Demons Fear the Name of Jesus?
Posted by: Lorena on: November 9, 2009
In the mid-1990’s, speaking of exorcism and demons became fashionable even at the mainstream, non-Pentecostal church I attended. Neil Anderson’s Freedom in Christ ministries introduced the concept, and that opened the door for some curious believers, like me, to read up on the topic from other sources, like books written by Pentecostal pastors who saw demons everywhere.
A common theme was that mentioning the name of Christ to a demon-possessed person would deeply trouble the demon. If I remember correctly, it was said that calling the name of Jesus would cause demons to leave, if they were just sitting in our midst. If the person was possessed, though, the demon would hurt the person who would start screaming. Reading the scriptures in the presence of demons would cause them to go haywire. Exorcists would continually read the Bible during a ceremony, to cause the invaders to eventually leave the person, out of sheer tiredness because they couldn’t stand the Word of God.
I believed all that for a while, for a long time, actually. I was sure that mentioning the name of Jesus would shield me from any demonic attack. In fact, in the end, it was a fear of Satan and demons that kept me a Christian. Even when I didn’t go to church anymore, and instead went to a pagan church (during the first year of this blog), I still thought that dark forces existed out there.
But, how did I come to disbelieve that stuff?
As a Christian, obviously, I thought atheists were demon possessed. How else could anybody deny the existence of God? As I’ve stated before, I left the faith out of pure irritation with contradictions and narrow thinking, not because I’d become an atheist.
Once I stopped going to church, though, and I felt free to read ex-Christian blogs, I realized that atheists mentioned Jesus all the time, quoted the Bible, and some still studied it. Huh?
It became abundantly clear to me that the name of Jesus and the Bible held no magic powers, that atheists weren’t demon possessed, and that all that stuff I believed about demons was pure bullshit.
Nowadays, it doesn’t surprise me when believers come to our blogs and type large parts of scripture, even when they know we don’t believe in the Bible. They have been deluded to believe that the book will defeat the demons they think we have.
The Bible has power, alright, the power to de-convert a person who reads it with an open, inquiring mind. It can even de-convert a person like me, who had the critical thinking veiled by fear and low self-esteem. For me, it was like when a person is shopping at the mall and feels like something is wrong but ignores what, just to realize later that the car keys were left in the ignition.
I definitely know now what was causing the gnawing feeling of discomfort I carried for years. But I was tortured by it for so long that I am now allergic to all-things Christian.
Some believe that there are good things about Christianity that can be kept or celebrated. I have a hard time with that. I feel that I was lied to too much and find it difficult to keep any ties to a religion where almost everything I learned was a lie.
40 Responses to "Demons Fear the Name of Jesus?"
November 10, 2009 at 8:50 am
I find it bizarre that like Christians……those who worship the supposed dark forces are all buying into a religious doctrine that is totally fictional…..allegorical at best….These demons and the devil were all created by church leaders long ago to scare the hell…no pun intended…out of the masses…Almost every world religion has characters that represent the light and darkness…..For example The Egyptians had Horus and Set…..The Christians have God/Christ and Satan………Muslims have Allah and Shaitan……It is all basically the same…..Through our continued inability to deal with reality millions of humans actually believe in these fictional characters…….The religions of old have really left a lasting impression on the psyche of the world.
November 10, 2009 at 9:34 am
Just stating that Christians believe in fictional characters like God and Christ just like those who believe in other deities……that aren’t real…Christianity, Islam, and several other world religions have created characters of light and darkness to control people who are weak minded…..and cannot think for themselves…..Such a poor understanding of Christianity you hold jam……Tell me…what does your God or Devil look like….do you talk with them…..do they try to influence your thoughts and decisions….. does one set on each shoulder and whisper things to you….the reality of it is that you are only talking to yourself jam…..you seem to let your judgmental side come out quite a bit for being a Christian…..goes against everything your religion teaches……judge not lest ye be judged…..good luck with all that as no Christian seems to be able to follow that little rule….
November 10, 2009 at 10:14 am
DagoodS
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Good sermon, thanks 
You did quote a few of the better NT verses.
I agree with you. It is all magical thinking. That particular belief of the name of Jesus really isn’t any different from “Open Sesame.”
BTW, in my distorted worldview as a Christian, I thought non-Christians who’d never heard “the truth” would surely convert if they heard it. Ex-Christians and atheists were surely demon possessed.
Michael
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Well, yes, demons is another belief Christianity stole from pagans. As we know, before the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites didn’t even know the concept of Satan.
Jam
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Such a poor understanding of Christianity you hold
Ah! And you sit on your throne judging the rest of us. Very good example of Christian pride and of a deep seated know-it-all attitude.
November 10, 2009 at 10:49 am
Thank you, Lorena. I chose that particular verse for a reason. “In Him we live and move and have our being” was originally attributed to Epimendies—a 6th Century BCE write—about Zeus. Most Christians don’t realize it was not original to Acts.
So the words were originally not inspired; not magical. But became so once quoted by the author of Acts.
November 10, 2009 at 10:57 am
Thank you for that bit of info, DagoodS.
Reading Misquoting Jesus I realized that the best portions about Jesus are not original to the Gospels either, like the story about the woman found in adultery and Jesus writing on the ground.
But hey, we have “poor understanding,” don’t we?
November 10, 2009 at 11:10 am
Lorena and Dagoods….yes it sure does seem that much of The Bible comes from ancient Greece and Egypt…….these are things that Christians want to deny as it makes their religion stand on shaky ground…..same for Islam as well…..Funny some of the most mean spirited people I have ever known have been devout Christians and Muslims……I have often wondered…what if a Christian or Muslim were to achieve all their goals and convert everyone on the planet…and obtain all the power here on earth…what then??? Would they create a new religion…..a new form of power and mind control..would they take on their God or devil in a war for the universe……what really is the goal of literalist religions…..it is sad to see that they have long ago lost the true meaning of true wisdom and the ancient spiritual teachings…..
November 10, 2009 at 12:31 pm
I have a personal, demon anecdote I sometimes tell when the subject arises.
[ahem]
Many years ago, when I was in college, I had a friend who had rather suddenly got religion. She was great, and still is as long as you can keep her from talking religion or politics.
One evening she showed up at our house when one of my roommates and I were about to drop acid, (Note: statute of limitations long expired), and stated that, as she had never tried any drugs before, she wanted to participate with us.
We refused on humanitarian grounds. She insisted. We brought up her religious conversion and even though she was a tongue-speaking pentecostal, she insisted that she wanted to know what it was like. We refused on the grounds that maybe she shouldn’t jump feet-first into trying a drug that takes a little getting used to and an I-know-this-isn’t-real-but-look-how-cool mind-set. She insisted and threatened to get it from some shady characters from her checkered past. We caved and gave her half the dosage we were taking.
So, to shorten this a little, she and I ended up sitting in the dark with the only light the moon coming through the blanket, (known as “[Roommate]’s Wubbie”), over the window. This wubbie had holes in it that were vaguely head-shaped. Just as things began to get a little trippy, she started freaking out. She insisted that the holes in the blanket weren’t holes, but demons and began praying frantically and loudly.
You can imagine how this screwed up my trip. I tried pointing out to her that acid is a hallucinogen and thus is expected to make one hallucinate. I tried pointing out that if these were demons, surely they wouldn’t stand for me putting my hand through their heads. But by that time, she was seeing them everywhere and really freaking out and babbling. So, in the end, everyone involved had an awful evening, thus proving what Hitchen’s says. “Religion Poisons Everything”.
The thing that has stayed with me is that she saw demons even though she knew she was taking a hallucinogen and had been pretty well-prepared by my roommate and me. Funny enough, these demons toughed out her scriptural babbling for several hours more. Just about as long, I might add, as one would expect a half a hit of acid to affect a normal sized person. So the thing they obviously fear more than scripture is a lack of altered brain chemistry.
November 10, 2009 at 12:42 pm
The devil doctrine is very confusing. Some christians teach the devil is governing this world that is why we see moral chaos. 1 Peter 5:8
Some christians teach the devil is chained and awaiting judgment. 2 Peter 2:4
Some say there is a constant battle between evil and good in heaven.
Is the devil less or more powerful than god?
Devil and hell is always confusing, even for christians. The liberal pastor in my last baptist church explained only once tha hell is not a place, it is a state of being separated from the glory of god. That sermon was one of many things that push me towards atheism.
November 10, 2009 at 1:36 pm
A poor understanding was addressed as a fact not an opinion. In the same way you could say for instance I’m not educated on quantum physics. That wouldn’t be a judgment that would be a fact…
What does God look like?
I’m not sure…? It’s not revealed in scripture to find such a picture
What does satan look like?
once again…i dont know? It’s not revealed in scripture
Do they sit on the sides of my shoulder?
no
What would happen if we converted all non-christians to Christianity?
RAPTURE!… (postmillenial humor from an amillenialist??)
The Bible comes from Egypt? Sources please…
Is the devil more powerful than God?
no
November 10, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Jam
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A poor understanding was addressed as a fact not an opinion.
And when I referred to your know-it-all attitude, once again exemplified by the quoted comment, I wasn’t expressing an opinion either.
Your holier-than-though, know-it-all attitude is richly documented on the hundreds of comments you’ve left on this blog.
You want sources about the Bible’s mythological origins? We’ve given you sources before–many. You didn’t even bother to acknowledge them. You’re never going to read them either. So, why should any one bother giving you sources?
November 10, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Even while I was a Christian, I never bought into the ‘demon-devil’ nonsense. I had several close friends who were very conservative and pentecostal, and I thought they were just fucking crazy to begin with.
November 10, 2009 at 2:16 pm
There is indeed a demon, and its name is Religion.
November 10, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Postie
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Nobody ever told me “trip” stories before. So I find your story quite…enlightening.
What I find most interesting is that you were able to have some sense in spite of being high. That the born again, holy spirit guided Christian didn’t keep any of her sense during the high is very telling. It says that she was not a thoughtful person even when lucid. How sad.
Brian
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“The devil doctrine is very confusing.” Indeed it is.
Lucky for us, we have our in-house scholar, Jam, who knows the one-and-only valid explanation of hell and the devil.
One of these days, when he stops bluffing and saying we’re ignorant, maybe he will tell us exactly what he believes about demons. In the meantime, we should have to be happy with his mocking.
awfrick
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Lucky you!
Shamelessly Atheist
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There is indeed a demon, and its name is Religion.
And the choirs of angels sang, “Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.”
November 10, 2009 at 2:33 pm
jam,
Helpful tip for discussing on the internet. You will see how many comments start with reference to another person. Like, “Lorena” or “DagoodS” or this comment, where I start off, “jam.” If you could do the same, it would be helpful to know who you are addressing.
I was unclear as to whom your comment “Such a poor understanding of Christianity you hold” was directed. (Obviously if you precede your comment with a quote, we will understand where the comment is directed.)
Secondly, some points of reference would be nice. What parts of whomever’s comment were a “poor understanding”? Is it the Christian belief in the devil? Or specifically demon possession? Or how demon possession works?
I have read and re-read Lorena’s blog entry, and everything she states is either opinion, (“To me…”) or comments I can certainly find some Christian claiming as true.
I thought your comment “Such a poor understanding of Christianity you hold” was not even directed at her.
November 10, 2009 at 2:43 pm
John Edwards is a psychic who was in Toronto a few months ago. The place where he spoke was full. I know some tickets were $200 each.
My neighbour and some of her church friends went to see him.
I wonder what were the people’s religion at that event?
For I have seen, people who believe in the devil and spirits are also prone to believe in the “occult”, the tarot, the talking to dead people, the fortune tellers, etc.
How does a person square that with their christian beliefs?
November 10, 2009 at 2:47 pm
sorry, I did not run the spell checker.
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Will check for error and correct. No worries. L
November 10, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Like George Carlin, I don’t invoke the name of Jesus to ward off evil, I call on Joe Pesci.
November 10, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Brian,
I don’t think any “True Christians” would go to such an event. Many Sunday-morning pew warmers could, though. Folks who haven’t studied the Bible carefully don’t realize that consulting “seers” was punished with death in the OT.
But since “True Christians” are rare, I agree with you. There were Christians in the crowd, the type that doesn’t spend too much time thinking about their faith.
Did you know, though, that pagans believe in Jesus? (Psychics are pagans) They say he was the “way shower.” You can learn more here
November 10, 2009 at 3:17 pm
TRT
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Like George Carlin, I don’t invoke the name of Jesus to ward off evil, I call on Joe Pesci.
You finally managed to make me watch a George Carlin. I am so lazy about watching video clips. Hilarious! Priceless.
Everybody
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Watch that George Carlin. If you’re busy, watch only the first 45 seconds. It’s worth your time. I assure you.
November 10, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Nowadays, it doesn’t surprise me when believers come to our blogs and type large parts of scripture, even when they know we don’t believe in the Bible. They have been deluded to believe that the book will defeat the demons they think we have.
I never considered that idea before. It’s pretty funny, but that’s because it may be right on target.
November 10, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Here is an interesting take on demons…..”The spread of religions has had an interesting effect on demons in world mythology. When one religion replaces another, the gods of the former religion may become demons in the new faith. For example as Islam spread through West Africa, Central Asia, and Indonesia, some local deities did not disappear but were transformed into demons within a universe governed by The God of Islam.” Another interesting point to ponder is provided here…..”The common image of the devil in western culture is drawn from many sources. The devils pointed ears, wings, and sharp protruding teeth resemble those of Charu, the underworld demon of The Etruscans of ancient Italy.” Seems that devils and demons have mythological origins, …..yet again making one wonder why people buy into Christianity and Islam at all…….It goes right along with the fact that all of their doctrines are allegorical at best…..Did Christ or Muhammad ever really exist or were they too all part of this myth that existed so long ago…..there is no one definitive answer…….Makes for a great mystery novel…as for myself I tend to believe that most or all of it is pure myth that has been handed down over the ages…..it has been distorted and changed…then changed again…over and over to fit political purposes, and bids for power…..to promote certain religions and persecute others…..to serve the needs of societies leaders…..and finally to create separation and control of the masses….Religion….what a cluster fuck of …..well cluster fucks….
November 10, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Demons Fear the Name of Jesus?
I’ll never understand how people can laugh at the practices of other religions, like Hinduism, and then believe in demons or participate in exorcisms.
November 10, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I had great faith in the magical power of God’s words too. I would quote them at every atheist I got a chance to debate with. And I always assumed the verse were self-explanatory, since they had the “words of life” in them. I would just quote whole chunks and leave them there for the atheist to ‘appreciate’. I was always puzzled when they kept asking me to explain.
@Postman: really enjoyed the story. Yes, religion poisons everything.
November 11, 2009 at 1:56 am
Chappie
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One of the reasons for writing about demons and such was to spread the word among atheist of what it is Christians are trying to do.
Glad you found it amusing.
Michael
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I didn’t know that, historically, former gods become demons. Interesting bit of information. It makes sense. I suppose you can compare it to the ex-husband or ex-wife. You used to love them but now they may be your worst enemy. I wonder if Joseph Campbell has that analogy in his arsenal.
Mark
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Yes, sometimes it’s hard to understand why people fall for things that don’t appeal to us. I guess you can compare it to falling in love. Too often I can’t understand what lovers find attractive on each other. It just beats me.
Temaskian
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Nothing like personal experience, huh? I never did what you did, because as a Christian, I was too busy reading my Bible. I didn’t have time to get online and chat with people. But I did quote the Bible to people all the time. I had so much trust in the word.
Admittedly, the Bible being often poetic can be very touching to an unbeliever; particularly, an unbeliever who is going through hard times.
November 11, 2009 at 7:00 am
Lorena: Yes in The Power of Myth series he has a section called Love and The Goddess which covers a lot of interesting ground on love, hate, and everything in between……Campbell states that love is something that fascinates the human race and in its truest form is perfect kindness. He also talks about how we often hurt the one we love the most…..He speaks of the agony of love wounds and how they cannot be healed by any doctor….. to overcome these wounds one must reach deep inside and let go of all desires and fear to find peace and be able to truly love again…..A great mythical story about the absence of the beloved comes from The Muslim world….. Why was Satan thrown into hell? Because God told his angels to serve mankind….Satan would not bow to man because of his love for God…..he could only bow to God…..so God gets angry and casts Satan into hell….therefore we have the first example of the greatest hell….a hell that is created from being separated from the one you love…..so from a psychological perspective Satan is living in a world of hell because his greatest love…God…has rejected him……….Very interesting mythology here….somehow I feel that this gets to the root of many of the challenges we face in relationships……Interesting stuff…..
November 11, 2009 at 9:39 am
Michael:
Can you name some specific examples of gods from other cultures that they conquered incorporated into Islam as demons?
November 11, 2009 at 10:53 am
Lorena @ #15:
I’m glad I could be the first to tell you a tripping anecdote.
It seems to be a fairly common misconception that one loses all sense of perspective while recreationally hallucinating. You know when something you see or hear isn’t likely to be real. For instance, (since it’s Veteran’s Day and I still have to work), I had a spectacular visual/aural trip while in the Army that Francis Ford Coppola would have killed to open “Apocolypse Now” with – helicopter sounds and boiling, crashing clouds in a pink sky – but I knew it was all in my head.
So, I never give anyone any slack when it comes to believing things there’s no actual evidence for.
Er… and for the record, I quit all that stuff when I left college.
November 11, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Michael
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Very interesting mythology here….somehow I feel that this gets to the root of many of the challenges we face in relationships……Interesting stuff…..
Yes mythology is one way to explore the human psyche, since it is about gods created by humans and the stories do reflect human instincts and feelings.
There are other ways to reach the same conclusions, I suppose. But mythology is a fascinating one.
What’s the difference between mythology and literature, anyway? Novels and plays are also a good way to learn about human nature, especially when the writer is talented. Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, Oscar Wilde, Tolstoy, Garcia Marquez, and others come to mind.
Erik
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Good question. If I were interested in Islam, I would want to know, too.
Some one here wrote a little while ago (who?) that the early Israelites believed in different gods: elohim, elshaddai, (forgive spelling please), etc. Apparently one of them was the mass murderer. Perhaps, through the centuries, the bad one became Satan, and they made a composite of all the other ones to come up with Yahweh. Don’t quote me on any of this. In fact, I’m hoping that someone who knows will correct me.
Postie
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I’ve never been drunk or high or even smoked a cigarette. So I do appreciate others’ experiences in that department.
It makes me wonder what makes some people try drugs and leave them behind at college, and why some get stuck. I always say that some people have “addictive personalities.” But I don’t have any scientific proof of that.
November 11, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Eric: The article states West Africa, Indonesia, and Central Asia…..If you want to read it you can find it at….The Myths Encyclopedia …under Devils and Demons…just Google it.
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You may find the link HERE.
L
November 11, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Michael
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You’re right the article does make the claim, but I still wish it named specific examples of gods who later appeared as demons in Islamic literature/religion, preferably with citations.
Lorena
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I’m not sure there is such a wide gap between myth and literature. Myth is a type of literature. Shakespeare for example knew his Ovid and sprinkles tons of allusions to Greco-Roman mythology in his plays.
As for the Ancient Israelites, a few theories exist. That the different names are vestiges of an earlier polytheism, that the various names are different aspects/personalities of the same G-d, that two separate monotheist groups converged into one people (the Israelites) with different names for their one G-d (YHWH and Elohim), etc.
El is the general canaanite word for deity. Elohim is one of the Israelite words for G-d (grammatically it is the plural of El, but in the Biblical text it does get used as a singular). Just plain singular El is also a name found in the Bible. El Shaddai is really just G-d of the Mountains, or G-d Almighty, but still other scholars link the Shaddai with the semitic Shad, meaning “breast.” The Shaddai part is really just an epithet I believe, not a whole other deity. The keyword being El. Satan comes from HaSatan, literally “the adversary.” So it is unlikely that Satan and El Shaddai are related.
I think the Gnostic Christians believed that YHWH of what they would call the Old Testament was an evil lesser deity compared to the true loving G-d of the universe represented by the mysteries of Jesus.
November 12, 2009 at 11:03 am
Eric…there seems to be a lot of people out there that think that Islam and Christianity both contributed to the decline of western civilization……Carnage and Culture might be a good book to read in regards to Islam and their influence on history….I have always heard about how Christians threw us into The Dark Ages but this book claims it was Islam that did the dirty deeds….In my opinion all world religions are responsible for the majority of the chaos we now face…..Funny how religions accomplish the exact opposite of what they claim to stand for…….
November 13, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I’ve never understood why the ‘devil’ ‘punishes’ people for doing what it wants. No one seems to be able to explain that one in any sensible way.
When I was a youngster I was sitting in church, and the preacher (who had been prosing on about some obscure thing that only seemed to concern him) finally wanted to make a point, revved up and was ready to sockdologize, when an old man sitting about the middle let loose with a snore that derailed the whole sermon.
My mother, among others felt that this was the work of a demon. I opted that this was a sensible reaction to sitting in a hot church and being bored.
One of the more religious minded thought it was god, himself telling the babbling idiot that he’d wasted enough of everone’s time. Demon: his foot.
Hi, luv, got back today instead of Tuesday, I had a mishap on Monday so they made me stay until today.
November 14, 2009 at 10:54 am
Eric
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I’ve been thinking about what you wrote about El and this or the other name for the Jewish God. What strikes me about it is how uncertain the data we have about it is. It has to be. The stuff in theory happened 6,000 years ago before writing evolved enough to keep decent records.
How as a Christian I failed to check out the validity of all that is a real shame. That so many people would believe the official position of the church without checking out the churches sources is appalling.
Sarge
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Welcome back, buddy. Can you talk now or is your wife still having a break? Feeling any better?
Yeah, some Christians blame every discomfort on demons. What a way to live, huh? I think they’re just being self-centered. Thinking that demons are sooo interested in disturbing one’s life is pretentious. The little buggers, if they existed, would have better things to do, I think.
November 14, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Won’t be able to talk for about another two weeks to a month…or eat anything but liquids or squishy stuff.
My wife couldn’t go with me because she has “a bug” just how we’re not sure. She’s been taking antibiotics since September as prophylaxis for Lyme and whatever else the tick that bit her might have been carrying and she couldn’t in good conscience go where there were very sick people feeling like she did, so I had to take the shuttle, and she was on pins and needles not knowing what was up with me, being I was over two hours away.
The Guatamalan gentleman who has our mariachi band called to check on me and he actually had a solution. The young lady who most people think is Hispanic but is, in fact Jewish (from Cleveland, no less!!) was actually taking a seminar at Pitt and was literally less than two blocks away, and she came and visited me, called my wife every night to tell her how I was.
She was waiting at my bedside after I got out of surgery and came every night for a visit. She brought he guitar and made me play while she sang. The fifteen other guys in the ward loved it…really feasted their eyes on her, too…not that I blame them.
She is a very tactile person, if you’re talking to her she will be touching you, and if you are walking together you will probably end up holding hands. When she’s teaching she keeps something in both hands at all times to avoid trouble.
Her mother is the same way.
But my ward mates saw this and discussed it…
Monday I had to go to another floor for an appointment, and I was going down the stairs and somehow my feet just flew out from under me and I landed, hard on my back. I managed to bruise my back in several places, plus it openned up my throat again. Wasn’t pretty or fun.
They had to fix it quick and they used only a local since they had to do it in a hurry, so I stayed until Friday. My young friend was able to keep my wife calm when she called that night. The nurses had already called but she was pretty unhappy and didn’t know what to think. My friend came because ‘Our Founder’ told her I was still there and asked, and she was able to calm my poor wife down.
I got a ride home with she and her husband yesterday…checkout was memorable…
The nurses wouldn’t let me off the floor without an escort (not after Monday), and she came up to get me and my bag. the conversation went thusly: The nurses told her, “Your father has all of his medications and dressings, do you need any instructions”?
“He’s not my father”.
“Your, uh, HUSBAND”??!!
“Oh, he’s not my husband, either…but something like it…”
And she gave them a lewd, suggestive lascivious grin, gave them the slowest, most evil wink I’ve seen in a long time, put her arm around me, kissed me, said,
“C’mon, honey, let’s blow this pop stand. Got something you’ve been missing waiting at home”. and we walked away.
We heard hisses of, did you see THAT!!?? What’s that lovely kid doing with that old man? and other messages of opprobrium, outrage, and incredulity. (No one actually knew our relationship, no one asked me even though I could have written. Hee hee)
We got in the elevator, I pulled out my steno, wrote,
“What did you do THAT for!!??”
“I don’t know…I’ve never DONE anything like that before…it seemed like the thing to do…
“It seemed like the thing to do, huh”?
Yeah, I’ve been in kind of an odd mood lately, just thought I’d like to shake some things up…(shrug)…
Well, she sure did. My wife laughed like crazy when she heard.
November 15, 2009 at 10:38 am
Very interesting. I hope you don’t mind that i’ve linked this blog to my column on my own at The Universe Next Door. If so, tell me and I’ll take it off. (http://smilerscratchings.blogspot.com/)
My site is more literary intensive, but as far as religion is concerned … I think I’ve become a bit Deistic in my approach. I don’t know where you stand on that because I’ve not read your page here in its entirety. I’m guessing you evolved into an atheist which, as you know, differs from Deism because Deists believe in an indifferent God (sort of like Lovecraft’s crazy monster gods kicking around the universe reasonably oblivious to mankind’s existance).
While I’m not at the point of atheism, I understand your words which seem to ache with something I identify with despair (whether you intend them to or not, I don’t know). I suppose I identify with them in that sense because they speak true to my experience with ‘fundamentalist Christianity’. It took working at a Christian Bookstore to get me to truly recognize how jaded the entire modern incarnation of the religion is. I was wondering, Did Jesus want this? Did Jesus give a fig that I was a porn addict and couldn’t shake it? Did I say the magical incantation to make the addiction cease wrong? Are my prayers empty? Why do Christians that I sell Bibles to seem to care more about the cover than the content within? Etc, etc, etc.
My point is that I FEEL your blog. But why do I desperately want you to be wrong? Or rather, should I say why do I still want to feel that absent, as yet indiscernable touch from God in my life?
I’m not judging your writing here. It keeps things in perspective and is a bit cathartic (and well written) I think. I appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts.
Will
November 15, 2009 at 11:09 am
Will
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Thank you for adding me to your blogroll.
I know about deism, and I understand why you feel the need for a “touch of God” in your life. I feel it too. The sentiments that religion arose in us were wonderful. I’ve never used drugs, but I’m sure it feels good, otherwise people wouldn’t get hooked into it.
My point is that as much as I would like to have a “touch of God” in my life, the more I look around the less I see evidence out there that a supernatural creator is real.
So, even though it hurts, I must live with what my senses are telling me, because that’s the kind of person I am. I am unable to lie to myself.
All that said, I don’t take it against you that you are deist or whatever you’d like to call yourself at this moment. As long as you’re comfortable with it, it’s fine with me.
Finding happiness after fundy Christianity is so hard, in my experience, that if you need the comfort of deism, why not? I sometimes think I’m a deist, other times I think I’m agnostic, and most times I realize that I really, really don’t believe in any sort of deity.
Good luck! And thank you for dropping by.
November 15, 2009 at 11:20 am
Sarge
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You fell! Oh for goodness sake. Weren’t they supposed to take you there on a wheelchair? When I’m at the hospital, they use a wheelchair more than I like to. I refuse it sometimes.
Good to hear that you had someone pretty to keep you company, though. There is no doubt in my mind the other gentleman were green with envy. And she sang! If she sang for my husband I would let her kiss him. Sometimes I think that if he dies before me. I’ll have a mariachi band at the funeral.
“C’mon, honey, let’s blow this pop stand. Got something you’ve been missing waiting at home”. and we walked away.
That’s hilarious! I guess the others couldn’t believe that you had the money to buy a nice piece of …. like the singer’s. Oh, well, they’ll have to understand that sometimes looks are more valuable than money 
I hope your wife is feeling better. I don’t think H1N1 is the only bug going around. Whatever I got was horrible, and I’m not sure it was H1N1.
Be well now, don’t fall again. Good luck with all those liquid foods. Bless your heart!
November 10, 2009 at 6:38 am
I confess it is frustrating to explain words like “Christ” or “Jesus” or “I pray for you in Jesus’ name, Amen” hold no more special significance than “Happy Birthday” or “Drive safe.”
As Christians we were taught the Bible’s words were powerful, almost (but not quite) rising to the level of a magic incantation. In the Lord of the Ring series, the heroes were faced with a magic door that could only be opened upon saying the correct word in the correct language. It was…magic. While we would scoff at such a direct comparison, in reality it is much the same.
The words, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) is a nice poetic phrase…but put it in the Bible and it is more; it is powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit. The words discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)
We understood it was not up to us to change people’s minds; it is up to God. And the most powerful weapon we had was the Bible. Almost (but not quite) like magic words opening doors, or cutting to the heart. We didn’t expect an immediate transformation, yet we did think such words would fester, grow and trouble the non-believer. Because they were more than just words—they were God’s words.
So I can understand why Christians would approach non-believing sites and quote long passages. Under their God-concept, these quotes have more power than any arguments they could put together. I wish they could see for a minute how little effect the words actually have.
Like you, I was stunned to realize how much Biblical knowledge many non-believers had. More than me. Not so much as how they were able to keep the demons at bay while discussing the Bible. *grin* I just naively thought most people were non-Christians because they didn’t know any better. Not that they had reviewed the evidence, weighed it, and found it wanting.