Possessed or Cursed? Question 153
Here is one that might open up several more questions:
In my Bible class for school, we were talking about Jesus casting the demons out of several people, including Leigon. My teacher said that it is likely to be “opressed” but not likely to be “posessed.” I also recently watched a movie where a cult was calling on spirits to curse people. Is this possible? I realize that the devil is “prowling like a lion,” but can spirits really be called upon to curse people? Is it possible for people to be posessed?
I turned down two offers — back in the 80s — to write books on this subject. I told the publishers that I feared becoming known as “that guy that knows the devil” rather than “that guy that knows Jesus.” I’ve always wondered if I did the right thing. I have many, many files of notes and observations on the subject of the existence and activity of the dark side of the spiritual realm. I’ll try to keep my answers brief here.
The Greek word that is sometimes translated “possessed” is really closer to the non-English word “demonized.” It means that a demon refuses to leave you alone. It doesn’t own you (though it can if you give it permission), but it has decided to play with you, attack you, or in any other way remove you from God’s hands. The real target is your usefulness in the Kingdom. Some say the word should be translated “harassed” and I think they are on to something. That is a much better word than “possessed” for two reasons: it more accurately conveys the original meaning and it leaves the door open for hope. If we are possessed by a demon, what hope is there for us? But if the demon is harassing us, we assume there are ways of escape.
Can people call down curses on other people? Here is where I will split with many (most?) of my religious kith and kin but my answer would be “sometimes.” For any who have served in long term mission work in third world countries where evil doesn’t try to hide, there is an understanding of the power of the devil that we just don’t have here in the US. Here, we are so anesthetized by our blessings and bounty and the constant influx of “new” sights and sounds, the devil is able to throttle us and we don’t even know it.
I have seen curses work but, it must be said, only very, very rarely. Most of the time, the person calling down the curse is the one who is cursed. They are delusional, demonized, and full of emotions that destroy them instead of their target.
We have many post-ascension warnings about the devil and his power. Why did I qualify the warnings with “post-ascension”? Because many religious tribes teach that the devil was very active at one time but that Jesus wounded him mortally on the cross and so we now are only in danger of the world and our own flesh, not (so much) the devil. After the cross, they argue, the devil became too weak to be a major player in our daily lives. The writers of the New Testament would have disagreed with that teaching. They warned that the devil was a lion, still powerful, and ready to pick us off. They understood that the devil could block mission works, harden the hearts of those who were being taught the gospel, and could affect weather and health, too.
I can post a list of those warnings if there is sufficient interest. In the meantime, let it be said that I do NOT fear those who claim to be able to toss a curse at me or call a demon to strike us down. Being aware of the dark side of things, I do not take their threats lightly — I just know that I have a greater army with me than they have with them. I pray prayers of protection and guidance, trusting God to take care of any demons that might want to come our way. I have found that, if it seems a demon is harassing us, worship and prayer and song goes a very long way to blunting the attack and easing our way forward.
More if required…
March 10th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I think this is closely related, in a way, to the previous question about the God’s hidden-ness. That is, in our era of scientific knowledge, etc, it is very easy to focus on the physical to the point that the unseen begins to seem unreal. I know I have to be reminded sometimes that God is still actively participating in the world with us — and so is our enemy. Fascinating topics indeed. Thank you!
March 10th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Before I disposed of most of my library, I had dozens of books on the subject but rarely brought it up within churches of Christ. Long Beach was more open to the truth of this subject than any other church where I’ve preached. You’ll find no argument here.
March 10th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
This is a very interesting subject to many people (not just me).
I’ve never studied the word tranlated into ‘possessed’ either – very interesting indeed.
One of the first books I read after becoming a Christian was Joe Beam’s Seeing the Unseen. It was in that book that I first heard the idea of demonic oppression instead of possession.
I see you echo his belief that the Devil doesn’t reveal himself in United States society the way he does in other parts of the world.
After all, why would Satan or demons reveal themselves to people who don’t really believe they exist?
Anyway, I hope you’ll do more writing on things of this nature.
I agree with you and C.S. Lewis – people CAN have an unhealthy interest in Satan or demons, but there are also so things I feel I don’t know that probably should be basic (like what you’ve shared here today).
Anyway, blessings to you. I get a lot out of reading this blog.
March 10th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I wouldn’t mind hearing your list of those warnings. If you have any good books on the topic you might recommend that would be welcomed as well.
March 11th, 2009 at 3:49 am
Thank you so much. This helped a lot. I also echo the person above me: I would like the list of warnings, as well as any good books on the topic.
Thank you for this blog; I certainly get a lot out of it.
March 11th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
More on this, please sir. Especially needed is info on how we tell if the bad weather or illness is demon influenced or just because we live in this world. Not everything is demon influenced, is it? Thanks for teaching us.
March 11th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I would also expect that as our society tends towards the neo-pagan we will see a correspondent rise in the ability of the dark forces to attack our efforts for Christ.
It was not for nothing that God forbade us to play with such things.
Interesting point: both the Roman Catholic Church and the Episcopal Church report a big uptick in exorcisms. The Catholic Church has even started searching for priests who could be trained in exorcism as it is a highly specialized discipline in their church and they have too few to meet the demand.
March 11th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
By the way, have you ever read Malachi Martin’s book on the subject? I think its “Hostage to the Devil.” Interesting read. He was a Catholic priest who deal a lot with this and his book is fascinating. I heard him interviewed once and he gave his home phone number on a nationally aired radio station, which I found both odd and refreshing.
March 14th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
I just found your blog after searching on a sentence in a forwarded email. The particular subject in that discussion was demon “possession”. I found it very interesting, so I searched for the original source. A brief word study seems to confirm your comments. The ESV uses the word oppressed in several cases. And having personally heard certain missionaries experiences, I have an open mind on the subject. I look forward to your warnings…
March 18th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Scott Peck’s “People of the Lie” was an unnerving read for me.