
Originally Posted by
Leslie
Good question. Probably a more basic question is that if a person were demonized as a result of sin, would Jesus necessarily have said, "This is your own fault because you shouldn't have done_____"?
Certainly demons can be acquired innocently. I don't know of anyone who deals with deliverance who would maintain otherwise. Conventional deliverance wisdom is that a common cause is a generational curse. In the case of demonization that mimics physical illness, it is frequently a curse put on the individual by an enemy involved in the occult. Westerners are most vulnerable because they are clueless; they have no idea what is happening because of their defective worldview.
This is my two cents.
Being a doctor, you should know that when it comes to the works of darkness, we cannot know for sure what is really going on out there. One reason is that we do not have the ability to do "experiments" on demons or witchcraft to learn how it works, and it would be an abomination before God to try such a thing.
If you study the history behind the Salem Witch Hunt in New England (1690s), you will find that certain pastors had foolishly written books on Witchcraft such as Cotton Mather, which were largely based on Old English Mythology, and carried a mixture of truth and superstition. I find that the same thing has happened today within some evangelical circles of the Third World. You have these Ghost-busters that think they know why and where the evil spirits are at work and how we are to avoid them as Christians. Yet, the Bible is largely silent when it comes to the details of how and where Satan is at work. Sometimes, Satan is spoken of to refer to the world of spiritual darkness in general, other times, it is referring to Lucifer himself. When I lived in Malaysia, I heard all sorts of fancy stories by local Christians on demonizations, some of which I find difficult to believe.
For example, one pastor told us that a frequent reason why exorcisms would fail is that the demonized wanted to keep his demon and did not want to surrender it. Again, this account seems to contradict Pergy's observation that in the NT, Jesus never appears to lay the blame on the possessed. I remember reading a book by John Piper where he points out that in the case of demon possessions, the demonized did not necessarily have the ability to believe in Jesus or be freed from possession.
Another point that would be important to Reformed Theology is that an exorcism is not equal to a conversion. Someone may be exorcised from a demon, and yet remain an unbeliever as Jesus speaks in one account where demons may return stronger and more numerous than in the first place. (This was also pointed out in one Tabletalk magazine devotion).
We also need to distinguish between demonizations and demon-harassments. I will maintain that believers may be harassed by demons, but they cannot be demonized, since that would contradict the sceal of the Holy Spirit that Paul speaks of in Ephesians. Ultimately, all demonizations and harassments come by permission from God, and consequently, such curses must be viewed as coming from God indirectly through Satan. This view will differ drastically from the Pentecostal viewpoint that God and Satan are fighting against each other and one is overcoming the other. This is a denial of God's sovereignty and is unscriptural.
Finally, my response to Pergy would be that demonizations do not always take place because the demonized had tampered with the works of darkness and invited the demons into his life, although this can be a reason. (Where would the expression of selling one's soul to the devil come from?). Sometimes, the demons are merely harassing an individual, being permitted to do so by God's command, such as Saul's case or Shechem's story in Judges). Secondly, I would maintain that the demonized may be afflicted against his own will and unable to get out of his plight for a reason we ignore, although I will refrain to go inquire further. I think for the case of Jesus not laying any blame on demonized victims might be explained by the fact that they were not able to free themselves from the demons as they had sunk themselves too deep into witchcraft. There is a difference between being innocently tormented by demons and being unable to free oneself from demon possession. Afterall, is there anyone really innocent in this world?
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