Armstrongism has always had a fascination with demons. Pesky demons were always lurking around ready to steal our crowns. Demons were more powerful than Jesus because they got talked about more. The Pasadena campus supposedly had lots of demons lurking around ready to posses students minds with levitating toothbrushes, They were in abundance because they wanted to get close to the truth, at least that is what one WCG ministurd used to teach. This
Church of God has an article telling members how to cast out demons.
If someone is possessed by a demon how does he get rid of it? First of all you must realize that it is not your power
to cast out the demon, but our King of Kings Yahshua Messiah. (Acts
19:15-16) "And the evil spirit said Yahshua I know, and Paul I
know but who are you? And the man with the evil spirit leaped on them,
and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they
fled out of the house naked and wounded." We must never go on
our own power. If the demon asks your name, tell him "You come in the
name of Yahshua Messiah." Your name is not important. Then you use the
authority that Yahshua gave you (If you have been given that
authority) to cast the demon out in his name. You must believe totally
in the one who sent you (Yahshua). If you lack faith it will
not leave. Then after the demon is gone, you must explain to the
person who had the demon that he must keep his house clean lest 7
more come back with the first one, and the end of that person will be
worst than the beginning. The person must repent of the sin,revoke the act that brought the demon and replace
the act with a positive deed. That is the only way to stay clean. I
will say that
although demons are rampant in this world today, all out demon
possession is rare. But it is getting more and more common as we are
getting closer to the end.
11 comments:
A few little questions.
How do you "go on someone else's power" exactly. Can I "go" on my next door neighbor's "power"? What "power" is he talking about?
How do you know if you have been "authority" by Yashua (whoever that is) or not? How do you know if Yashua "sent you" or not? How do you know you aren't making the whole thing up?
How do you know if you "believe totally in" Yahshua or not? How do you know if you "lack faith" or not? Given that there is any reality to any of this whatsoever, how would a feat of mental gymnastics exert any external influence or make any difference to anything beyond your own body? Is it like the "force" from Star Wars? Or is it like Harry Potter magic? It seems like some sort of occult spell or something.
To paraphrase: When I was a child, I thought superstitiously like a child, played church like a child, believed in phony-baloney religion like a child, but when I grew up I put away all those childish things.
"I will say that although demons are rampant in this world today, all out demon possession is rare. But it is getting more and more common as we are getting closer to the end."
So it's rampant and more common in a rare kinda way...
no...it's ramapant and rare in a common kinda way...
Some of these go not out except by prayer and fasting; others need a court order; and still others need to have a mental health professional prescribe meds (and you need to take them). This is particularly true if you hear voices in your head telling you to kill someone.
Of course, if the voice in your head tells you that you need to get out of your silly Armstrongist cult, you need to heed: It could be the Holy Spirit.
Just sayin'.
Hearkening back to the Dark Ages (which is where Armstrongism is firmly rooted), should not the possessed engage an exorcist from the Roman Catholic Church?
Or have they moved on from such things?
All Christianity is firmly rooted in the Dark Ages
In the 1970s, hysteria in the WCG rose to new levels (a result of the failure of 1975 in Prophecy, perhaps?), and people began worrying about demon possessed pets.
And being inventive, I had a web page on how demons were cast out of a cat.
The only question I have is, has the hysteria returned or did it never go away?
I know I posted this awhile back but my Mom bought a nice seashell windchime at the New York Worlds Fair in 1965 and hung it from the ceiling fixture in the front hallway by the door. When the minsiters came to visit, one portly minister from England told my Mother that when the chimes tinkled it meant that demons were passing by. She immediately took it down. I remember distinctly in a sermon that if, now, just IF a "spirit" were to materalize in front of you, how would you know if it were an Angel or a demon? The answer; if you tried to worship it, an Angel would tell you to worship God the Father only, and a demon would relish in it. If ANYTHING materalized in front of me, I wouldn't wait around to find anything out! Feet don't fail me now!! ;)
I'm reminded of the story an old North Dakota farmer related about his superstition addled German Russian relative who saw "the devil" in everything.
He was absoutely sure the "devil" had struck him in the back as he walked across a field the night before. My friend asked him to show him where it happened, and when they got to the spot, there was an old iron wagon tire that it was obvious from the soil and grass disturbance that he had stepped on to make it rotate up and hit the superstitious fool in his back. The same thing happens when a person steps on a rake or some other object just right.
The world is filled with all kinds of anecdotal "evidence" people base their wild-eyed, superstitious beliefs and lives upon.
And today is the Day of Atonement!
What better day to cast out demons!?!
These come not out but by prayer and fasting.
Not sure what it will take to get the Armstrongists out of the cults they're in -- prayer and fasting isn't going to cut it.
Maybe there's something in quantum physics... hmmm.
Ah, right you are, Douglas! One's relationship with God as "Father" can never be a passive thing. It does require work, due diligence, and the development of accurate listening skills! I'm sure there is a wide variety of opinion on this floating around out there, but I agree that, at least for me, it was not possible to obtain the fulfillment of such a relationship through Armstrongism. Entirely too much noise!
BB
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