Is anyone out there terrified of demons/devils IRL?

[fusangite]

Green Knight,

While all your data is interesting, it's not exactly on point. The discussion we are having is situated in the society in which we live. We are not discussing whether it is reasonable for someone living in a slum on the outskirts of Lagos to fear demons; we are discussing whether it is reasonable for people in the societies in which we, and this debate, are located to fear them.

The argument you are putting forward is, to me, disquieting. You seem to be suggesting that being modern and being Christian are mutually exclusive. My Christian friends and I reject such a notion; one should not have to reject modernity to believe in Christ.

 

[Green Knight]

It's not disquieting. There's a difference between "being modern", and throwing out core doctrines of a religion. The fact that Christianity is dying a slow death in some parts of the West proves that, in their pursuit of "modernity", some churches have elected to throw out core doctrines and are losing parishioners as a result. There was a time when selling indulgences was "modern", too. That didn't make it any more doctrinally sound.

EDIT: Sorry, Fusangite. I guess I am going a bit off-topic, here. Not having any specific idea by what you mean when you say "Modern", I'll just let the subject drop. Just I've had a lot of problems, lately, with some of the people trying to "Modernize" Christianity (Which is sometimes synonymous with making it PC), a lot of which attempts are leading to the death of Christianity in the 1st World, with the exception of the Evangelicals in America.

Oh well. As you say, Christianity is a dynamic thing. Europe may be dying the death of a thousand cuts, but South America, Africa, and Asia are rising, and while parishioners are fleeing some churches in America in droves, others in America are growing at phenomenal rates.

 

[CrusaderX]

However, I think you would be hard-pressed to find that the church's parishioners in the developed world believe their leaders on this subject any more than they follow their doctrines on contraception.

Quite untrue. I have many Catholic friends who follow Church teachings on contraception - I'm not hard-pressed to find such folks at all. And I personally think that Humane Vitae makes perfect sense as well.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Man, I never dreamed so many folks did believe in the boogeyman.

Bit of an eyeopener really.

I wonder if I should start selling "Anti-Demon Mojos" or whatever. There's got to be a buck in here somewhere

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Man, I never dreamed so many folks did believe in the boogeyman.

Bit of an eyeopener really.

I wonder if I should start selling "Anti-Demon Mojos" or whatever. There's got to be a buck in here somewhere

Root around enough occult bookstores, and you'll find such stuff for sale.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

"There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy"

And you might find exactly the same difficulty selling "anti-demon mojos" IRL as a fighter would have selling healing magic in D&D. Most people who believe in demons have definite ideas about how to deal with them (and where those ideas diverge, they tend to create mutually exclusive clientelles). You could open a new age shop catering to spiritualists and magicians and assorted types or you could start selling Bibles, annointing oil, communion wafers, and rosaries but I suspect you already knew that those were potential career paths and rejected both of them in favor of something else.

If you want to make a quick buck, you'd do much better selling "scientifically tested" nutritional supplements, "performance enhancers" (IYKWIMAITYD) or diet plans. Cashing in on scientism and its fetishizations is a whole lot easier.

Originally posted by Teflon Billy Man, I never dreamed so many folks did believe in the boogeyman.

Bit of an eyeopener really.

I wonder if I should start selling "Anti-Demon Mojos" or whatever. There's got to be a buck in here somewhere

 

[hunter1828]

Is anyone out there terrified of demons/devils IRL?

No, because I'm an atheist.

 

[Samnell]

As for the question do I experience any fear of demons, devils, and other such entities: of course not. I fear them as much as I fear Sauron and take both fears on the part of others equally seriously.

I do however, respect their right to believe whatever they will regardless of why my opinion on it may be. The notion that one should respect all beliefs is just silly, and if you consider the beliefs about racial superiority are just as much beliefs as beliefs about demons et al you'll see why. The right to indulge in various beliefs is important in and of itself, but belief systems have to earn their respect just like anything else. It's certainly not intrinsic to the belief being held.

I wonder if I should start selling "Anti-Demon Mojos" or whatever. There's got to be a buck in here somewhere. [/B]

Many throughout history (not just TV psychics, although they are among the more visible present-day practitioners) have come to that identical conclusion and made quite a few bucks. An hour of Sylvia Browne's time will cost you $700 over the phone, or $750 if you want her to play 20 questions with you in person. If you tell a person what they want to hear it is very easy to separate them from their money, which is unfortunate.

 

[D-Man]

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

That's okay, because he believes in you.

 

[hellbender]

That's okay, because he believes in you.

Which is in line with what I said before. As civilization slowly slides back into obscurity as it tends to every few thousand years, humans must place themselves firmly in the pilot's seat. Probably what ultimately causes civilization to cease, pride, overconfidence and humanocentric belief systems.

hellbender