Is anyone out there terrified of demons/devils IRL?

[Argus Decimus Mokira]

Deleted 'cause I was trolling.
-Matt

 

[Gothmog]

Ok, this is going to sound really bizarre. Is anyone here terrified of demons/devils/evil spirits in real life? For the last year, I have been running a story arc in my campaign involving the corruption of innocents and perversion of ideals by infernals, and the gradual rebirth of an arch-devil in my campaign. I have been trying to creep them out, and protray adversaries that are immortal, utterly evil, and completely alien (in other words, not typical hack-n-slash demons). I just found out recently that the wife of one of my players who is in my campaign is terrified of the possibility of demonic possession or infernal influences in real life. While we were gaming, she would act paranoid and somewhat agitated, but apparently away from the table she has had nightmares and other problems about it (and it didn't help much than when she was little and watched the Exorcist and asked her mom if that could happen, her mom told her yes, but that she wasn't important enough for the Devil to possess her).

Anyway, is this unusual? Has anybody else ever run into anything like this?

 

[Olive]

Anyway, is this unusual? Has anybody else ever run into anything like this?

Unusual? sure... but not as uncommon as you might believe. While I don't worry about this sort of stuff, my girlfriend genuinely and truly believes in ghosts, and devils and ghosts are too far removed from each other.

 

[LuYangShih]

Superstition is pointless. Why allow yourself to succumb to it?

 

[Olive]

The real question is why was this person playing DnD in the first place? I mean, isn't DnD all about satanism?

 

[Mouseferatu]

Superstition is pointless. Why allow yourself to succumb to it?

That's more than a little unfair. Demons are a part (albeit an unpleasant one) of many people's religions. There's no reason to be insulting about it.

Personally, I don't believe in any such thing. But that doesn't mean I can't respect the beliefs of the folks who do--or at least be polite enough not to belittle them for it.

 

[Nightfall]

Yeah after all I have my own personal demons...they are my players.

 

[Gothmog]

Originally posted by Olive:

The real question is why was this person playing DnD in the first place? I mean, isn't DnD all about satanism?

Yeah, you'd think the big pentagram painted in blood on the basement floor and the demonic laughter that resounds in the house when the DM get a crit would tip her off.

Seriously- she isn't a very religious person at all, but her parents were, and her mom especially seems to really believe in this stuff. She has no moral objection to D&D, and she never mentioned any of this to me, but apparently it still bothers her. She also refuses to watch the movie Signs for some strange reason.

 

[Teflon Billy]

I'm not, and I think being afraid of "demons" is a sign of a weak mind.

Sorry if that digs at religion, but I don't believe in the boogeyman.

 

[Wombat]

Personally I do believe in devils -- they are, however, flesh-and-blood human beings that walk the face of this world.

Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, name your mass murderer, your psychological torturer, your grossly abusive individual -- if these were not devils, what would qualify?

I believe in good, but unfortunately I also believe in evil. I've seen small examples of it many times in my life.