I draw on a German-language work by Paul Tillich, "Das Daimonische," in which he saw the forces at work in Europe in the 1930's that led the world into World War II as being the demonic realities of the world. In many ways, I see the demonic in ultra-nationalism, racism, anti-immigrant groups and anti-religious groups. That, I hope, might provide some fodder for the discussions.