WTF is Spiritual Warfare?

[vorlon13]

Jesus loves you so much He'll have His bestest followers pound wooden spikes clear thru you to drive out those evil spirits, and you'll die a believer in His love !!!

Praise Jesus and his impalers !!

[vulcanlogician]

Hey. At least Christians are upfront about this: their religion emphasizes people who suffer on sticks. If it's God, that's a tragedy. If it's you, you probably had it coming.

[Brian37]

Just a fancy way of saying good vs evil.

Um no, that is a more recent watered down version of the word "spiritual" liberals use to avoid the fact that back in all of antiquity most humans literally believed in super natural gods and or spirits whom between them batted over human brains like poker chips.

Not even "fancy" but more like intellectually lazy.

There most certainly are religious Muslims and Christians and even Hindus and Buddhists and Jews, that truly believe there are disembodied beings they call spirits and or gods that use humans as puppets. 

Even in China and Japan, the average home has icons outside the door that the believer truly think is keeping evil spirits out. Different details, but same superstitious belief that there is a cosmic Superman vs Lex Luthor reality going on. Religion just doesn't see it as fiction.

It is a claim of good verses evil, sure, but what you are trying to dodge by calling it "fancy" is the fact that religious claims of good vs evil are the products of human ignorance and gullibility. 

Do good and evil exist? YEP, but none of our species behaviors good or bad are being handed down to us, nor are we poker chips between a magic sky vs a fire underground.

[vorlon13]

Just a fancy way of saying good vs evil.

Um no, that is a more recent watered down version of the word "spiritual" liberals use to avoid the fact that back in all of antiquity most humans literally believed in super natural gods and or spirits whom between them batted over human brains like poker chips.

Not even "fancy" but more like intellectually lazy.

There most certainly are religious Muslims and Christians and even Hindus and Buddhists and Jews, that truly believe their are disembodied beings they call spirits and or gods that use humans as puppets. 

Even in China and Japan, the average home has icons outside the door that the believer truly think is keeping evil spirits out. Different details, but same superstitious belief that there is a cosmic Superman vs Lex Luthor reality going on. Religion just doesn't see it as fiction.

It is a claim of good verses evil, sure, but what you are trying to dodge by calling it "fancy" is the fact that religious claims of good vs evil are the products of human ignorance and gullibility. 

Do good and evil exist? YEP, but none of our species behaviors good or bad are being handed down too us, nor are we poker chips between a magic sky vs a fire underground.

Ah ha!!

Queef Demon sees doorway icon and comes up sewer pipe into home !!!

[The Industrial Atheist]

I went to a Pentacostal Church for a long time.

Sorry about that, dude. You seem like a pretty perceptive and complex guy, and Pentecostals seem to ignore these awesome qualities in people. In fact, they seem reflexively opposed to anything that the average hillbilly can't immediately apprehend. In some ways, I'm thankful for my Catholic roots. As misguided as Catholics may be, at least they don't endorse outright ignorance.

Thanks vulcan. Yeah I wasn't popular there. Strangely when I was in my teens that Church seemed to have a lock on people in my age group.  I guess the rural north isn't always so different from the rural south.

What really bothered me was how the noise got sometimes. Loud shouts of ecstasy, speaking in tongues, loud music. These types of things can be very disorienting for someone suffering with schizo affective disorder.

I guess I stayed as long as I did because i believed the Jesus B.S. and sometimes believed the charismatic B.S. even though I never spoke in tongues or got loud, except for singing (the actual words of songs, not random shit).

At different other times I tried a ND church and a Methodist church.  I was pretty much an Atheist when I went to the Methodist church. Having come out of what I think was mixed state, I still had an intense desire to socialize and I was willing to put up with the Jesus stuff for a few weeks to do that. They seemed a bit less backwards but I couldn't stand hearing about how god is so great well you know, all the goofy stuff that comes with church.

[Edwardo Piet]

The video is just proof that white people can't dance.

Michael Jackson could dance and he was white as fuck.

That doesn't count.

What just because he was a pedophile it "doesn't count"?

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I'm not even joking, bro.

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Okay I am 100% teasing your 210 year old Minny ass

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[vulcanlogician]

I guess the rural north isn't always so different from the rural south.

You know, I've done both, and I gotta say there are many similarities when it comes to religion's hold on the people. But in the south it seems that religion is a more public affair (people actually have prayer circles at the beginning of a work shift in restaurants and stuff). In the north, it seems to be a more private affair.

BTW, how did you know I'm from the rural north? For the life of me I can't remember mentioning it here. But maybe I did.

Edit: I did. Now I remember!

[Godscreated]

YAY! I was hoping a Christian or two might come in and give a perspective on this. Thanks for your input, guys.  

 It's a battle with the self, that is our sinful nature. Many want to attribute their spiritual battle to Satan, they do not realize Satan is frying bigger fish. Most Christians are minnows in a pond blaming anyone but themselves for there spiritual troubles. They will start praying for God to move Satan aside when they should be asking Him to help them overcome their own self righteousness or whatever else it is they are doing to hurt their relationship with God. When God doesn't answer their prayers because they have prayed for the wrong thing they give up and leave the church, this should sound familiar to some here. Don't misunderstand what I'm saying there are those who go through great spiritual battles with Satan or his demons, they would be the big fish in the ocean.

GC

So do you think exorcisms, laying on hands, and whatnot are misplaced spiritual efforts? I guess what I'm asking for is to explain what you are saying: are you redefining the concept of spiritual warfare or shaking your finger at it? At any rate, you can see why nonbelievers might view demonic possession and related cultural phenomena as oddities, I'm sure.

 
 Your welcome, it's always good to respond to those who are serious about spiritual things even if they do not believe.
 No they are not misplaced, I've never seen a demon possessed person that I'm aware of, I'm sure it happens, we've been given examples in the scriptures. Laying on of hands can be for physical or spiritual needs, but if the person who is in need is not willing then God most likely will not give the needed healing or blessing.
 No I'm not redefining spiritual warfare, I'm saying that the spiritual battle for most Christians is with themselves and not necessarily with Satan or a demon. The original sin was a spiritual battle within Adam and Eve, they had to make a decision to obey or disobey God. In their case Satan was the direct tempter because the fall hadn't taken place with man. Since the fall man's battle is mostly with his sin nature that we all possess. Satan was a necessary part before the fall because Adam and Eve were pure of heart.
 Yes I can see that nonbelievers would see this as an oddity but the truth is it's real. Satan doesn't need to worry much about nonbelievers because they have put themselves into the position of denial and thus lost to an eternal life with God. The last thing Satan wants nonbelievers to know is that he is real, if they did then they might just seek out God.

GC

[WinterHold]

And hypocrite modern Christians judge all Muslims of being terrorists, because of ISIS beheading people.
Christianity -especially European Christianity- is one of the most -if not the most- brutal in terms of history and sad treatment to people. Sometimes I really think Atheism is a better route instead of the hell the Church enforced on people, it makes me understand the French revolution more, and the illumination mentality even more. Secular rule is so better than the above.

I wonder how can a human invent something like this? just how?

[The Industrial Atheist]

I guess the rural north isn't always so different from the rural south.

You know, I've done both, and I gotta say there are many similarities when it comes to religion's hold on the people. But in the south it seems that religion is a more public affair (people actually have prayer circles at the beginning of a work shift in restaurants and stuff). In the north, it seems to be a more private affair.

BTW, how did you know I'm from the rural north? For the life of me I can't remember mentioning it here. But maybe I did.

Edit: I did. Now I remember!

I didn't know that. I'm from the rural north. My comment was just about how popular religion is here, same as the south. I didn't know you were from the rural north.  You know, I think if I told more people I'm an Atheist here, there would just be possible serious social consequences. I don't think I would be physically harmed or have damaged property or be physically hurt. I suppose there are parts of the south where those things could possibly happen.

Unsurprisingly, both the former and current pastor of the Pentecostal church I went to have roots in the south.