Do demons have influence over the physical world?

[YehoiakhinEx232]

This is something I have been wondering about for long time, can demons influence the physical world and forces of nature? I have often assumed that they could not, they could only influence our thoughts even though I know that one of the symptoms of demonic possession was superhuman strength. However, today I attended my anthropology of religion course at college and today’s course was on Shamanism. One of the things we were taught in that class was that shamanist societies believe that sometimes spirits want an individual to become a shaman and they do this by afflicting the individual chronic illnesses until he becomes shaman or dies. Our teacher than told us about an incident in Africa in which a son of a Christian family started suffering severe chronic illnesses to the point he couldn’t walk he had become physically disabled. The local shaman community told the boy and his family that the spirits were calling him to be shaman and that the spirits would kill the boy if he did not submit. The shamans continued to put pressure on the boy and his family until finally the boy gave in and he became shaman. Our teacher didn’t say weather or not the boy recovered from his physical disability or not, in my opinion the parents should have saw a priest and see weather or not the boy was afflicted by demons and needed to be exorcised. So, can demons influence the physical world and was this boy afflicted by demons

 

[fred_conty]

In the Old Testament, the book of Job seems to bear this out about the physical world.

But then everything has to be approved by God first.

The whole Shaman thing is against our faith, and the boy should never have been permitted to be a Shaman.

May God our Father give you grace and peace.

 

[DevotedChild]

If they are powerful enough, they can move physical objects and cause illusions and such but they cannot control forces of nature.

 

[ialsop]

If they are powerful enough, they can move physical objects and cause illusions and such but they cannot control forces of nature.

HOWEVER, i believe God can at times allow them to work through disasters, storms, ect…nature.

 

[bolinstephen]

If they are powerful enough, they can move physical objects and cause illusions and such but they cannot control forces of nature.

Why do you think some demons are not powerful enough to move physical objects? Why do you think they can not control the forces of nature?

Do you think God prevents them from having these powers, or do you think that they no longer have this power in their nature because of who they now are?

 

[YehoiakhinEx232]

The whole Shaman thing is against our faith, and the boy should never have been permitted to be a Shaman.

I’m not saying I believe in shamanism I’m saying that demons may be causing these affliction, if they have these powers, in order drive individuals like that boy away from God and into idolatry.

 

[cmodrmac]

" HOWEVER, i believe God can at times allow them to work through disasters, storms, ect…nature."

this is the 21 st century -storms caused by demons-debating which demon can do what on the physical plane -"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

A loving God lets demons play around with hurricanes and such -::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

this talk belongs several centuries ago or on the 700 Club

Job was an allegorical story -you believe the Devil and the Lord discussed this"""""""""""""""???

 

[ialsop]

" HOWEVER, i believe God can at times allow them to work through disasters, storms, ect…nature."

this is the 21 st century -storms caused by demons-debating which demon can do what on the physical plane -"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

A loving God lets demons play around with hurricanes and such -::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

this talk belongs several centuries ago or on the 700 Club

Job was an allegorical story -you believe the Devil and the Lord discussed this"""""""""""""""???

Haha wow.

 

[bolinstephen]

The Devil and God had a conversation in the Gospel of Matthew (the Temptations of Christ)—*why is it out of line to say that the Devil and God sometimes have conversations?

God, at times, tests us, and at times, God disciplines us. Our testing and our discipline are good things. St. Paul wrote in Romans 8 that God works all things out for the good of those who love him. Why can’t God use demons to test us and to discipline us?

Hurricane Katrina could very well have been a rebuke by God carried out by demons because of the sexual immorality of the City of New Orleans and the United States. How anyone can claim to know this— without some kind of private revelation— is beyond me.

Don’t ever forget that God judges us personally, and he judges us collectively. Catholics, even generally faithful Catholics, can be at fault for not standing up to the sins of the culture.

 

[ialsop]

The Devil and God had a conversation in the Gospel of Matthew (the Temptations of Christ)—*why is it out of line to say that the Devil and God sometimes have conversations?

God, at times, tests us, and at times, God disciplines us. Our testing and our discipline are good things. St. Paul wrote in Romans 8 that God works all things out for the good of those who love him. Why can’t God use demons to test us and to discipline us?

Hurricane Katrina could very well have been a rebuke by God carried out by demons because of the sexual immorality of the City of New Orleans and the United States. How anyone can claim to know this— without some kind of private revelation— is beyond me.

Don’t ever forget that God judges us personally, and he judges us collectively. Catholics, even generally faithful Catholics, can be at fault for not standing up to the sins of the culture.

Not to mention New Orleans HEAVY influence of the occult and voodoo…

 

[WatchfulPilgrim]

One need only to look at the book of Job to see how God allows Satan to work in the physical realm. Look at the life of St Padre Pio and how he was physically assaulted by the Devil. And just as objects can be blessed, so can objects be cursed.

I would say the devil knows more about how to manipulate the physical than the mental and spiritual; that he uses the physical to influence us emotionally and spiritually, knowing how tangent and material we are.

Satan is not God. God knows our thoughts - I do not believe that Satan knows our thoughts. But I think we reveal much about our thought by our actions, and Satan is wise and cunning, and knows more about what our actions reveal about our spirits than even we sometimes do.

Lastly, I would take Jesus’ advise, and not worry too much: resist the devil and he will flee from you. Stay close to Jesus. He has already told us how it all ends.

 

[WatchfulPilgrim]

…and I will follow that thought with the revelation that Satan sometimes appears as an angel of light. Just as he tempted Jesus in the dessert, he tries to manipulate us by seeking material gain, positions of authority, respect, or admiration (like Shamanism for instance). For consideration:

Matthew 4:1-11 Satan Tempts Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”[a]

5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”**
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”[c]

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”**

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you,[d] Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”[e]

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

 

[fred_conty]

Job was an allegorical story -you believe the Devil and the Lord discussed this"""""""""""""""???

That is what the story says, that they were discussing Job. That is what the human author thru inspiration says. That doesn’t take anything away from it being allegorical.

The story of Job could have been told without mentioning the devil. All the disasters in Job’s story could have occurred in a natural way if the devil wasn’t important to the story.

So why then was the devil brought into the story if he is unimportant to the story? To teach us that the devil may be used by God in carrying out his plans to make us holier. That God is good to us in all his ways. Even in events that on the surface don’t seem to be good.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.

 

[cmodrmac]

Not to mention New Orleans HEAVY influence of the occult and voodo

I agree that the most satanic thing in New Orleans are jello shots and Hurricane drinks

this is 2014 -we do not need to use demons as the reason for natural disasters-I appreciate your comments but the gulf is too wide I have nothing more to add

 

[ialsop]

Not to mention New Orleans HEAVY influence of the occult and voodo

I agree that the most satanic thing in New Orleans are jello shots and Hurricane drinks

this is 2014 -we do not need to use demons as the reason for natural disasters-I appreciate your comments but the gulf is too wide I have nothing more to add

LOL have you been to New Orleans? You dont seem to see how deep that city is in occultic things.