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roseproject
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Or can only demons do that?
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
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thetazlord
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According to EWTN, “Hell” in the Apostle’s Creed is a “bad translation.” What most people consider “Hell” is actually “Hades.” “Hell” (“Gehenna”) is technically the “lake of fire” where all the unrepentant wicked who died, who are currently in Hades will “eventually” be cast into at the end of human civilization. So, technically, “Hell” is empty. The demons who are “in chains” are bound in Tartarus, which is a realm in the lowest level of Hades - or “below” it. These demons can’t “possess” anyone. However, there are “unbound” demons who are in Hades that can - and do - torture the wicked damned, but there is no Scriptural indication that they can “possess” anyone in Hades since they are all spirits. But they can possess living human beings, since they have bodies to possess. However, they can’t possess a true genuine believer in Christ, because they are “possessed” by the Holy Spirit, & are “slaves” in Christ. And since a person “cannot serve two masters” & since a slave is owned, a true genuine believer cannot be “possessed” by a demon. So, all those people in the past who have claimed to be Christians who were “possessed” by a demon, were not genuine Christians.Or can only demons do that?
Thanks in advance
Individual condemned souls in Hades cannot possess people either. Once a person is in Hades, they remain there - PERMANENTLY, until they are cast into the lake of fire (ie: Hell).
Hope this helps.
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mdgspencer
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Or can only demons do that?
Thanks in advance
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mdgspencer
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Whenever someone is actually possessed, exorcists always assume it is being done by demons.
I wonder if you got this idea from a movie?
I wonder if you got this idea from a movie?
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inocente
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For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8
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thetazlord
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Hodegetria
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Hi Thetazlord, Can you please tell me where on EWTN they say that “Hell in the Apostle’s Creed is a bad translation.”**According to EWTN, “Hell” in the Apostle’s Creed is a “bad translation.” ** What most people consider “Hell” is actually “Hades.” “Hell” (“Gehenna”) is technically the “lake of fire” where all the unrepentant wicked who died, who are currently in Hades will “eventually” be cast into at the end of human civilization. So, technically, “Hell” is empty. The demons who are “in chains” are bound in Tartarus, which is a realm in the lowest level of Hades - or “below” it. These demons can’t “possess” anyone. However, there are “unbound” demons who are in Hades that can - and do - torture the wicked damned, but there is no Scriptural indication that they can “possess” anyone in Hades since they are all spirits. But they can possess living human beings, since they have bodies to possess. However, they can’t possess a true genuine believer in Christ, because they are “possessed” by the Holy Spirit, & are “slaves” in Christ. And since a person “cannot serve two masters” & since a slave is owned, a true genuine believer cannot be “possessed” by a demon. So, all those people in the past who have claimed to be Christians who were “possessed” by a demon, were not genuine Christians.
Individual condemned souls in Hades cannot possess people either. Once a person is in Hades, they remain there - PERMANENTLY, until they are cast into the lake of fire (ie: Hell).
Hope this helps.
I have searched the website and I can’t find anything saying that. If you’re just referring to the line “He descended into hell…”, well, that’s just common knowledge–Jesus did not go to the hell of the damned-- but this is not something EWTN is exclusively claiming.
Thank you kindly.
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Hodegetria
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Only demons can possess people, and then only with God’s permission.Or can only demons do that?
Thanks in advance
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GEddie
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The word “Hell” comes from the underworld of Nordic paganism, whence we got the English language.
So we use this word instead of Hades, probably because the Anglo-Saxons knew no Greek. It’s not a translation but a transignification. The meaning is the same.
Per your original question, there is no way for a dead soul to make use of another body. Only demons can do that, and only if the body’s owner lets them in.
ICXC NIKA.
So we use this word instead of Hades, probably because the Anglo-Saxons knew no Greek. It’s not a translation but a transignification. The meaning is the same.
Per your original question, there is no way for a dead soul to make use of another body. Only demons can do that, and only if the body’s owner lets them in.
ICXC NIKA.
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Techno2000
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thetazlord
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I actually heard it on EWTN on television, not the Web site. And, yes, I was referring to the phrase “He descended into hell,” that the priest on EWTN stated “was a bad translation.” That is why Protestants changed it to say “He descended into Hades.” Where Jesus did descend to was Hades, where both the wicked damned (such as the rich man), as well as the righteous OT saints (like Abraham & Lazarus) were, “took the captives (the righteous) captive” & took them to Heaven. While Jesus was there, He “proclaimed victory to the spirits” which are the demons in Hades. The “Hell of the damned” (the lake of fire) is technically empty. The “damned” are technically not in “hell,” but still suffering & being tortured by demons in Hades.
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ChibiViolet
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There is no official teaching on this and exorcists disagree.
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GEddie
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Has an exorcist ever said that possession can be caused by dead human souls? Have you a link?
Even then, a demon might claim to be a dead soul, as almost everybody believes in those, and fewer believe in the existence of demons.
ICXC NIKA
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fred_conty
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The question seems to me to say, “Can a damned soul of a human come back to this earth and possess another human being?”Or can only demons do that?
Thanks in advance
I have read once where a prominent exorcist said that it dosen’t happen that often, but yes it can happen.
May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.
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JillyAnn
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2:2:4:1
1673 When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing.178 In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism. The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.
Is this not a teaching? Or Are you referring to the exact meaning of what a demon is?
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Gorgias
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You’ve asserted this twice now, but this is not what the Catholic Church teaches. In the catechism (see #1033 and following), it is taught that "mmediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell" (CCC, 1035). At Jesus’ second coming, all will receive their glorified bodies, but those who have been damned will exist eternally in hell in bodily form.
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Gorgias
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This is worded in a way that is misleading. It’s not that God gives permission for individuals to become possessed; rather, it is the case that Satan has a certain set of abilities here on earth in this age. Among these is the ability to tempt humans. If a human falls to the temptation, and invites Satan into his heart (e.g., by use of divination, seances, direct prayers to the devil, etc), then Satan (through his demons) is able to possess him. But, it’s not the case that God’s up in heaven, giving the thumbs-up to particular possessions and thumbs-down to others.
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Gorgias
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This seems to be the most reasonable response. If a demon presented himself to you, saying, “I’m the ghost of your beloved long-deceased Aunt Pearl”… how would you know if it’s your aunt or not? After all, since the demon’s been around so long, he could probably do a pretty good imitation of your aunt, or be pretty convincing if he wished to get at you through your memories of her…
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GEddie
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I don’t know how much the spirits can use our memories, as that implies they could read our minds (memories are part of the mind); something that is mostly held they cannot do.
But there is no need for memory or mind reading by spirits for deception to happen. Each of us has one or more demons riding the top of our head, so to speak, in order to tempt us. They would have built up a playbook of our behaviors more than sufficient, once we have died, to convince those in our life that they, the demon, were our dead soul.
ICXC NIKA
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Gorgias
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Right; that’s all I’m trying to imply here, too. For us, they’re our memories, and they’re why we’re vulnerable. For them, they’re things that they, too, witnessed, and so they’re able to attempt to exploit them to their advantage…
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