Why did God let people think demons cause epilepsy?
May 1, 2015 at 3:39 am
(This post was last modified: May 1, 2015 at 3:43 am by Razzle.)
A question for Christians.
Exorcism of demons is mentioned in several Bible verses, and I know most Christians would say that's because demon possession is a real phenomenon. However, most Christians in developed nations no longer attribute all manner of diseases, especially neurological diseases like epilepsy and psychotic illnesses, to demons in the vast majority of cases. So presumably, most of you believe that most sufferers of such conditions who are having torturous and sometimes deadly exorcisms performed on them in Africa, by people pointing to Jesus' healing of demon-possessed people who were symptomatically indistinguishable from epileptics, are not possessed and should see doctors instead.
So why did God allow verses like that to end up in the Bible without clarifying that a) it's not always demons (or the result of sin, a related belief about some illnesses that people get from the Bible) and b) if you must exorcise a demon, don't hurt the person. He knew toddlers would be getting tortured to death as a result of the miracles as they are described in the New Testament, right?
Exorcism of demons is mentioned in several Bible verses, and I know most Christians would say that's because demon possession is a real phenomenon. However, most Christians in developed nations no longer attribute all manner of diseases, especially neurological diseases like epilepsy and psychotic illnesses, to demons in the vast majority of cases. So presumably, most of you believe that most sufferers of such conditions who are having torturous and sometimes deadly exorcisms performed on them in Africa, by people pointing to Jesus' healing of demon-possessed people who were symptomatically indistinguishable from epileptics, are not possessed and should see doctors instead.
So why did God allow verses like that to end up in the Bible without clarifying that a) it's not always demons (or the result of sin, a related belief about some illnesses that people get from the Bible) and b) if you must exorcise a demon, don't hurt the person. He knew toddlers would be getting tortured to death as a result of the miracles as they are described in the New Testament, right?
"Faith is a state of openness or trust. To have faith is like when you trust yourself to the water. You don't grab hold of the water when you swim, because if you do you will become stiff and tight in the water, and sink. You have to relax, and the attitude of faith is the very opposite of clinging, and holding on. In other words, a person who is fanatic in matters of religion, and clings to certain ideas about the nature of God and the universe becomes a person who has no faith at all. Instead they are holding tight. But the attitude of faith is to let go, and become open to truth, whatever it might turn out to be."
Alan Watts
Alan Watts
