if he has to allow it, it isn't free.
in demon haunting and possession
- Thread starter thinking
- Start date
if he has to allow it, it isn't free.
Yes God allows it to happen. Demonic possession is real, unfortunately we also have mental conditions that closely mimic signs of possession.
There is probably the same percentage of possessed people being treated in mental asylums as there are people suffering mental afflictions being taken to exorcists.
Once the doctors give up on a case they will just suppress the outward signs of their patients "psychosis" with drugs. The other the exorcists just gives up on them.
But i wager that it is easier for one who starts with exorcism to migrate to the medical system then for those who start in the medical system to move to exorcism.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
sure it is...what else are you going to do except whatever you want and deal with the consequence according to law?
Last edited:
How is the difference recognized?
what difference does it make? i mean, the ones who are suffering are the ones who have to deal with it and ultimately solve their own problems if they are willing and able. everybody has demons. you can use religion or drugs if you want to try to pacify, but you're the only one with the power to ask god to erradicate them. there's no quick fix. no spell and no drug. that's what i think anyway.
Adstar in my estimation is the most devoted God follower in the forum. This is the first time I've ever seen him admit that an genuine human experience can be misinterpreted as having some kind of divine origin or purpose.
He says demonic possession is real and in the same sentence acknowledges that it might be something else to an untrained eye. I'm supposing Adstar knows his stuff with that comment. So to further the scope of human understanding I don't think I'm out of line asking him to reveal the subtle differences between demonic possession and mental illness.
No problem, I tread carefully in here
. Of course the inference my question to him has, is that there are other things he credits to God that could very well be misinterpreted. He knows that is the underlying theme for my question and he will think of something to either deflect it, he may even admonish me or he may compose an answer that seems reasonable enough as to cast doubt on my aspersive tone. He's used to it so I don't feel bad about it.
i watched an interesting documentary last night called "the devil and daniel johnston". it was kind of sad in a way, but also inspiring in a way. though i had never heard of him or his work previously, he is a famous singer/songwriter, who is diagnosed as mentally ill. it seems to me though, that not only despite his mental illness, but possibly because of it, he is a success. not in material wealth, but in artistic accomplishment. it seems that in providing an outlet for his illness, he became artistically prolific and profound. the illness seemed to manifest in a very religiously oriented show. he was raised in a church going family but never was interested in that. it seemed like his "revelation" was of a personal nature, which made me feel that he was spiritually influenced. then again, his ranting is saturated in religious rhetoric, probably learned. when he was medicated, he found that he was unable to create or express himself, and would often go off his medication before a performance so that he would be good, be passionate. i found myself drawing parallel references to my own experience while i was watching. i think that he has been spoiled, and has much less reservation and inhibition than i do. but in the end, as perverse as it seemed, he accomplished something great all on his own. no doctor and no religion was even remotely helpful to him. and though he seemed to be a burden to some, he had to live with himself and his "demons", and deal with them the best way he knew how, which was with his art. i think that art serves a great purpose for those who are isolated with troubles and situations that can't be easily understood by themselves or by other people.
Funny that someone used the word 'devil' in the title. I would have become immediately skeptical.
Remember the movie 'Rainman". An autistic idiot savant memorizes a large metropolitan phone book. I think Johnston may be somewhat along the same lines but not as severe. Some people who would innocently walk of a pier if not chaperoned have some amazing talents, from virtuoso musicians to mathematical geniuses. Johnston had a penchant for art but he was mentally ill. I wonder if his diagnosis and treatment were aligned. I did an university essay on neuropsychopharmacology (there's a word for ya), in a nutshell it's understanding how different regions of the brain are affected by different drugs. Perhaps Mr Johnston was receiving the wrong medicine. Did they mention that they had considered that?
At least as an artist he had a chance to express himself. Might have been therapeutic for him to perform or it was his illness (compulsive disorder perhaps) that encouraged him to reject his medication. I guess the argument is.... in what state of mind was he better off in?
yeah that was my point. he seemed better off the way he wanted to be and not the way everyone thought he should be. they tried him on almost every medication there was available. i'm not sure if they ever did decide on which one was best. from what i saw, no medication was best. it stole his life. all it did was numb him and take away everything that made him unique and, not necessarily happy, but passionate.
Not knowing exactly what his illness is comprised of makes it tough. Well in Canada, no judge will send a mentally ill person to an institution for fear of violating that person's rights. As a result we have a lot more mentally ill people out in the real world and institutions are closing up. Many of them have prescribed medication but don't bother to use it.
So in essence, Johnston is no different than these unfortunates. I have a feeling there's more to his story than what TV is telling. He is still mentally ill when all is said and done.
So in essence, Johnston is no different than these unfortunates. I have a feeling there's more to his story than what TV is telling. He is still mentally ill when all is said and done.
yet seemingly happy and apparently prolific. so, how is it, with no institutions that these mentally ill people survive, if they can't work, or if they don't have family or friends to take care of them and provide for them? i am idealistically not a fan of institutions, but in community, and in family, but it's not an ideal world, and families and communities are often times not capable, or even interested. mentally ill people here in the states are often times homeless and on the streets, relying on shelters if they're lucky enough to be able to get into one. it's really sad. that's why i said that johnston was a bit spoiled. he always had people to rely on. i wonder if he couldn't have controlled himself a bit more if he didn't have those people around him.
What a blindingly narrow and unpleasant view of life.
No everyone has problems.
explain yourself. i dare you to. what i have suggested here is freedom of choice under and divine and perfect law. where positive and negative choices both ultimately have positive outcomes for the greater good. i doubt you could top that if you tried.
why dwell on labels?
By stating Demons... seems you are the one introducing labels
make believe labels at that
make believe labels at that