You can believe it or not. The devil don't care if you believe in him or not. he believes in you. I've given you the warning about spiritual influence, you can heed it or not.
I've given you and am giving you a warning not to preach. Discussion is one thing, preaching is another and I won't have it. You have been warned.
Your spirits are the wrong ones. It's the Architect of Fate you need to worry about and He who sits on the Skull Throne. You may not believe in them but they see your shadow in the Great Ocean.
But how would you know if your whole church was possessed by demons fooling you into following Christ, but really God wants you to follow Muhammad? Too confusing! See you in hell guys. First one there gets the BBQ going. You have to get used to warm beer, but at least you won't be bothered by the god squad.
I'm a very sane person. I'm also not particularly cynical (scepticism and cynism are not the same thing, I'm willing to bet I experience more wonder at the universe than you). I also don't believe in your evil spirits. You say everyone experiences negative thoughts, but in fact it is possible to choose not to.
Negative thoughts/feelings are chemical cocktails in your brain. It is perfectly natural to have negative ones from time to time. They are part of the human condition and can even help you grow as a person. It is almost insulting to one's intelligence to suggest that it's mind control from a magic pixie. Speaking chemical cocktails I could go for one about now.
I believe keeping a positive mind set is valuable for a healthy mental life. I have and do suffer from depressions and anxiety it is a disorder I do not wish on anybody. I am also a Christian I do believe in demons and angels God and satan. "I" believe that individuals who are possessed and show signs of mental illness are very uncommon. cuongnhugirl I understand were you are coming in a way. Let me ask you this question when you get a cold do you claim possession? Or better if a person has a serious illness like cancer or a disease is that person possessed? Mental illness is a illness I believe 99.5% of the time that is what it is. Psychology is a very young science I believe we are still in the dark ages when it comes to mental health care.
There is no reason to assume mental illness is causes by demons or evil spirits. Biblically speaking, the human body (and by extension the brain / mind) is imperfect and susceptible to disease. Being depressed is a chemical problem in the brain. One argument I've heard from a conservative pastor is that if you're a true follower of Christ, you cannot become possessed to begin with, because 'he that is within me is stronger than he who is within the world'.
From a Christian standpoint, when asked, Jesus basically said that the "house" is occupied when one is a Christian. Which means it can't be taken control of by "robbers", I think was the metaphor used. And while possession and active supernatural influence do appear at points in the bible, it's very much the exception. Generally when people do unwise things in the bible, it's openly stated that it's because they made poor decisions. The idea that satan is pulling at every decision, trying to turn everyone off course at every minute is largely a modern one AFAIK.
