What is a demon? Where did it originated? How did it exist? Does it exist? Why does it exist or not exist?

Question

What is the catholic, christian, wiccan, buddhism, and the other religion's views of a demon? (How do they percieve the demon)

Where did it originated? Who created them? Or did they just become demons?

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Let me share some of my views of a demon, I believe that it is a fallen angel that waged war against God just like Lucifer did.
They never walked upon this earth, they were never human, they've never lived in this earth, BUT THEY ARE IN this earth.

When Lucifer and his angels waged war against God, God overthrown them to earth, I believe they were judged by God, and so Hell was created for them.

I also believe that because of their sins and hatred against God, they had these physical deformities in them. In my reason of view, that is why the real appearances of demons are never beautiful.

In Genesis 3:14, This also happened when adam and eve ate the fruit, and that God cursed the serpent. Serpents these days travel by their belly

Answer 1

A demon is an evil spirit.

According to the Bible, they are described as: powerful, numerous, unclean and from satan.

They have the ability to recognize Christ (see Mark 1:23,24); they can possess human beings, they can be overcome by men (see Acts 19:13-16); they know their destiny (see Matthew 8:29-33) and they instigate deceit (see 1 Timothy 4:1ff).

Answer 2

If they are always in the earth, why should you worry about them? And how can they possess human beings they way you think people portray? How did they see them – never beautiful?

As a Buddhist, I can only answer from a Buddhist point of view.


Buddhism and the belief in Samsara (life cycle) cannot be separated. When a creature dies, he/she will become another creature afterlife, either a brahma (highest being), or a diva or a divine or a god, a human, an animal, a peta (ghost), or an asura (demon), or a hell being. When he/she dies again, he/she will become something again afterlife. It's all about merits and demerits.

Both peta and asura live around like animals do. And their numbers also as many. And they can be as dangerous animals are – even like tigers or whatever. They also live in faraway places such as jungles. Both peta and asura possess certain powers such as to hide themselves or to fly a long distance or to possess a human being or an animal. However, some peta have to eat human compost, urine, spit, phlegm, etc. When human feed them, especially the hungry ghosts, can get a chance to eat; or they would possess humans just for food and offers.

To compare with Lucifer, read about Mara.

To escape from lifecycle, Buddhists aim for nibbanna (or nirvana).


(you can search any of these terms on web)

Answer 3

I too believe it started with the devil,he had some angels follow him in his rebellion against God (the bible states 1/3 of the angels) and they are all causing havoc on the earth and trying to turn as many people as they can against God.

Sometime before the Flood, other angels joined Satan in his rebellion. They materialized in human bodies to satisfy their cravings for sexual pleasures with the daughters of men. (Genesis 6:1-4) At the Flood, these renegade angels returned to the spirit realm but not to their "original position" with God in heaven. (Jude 6) They were abased to a condition of dense spiritual darkness. (1 Peter 3:19, 20; 2 Peter 2:4) They became demons, no longer serving under Jehovah's sovereignty but living in subjection to Satan. While apparently unable to materialize again, the demons can still exercise great power over the minds and lives of humans, and they are doubtless responsible for much of the violence we are witnessing today.—Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 8:27-33.

Answer 4

As a Wiccan, I don't believe in demons. My understanding of a demon is of the Christian variety...a being dedicated to causing evil. While there may be incorporeal beings out there, and some of them may even be pretty nasty pieces of work, believe they either choose to be thus (demons have no choice. They are evil by nature) or their nature is unpleasant but not actually evil.

Answer 5

• Is Lucifer a name that the Bible uses for Satan?

The name Lucifer occurs once in the Scriptures and only in some versions of the Bible. For example, the King James Version renders Isaiah 14:12: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!”

The Hebrew word translated “Lucifer” means “shining one.” The Septuagint uses the Greek word that means “bringer of dawn.” Hence, some translations render the original Hebrew “morning star” or “Daystar.” But Jerome’s Latin Vulgate uses “Lucifer” (light bearer), and this accounts for the appearance of that term in various versions of the Bible.

Who is this Lucifer? The expression “shining one,” or “Lucifer,” is found in what Isaiah prophetically commanded the Israelites to pronounce as a “proverbial saying against the king of Babylon.” Thus, it is part of a saying primarily directed at the Babylonian dynasty. That the description “shining one” is given to a man and not to a spirit creature is further seen by the statement: “Down to Sheol you will be brought.” Sheol is the common grave of mankind—not a place occupied by Satan the Devil. Moreover, those seeing Lucifer brought into this condition ask: “Is this the man that was agitating the earth?” Clearly, “Lucifer” refers to a human, not to a spirit creature.—Isaiah 14:4, 15, 16.

Why is such an eminent description given to the Babylonian dynasty? We must realize that the king of Babylon was to be called the shining one only after his fall and in a taunting way. (Isaiah 14:3) Selfish pride prompted Babylon’s kings to elevate themselves above those around them. So great was the arrogance of the dynasty that it is portrayed as bragging: “To the heavens I shall go up. Above the stars of God I shall lift up my throne, and I shall sit down upon the mountain of meeting, in the remotest parts of the north. . . . I shall make myself resemble the Most High.”—Isaiah 14:13, 14.

“The stars of God” are the kings of the royal line of David. (Numbers 24:17) From David onward, these “stars” ruled from Mount Zion. After Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, the name Zion came to apply to the whole city. Under the Law covenant, all male Israelites were obliged to travel to Zion three times a year. Thus, it became “the mountain of meeting.” By determining to subjugate the Judean kings and then remove them from that mountain, Nebuchadnezzar is declaring his intention to put himself above those “stars.” Instead of giving God credit for the victory over them, he arrogantly puts himself in God’s place. So it is after being cut down to the earth that the Babylonian dynasty is mockingly referred to as the “shining one.”

The pride of the Babylonian rulers indeed reflected the attitude of “the god of this system of things”—Satan the Devil. (2 Corinthians 4:4) He too lusts for power and longs to place himself above God. But Lucifer is not a name Scripturally given to Satan.

The Bible’s Viewpoint - Are Demons Real?

DURING the 17th and 18th centuries, a frenzied campaign of persecution against witches swept across most of Europe. Many alleged witches underwent terrible torture. Some who were falsely charged confessed to witchcraft merely to put an end to the torment. Untold numbers were executed on the basis of rumors or suspicion.

Although ostensibly based on the Scriptures, these actions against witchcraft, a form of demonism, were definitely fanatical. Christians have not been charged with the obligation to torture or execute witches or any other practicers of spiritism. (Romans 12:19) What is the prevailing attitude today?

A Relaxed Attitude

Today most people in Christendom do not take such spiritistic practices seriously. Out of curiosity, some may dabble in astrology, magic, divination, and witchcraft, but they do not view these occult practices as demonism. At times, entertainers, sports personalities, and politicians openly admit to their involvement with the occult. Some books and movies portray witches and sorcerers as “attractive, slightly unusual persons whose supernatural activities do harm to no one,” says one encyclopedia. Material designed to entertain and educate children may promote occult themes.

Such a relaxed and casual attitude toward demonism can lead to disbelief in the existence of demons. Do you believe that the demons exist and are actively trying to harm us? After all, most people today would say that they have never experienced contact with demons or witnessed their activity. Are demons real?

Disbelief Presents a Dilemma

Those who claim to accept the Bible but who doubt the reality of demons are faced with a dilemma. If they do not believe that demons are real, they are displaying a measure of disbelief in the Bible. Why? Because the concept of wicked spirit creatures with superhuman powers is taught in God’s Word, the Bible.

Its first book, Genesis, relates how an intelligent being used a serpent to deceive Eve and lead her into rebelling against God. (Genesis 3:1-5) The last book of the Bible, Revelation, identifies this wicked trickster, “the original serpent,” as “the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9) Satan succeeded in enticing other angels into rebellion. (Jude 6) In the Bible these fallen angels are called demons. They operate in the vicinity of the earth and are very angry with God and with those who serve him.—Revelation 12:12.

Satan and the demons have the power to influence, harm, and communicate with humans. (Luke 8:27-33) They have studied human nature for thousands of years. They know how to play on human weaknesses. The Bible reports cases where they possessed, or took full control of, men, women, and children. (Matthew 15:22; Mark 5:2) They can cause disease or physical impairments like blindness. (Job 2:6, 7; Matthew 9:32, 33; 12:22; 17:14-18) They can also blind people’s minds. (2 Corinthians 4:4) The demons are continually active, as is their leader, Satan, who is like “a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.” (1 Peter 5:8) The Bible contains many accounts of the existence of demons. If you believe in the Bible, then you accept the reality of invisible wicked creatures.

Evil Deceivers

But how could powerful demons exist today without causing a constant state of terror in the world? Why is it that their presence and actions are not more obvious? The Bible answers: “Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14) The Devil is a deceiver. Demon activity is often disguised as something harmless or even good. Hence, it is hard to recognize.

Satan and his demons continue to afflict people in various ways, as they did in Bible times. Some who are now genuine Christians were at one time involved with the occult; they can testify to the horrors of demon attacks. Today, perhaps on a greater scale than ever before, demons are using their superhuman powers to entice people into outright occult practices. Their power is not to be underestimated. However, they accomplish more by luring people away from God than by terrorizing them. Satan and the demons are “misleading the entire inhabited earth,” says the Bible. (Revelation 12:9) They are intent on undermining spirituality in subtle, insidious ways.

The demons are real. How else could the insatiable thirst for blood and destruction so evident among people today be explained? Humans naturally want to live in peace and happiness. But the demons promote badness and have the power to influence and corrupt the human mind.

Yet, The almighty God— is more powerful than the demons. He offers his strength and protection against “the machinations of the Devil.” (Ephesians 6:11-18) We need not have a morbid fear of the demons, for God promises: “Subject yourselves, therefore, to God; but oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you.”—James 4:7.