Why do demons possess people?

[dje101]

Hello y’all!

Hope everyone is doing very well. I was chit chatting with my brother the other day and he asked me why demons possess people. I thought it was a great question and i couldn’t think of an answer. So, what is the purpose of a demon(s) possessing an individual?

Thanks and God bless,

Dje101

 

[Heuchler]

Hello y’all!

Hope everyone is doing very well. I was chit chatting with my brother the other day and he asked me why demons possess people. I thought it was a great question and i couldn’t think of an answer. So, what is the purpose of a demon(s) possessing an individual?

Thanks and God bless,

Dje101

I think that the only rational reason would be that it oppresses people and is their only way to actually hurt us in a way that is directly attributed to them. It might come from their pride in which they wish to show us how powerful they are and how we can’t stop them. I think that is the only bad that comes from it and the only purpose. The terror that it leaves behind and the pain it brings the family and others involved with the possessed person may bring some joy or be the demon’s justification.

 

[JimmytheButcher]

Two reasons…

1. We invite Satan into our hearts incrementally by way of sin, or another human with some authority over us has given them permission enter.

(Examples: In the case of permission to self, repeated fornication and/or masturbation are very common, et cetra. In the case of the latter, incest is a very common cause, rape is a very common cause, et cetra. It can happen by way of non-sexual sin as well, but those acts that violate the dignity of the human person are most prevalent. Another frequent example of permission is a mothers cursing their unborn child. In this case the demonic can become generational and infest a whole family.)

1. Satan asks God to allow someone to be tormented and He likewise allows it as a special challenge so that we might grow spiritually from the Grace He provides to you abundantly.

(Example: Read Job and Tobit and the Temptation of Christ from the Gospels)

Possession is said to be not quite as common as opression. Repeat the holy names of Mary and Jesus, and all becomes well. Her name and His name do violence to evil.

 

[promethius]

Hello y’all!

Hope everyone is doing very well. I was chit chatting with my brother the other day and he asked me why demons possess people. I thought it was a great question and i couldn’t think of an answer. So, what is the purpose of a demon(s) possessing an individual?

Thanks and God bless,

Dje101

I don’t think it’s generally safe to attempt to understand particular motives of demons. It is sufficient to say that they want to destroy us, destroy our relationships, wreck our lives, eliminate charity in the world, etc. Why they go after certain people and not others… well we’ll never know.

 

[SwissGuard25]

Hello y’all!

Hope everyone is doing very well. I was chit chatting with my brother the other day and he asked me why demons possess people. I thought it was a great question and i couldn’t think of an answer. So, what is the purpose of a demon(s) possessing an individual?

Thanks and God bless,

Dje101

Demons posses people because they want to force you into Satan’s evil path of sin. As the Holy Ghost guides you through the good path to God. Demons guide you to evil and sin.

Take care and
God Bless

 

[John7]

what is the purpose of a demon(s) possessing an individual?

I think one of the purposes is to serve them (like a slave serves a slavemaster).

First a person is bought, like what the Devil attempted with Christ, Matt 4.9-10,
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
There are people who are bought off with these things and fall and worship and end up serving Satan.

In the dark realm the Devil or Satan (a spirit) buys off people (‘sell soul to devil’). Being bought therefore they are a possession. Being a possession they are therefore possessed. Being possesed, Satan (or one of his demons, fallen angels, spirits) has the ability and right to indwell what is possessed and to require further worship and service (I would think under compulsion).

All these spiritual happenings are copied from the realm of Light to steal what is due God.
1 Cor 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Cor 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men (or anyone else I might add).
Blessed souls are bought with the blood of Christ,
1Pe 1:18-19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Being a possession of God he can therefore graciously send a spirit into our lives,
Rom 8:9 Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Gal 4:6 because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts…

Only Christians have this grace…and being so indwellt we worship and serve (not under compulsion) the Lord only.
Col 3:24…for ye serve the Lord Christ.
So again, IMO, one of the reasons demons possess is to get worship and service, due to God, out of those whom thoe whom they possess.

 

[dje101]

Makes sense, the fact that 1) it is one of the only ways that they can hurt us and 2) could be a way to show their power, to make us fearful.

At my last church, I was taught that a true believer in Christ can NEVER be possessed by a demon.

So, say a Catholic teen who regularly goes to confession and mass, and does his best to follow the Lord, has a problem with masturbation (using the example that JimmytheButcher provided), could this teen possibly become possessed?

 

[Paul_theApostle]

The demons want to enslave us into hell ,sin and spiritual death

they work they way into our hearts making us slaves of sin and passions/sinful desires

being enslaved in the heart to passions or a passion is a small possesion

i dont know if there comes a point with sins where the passion may become very strong to the point where the demon takes control of a person,but even if the person is ‘not possesed’ the passion and sinful desires still tempt us and can cause us to run in the paths of evil and commit sin,so evil this way may still have some control over us

Judas was passionate about money and Satan entered into him and possessed him and he did what he did

Big sins like getting involved in the occult can bring the power of Satan right into our souls and he will have power over us and we can get possessed

 

[dje101]

The demons want to enslave us into hell ,sin and spiritual death

they work they way into our hearts making us slaves of sin and passions/sinful desires

being enslaved in the heart to passions or a passion is a small possesion

i dont know if there comes a point with sins where the passion may become very strong to the point where the demon takes control of a person,but even if the person is ‘not possesed’ the passion and sinful desires still tempt us and can cause us to run in the paths of evil and commit sin,so evil this way may still have some control over us

Judas was passionate about money and Satan entered into him and possessed him and he did what he did

Big sins like getting involved in the occult can bring the power of Satan right into our souls and he will have power over us and we can get possessed

What about people who were never involved in a cult but are possessed to a the point of full demonic possession? I guess what I’m asking is, what makes some people more vulnerable to this type of spiritual attack?

 

[atheistgirl]

What about people who were never involved in a cult but are possessed to a the point of full demonic possession? I guess what I’m asking is, what makes some people more vulnerable to this type of spiritual attack?

That’s a great question, because as far as Im aware, there is no record of atheists being possessed by demons. In the past things like epilepsy were signs of being possesed. Thankfully we understand the working of the brain and body, neurology and mental illness so much better these days, and our understanding is improving all the time.

Oh, cue the hoards of posts telling me I MUST be possessed because Im an atheist



Sarah x

 

[Heuchler]

What about people who were never involved in a cult but are possessed to a the point of full demonic possession? I guess what I’m asking is, what makes some people more vulnerable to this type of spiritual attack?

Why would Satan care about people in cults? He is more worried about people who might be actually going to Heaven. So, if these possessions might hurt someones chances at getting to Heaven, Satan will probably leap on it.

And no offense Atheist girl, but Satan would never make the mistake of openly possessing an atheist as that would indicate that he is real and by process of elimination, that God is real.

 

[promethius]

That’s a great question, because as far as Im aware, there is no record of atheists being possessed by demons.

On the contrary, exorcisms throughout history have involved people other than catholics, as well as catholics too.

A cursory reading of “The Rite: Making of a Modern Exorcist”, “An Exorcist Tells His Story”, or “Hostage to the Devil” would have told you this.

In the past things like epilepsy were signs of being possesed. Thankfully we understand the working of the brain and body, neurology and mental illness so much better these days, and our understanding is improving all the time.

Things like epilepsy might have been considered a sign POINTING TO the possibility of demonic involvement, but they would never have been considered conclusive evidence of possession… for that one would require one of the supernatural signs (foreknowledge of events, speaking unstudied languages, inexplicable reaction to sacred items, etc). The process to determine if someone is possessed has always been a drawn out one which involves review by psychologists.

Oh, cue the hoards of posts telling me I MUST be possessed because Im an atheist

Incorrect. Nobody knows why specific people get possessed, we only know that CERTAIN activities invite demons (namely, participation in the occult). We know that not all those who practice the occult ever become possessed, as well as not all atheists become possessed (in fact, I would say that the percentage would be related as “almost none”).

But thank you for condescending to us without any valid basis whatsoever.

 

[dje101]

Why would Satan care about people in cults? He is more worried about people who might be actually going to Heaven. So, if these possessions might hurt someones chances at getting to Heaven, Satan will probably leap on it.

And no offense Atheist girl, but Satan would never make the mistake of openly possessing an atheist as that would indicate that he is real and by process of elimination, that God is real.

So then, contrary to what my last church taught me, believers CAN be possessed?

 

[promethius]

So then, contrary to what my last church taught me, believers CAN be possessed?

Yes, a believer who falls away from the faith or embraces heresy or the occult is particularly vulnerable, and can be fully possessed (where their will has surrendered some level of control to the demon) or even perfectly possessed (hypothetical: that someone is so far gone they cannot be brought back).

A believer, even one who is faithful, however, can still be attacked by a demon in the forms of demonic obsession, opression, or even minor possessions.

 

[dje101]

Yes, a believer who falls away from the faith or embraces heresy or the occult is particularly vulnerable, and can be fully possessed (where their will has surrendered some level of control to the demon) or even perfectly possessed (hypothetical: that someone is so far gone they cannot be brought back).

A believer, even one who is faithful, however, can still be attacked by a demon in the forms of demonic obsession, opression, or even minor possessions.

It’s possible for someone to be possessed to the extent that they cannot be brought back? Does this mean the demon has just evicted the host and permanently taken up residence? Where is the person?

 

[promethius]

It’s possible for someone to be possessed to the extent that they cannot be brought back? Does this mean the demon has just evicted the host and permanently taken up residence? Where is the person?

Hypothetically yes, the term is called “perfect possession” wherein not only has the person’s will submitted to demonic possession but also actively DESIRES possession. The reason the person can’t be brought back is because they don’t WANT to be brought back, they desire the presence of the demon. Because it is totally hypothetical, there isn’t much in the way of sure knowledge, but I would say that the person is still there (not evicted), they are just in perfect union with their demonic master. When they die, it is probable that such a person would be damned.

 

[pablope]

So then, contrary to what my last church taught me, believers CAN be possessed?

Yes…there are some possessions permitted by God, but these are to further sanctify the believer…and to test their faith…and for God to give them sanctifying grace, but it is not possession, it is more demonic attacks.

There are saints who were attacked by demons…for the purpose I stated above. Examples are Padre Pio, St. Gemma Galgani, St. John Vianney.

 

[atheistgirl]

On the contrary, exorcisms throughout history have involved people other than catholics, as well as catholics too.

A cursory reading of “The Rite: Making of a Modern Exorcist”, “An Exorcist Tells His Story”, or “Hostage to the Devil” would have told you this.

I was refering to people of faith as opposed to people of no faith - I didnt mention catholics at all.

Do you have a reference for peer reviewed literature, not an internet story, of genuine authenticated possesson of an atheist?

The process to determine if someone is possessed has always been a drawn out one which involves review by psychologists.

Perhaps now in modern times. It wasnt always so.

But thank you for condescending to us without any valid basis whatsoever.

It seems youve misconstrued my sense of humor as condescention. Thank you for taking offence where none was intended.

Sarah x

 

[promethius]

I was refering to people of faith as opposed to people of no faith - I didnt mention catholics at all.

Do you have a reference for peer reviewed literature, not an internet story, of genuine authenticated possesson of an atheist?

All three books I mentioned are published works.

The Rite is written by a journalist in close collaboration with multiple exorcists
An Exorcist Tells His Story is written by the Vatican’s Chief Exorcist, Fr Gabriel Amorth
Hostage to the Devil was written by a scholar, Fr Malachi Martin, who is now defrocked, and I offer this as a counter source to those written by official exorcists.

These are not internet stories, they are works which are published by and in collaboration with experts in the field. You should have google searched this fact before making such a strange and baseless assertion.

Perhaps now in modern times. It wasnt always so.

You are correct, in the times before psychology a psychologist could not be consulted. However, there was still awareness that a person could be crazy without being possessed, and part of the rite has always included a discernment period for this reason.

Were there abuses and have exorcists sometimes shortchanged this process? Certainly. The exorcism of Emily Rose illustrates that an exorcist can be incorrect and hasty to discern a possession which isn’t there, even today. That does not negate the fact that the rite has always included discernment of actual possession.

It seems youve misconstrued my sense of humor as condescention. Thank you for taking offence where none was intended.

Don’t assume I take offense. I merely point out that you condescend to treat our beliefs as nothing more than hocus pocus ways of dealing with mental illness. It is obvious you haven’t read anything in depth or authoritative on the subject in that regard, or you would know the things I am telling you already. That is the condescention I was largely referring to.

 

[atheistgirl]

All three books I mentioned are published works.

Indeed. But being a published work is not proof of any authority. I gathered that much, but the authors are religious from what I can gather? And would I be right in thinking the people possessed were also religious or from religious backgrounds/families?

You should have google searched this fact before making such a strange and baseless assertion.

I didnt make a baseless assertion. Once again you seem to be reading into what I wrote something I did not intend. I merely asked if you could reference a peer reviewed and authenticated article of possession of an atheist. My reference to internet stories just reflects the fact there are millions of demonic possession stories on the web, many of them, if not all, highly dubious and not much more than hearsay and gross distortion of actual facts and events. I wasnt making a link between that line and the books you referred to. You made that link all by yourself.

You are correct, in the times before psychology a psychologist could not be consulted. However, there was still awareness that a person could be crazy without being possessed, and part of the rite has always included a discernment period for this reason.

And with very limited knowledge of the mind and its working I would venture much of that discernment was wrong. Giles Corey might have something to say about the discernment techniques used on him

That does not negate the fact that the rite has always included discernment of actual possession.

I think fortunately with the advent of modern psychiatry and our understanding of the workings of the minds and body and mental illness this discernment discernment has greatly improved.

I merely point out that you condescend to treat our beliefs as nothing more than hocus pocus ways of dealing with mental illness.

Once again you seem happy to see something I neither said nor intended. At no point did I, or would I, dismiss anyones beliefs as ‘hocus pocus’’. My position is all abnormal human behavior can be explained rationally and has a locus somehwere in the brain. Others do no agree. Great. That’s a wonderful opportunty for a pleasant conversation and exchange of views.

If only one was allowed to express them politely and inoffensively without having them rewritten before her very eyes

Sarah x